Boats Against the Current: The Honeymoon Summer of Scott and Zelda: Westport, Connecticut 1920, Richard Webb, Author; Robert Steven Williams, (Foreward)
The cover of the book has a photograph of Scott and Zelda in which their happiness is visible as they embark on the adventure of their future life together. They look so content, unaware that their later lives would be haunted with frustration, disappointment, and illness. They were young and the world seemed like their oyster. The cover photo, captures that perfect moment for Zelda and Scott. The book illuminates a time, illuminates an era that heralded in the Roaring Twenties, the Charleston, Prohibition and organized crime, as well as the colorful couple Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, who were making their mark on history. As it harkens back in time, it takes the willing reader on the journey, so settle back, and enjoy the ride. Don’t let the size of the book intimidate you. This Centennial Edition, the title of which was taken from the last line in “The Great Gatsby”, is not the kind of book you should read in one sitting. Rather, you should enjoy it slowly, like a fine wine, inhaling its scent, fingering its pages, marveling in wonder at the photograph that depicts the honeymoon couple in Westport, CT.
The author’s goal was to produce a documentary which would answer the question, could Westport have been an additional inspiration for the “The Great Gatsby”? The theory rests on research into people and places from Westport that may have influenced the creation of the characters, the descriptions of the places and the events that Scott and Zelda wrote about. There is evidence that many of the personalities of the characters, coupled with the descriptions of their homes and the surrounding areas, were actually based on people and homes in Westport, not only Great Neck, and thus “The Great Gatsby” was also inspired by the experiences of the Fitzgerald’s as they honeymooned and partied there, in that “gray house” they rented for several months. For sure, they certainly added excitement to the local atmosphere as the extensive research illustrates.
Like the title, the premise of the book goes against the current because it is widely believed that West Egg is based only on Great Neck, Long Island, and is in no way connected to Westport, CT. Although they met roadblocks, they soldiered on until they collected enough evidence to actually link The Great Gatsby’s characters and the fictional town of West Egg, Long Island, to Westport CT. It seems more likely that the book was based on an amalgam of places, experiences and people that were drawn from the lives of the Fitzgerald’s.
This book will bring hours of pleasure to those interested in the Fitzgerald’s, in history, or those who are familiar with the towns in CT that are mentioned in the book, or the places that are memorialized by the author. There is fascinating information in this book; there are facts that I had not known although my life was connected to Westport. My husband had an office in Greens Farms, and I looked for a residence in Compo Beach. I also lived in a town in CT that is mentioned in the book. I ate in the very same restaurant that the Fitzgerald’s did, although it has gone through a great many iterations, plus name changes and “plastic surgery”. It is still there in some form. There are simply facts about people and places that the authors unearthed, that will delight the reader.
At a time when the printed book has lost its appeal to many, in favor of a digital copy, this book cries out to be worshiped and honored. Although the authors are researching a short period of time when Zelda and Scott resided in CT, there is a fount of other information presented, information that is unexpected, like tidbits about the Kosher Nostra! Besides the treasure trove of historical information, the photographs will delight the eye of the reader. The books glossy cover begs to be opened. Readers who are unfamiliar with the area will make their own memories from the information within.
The extensive research into the Westport residents make it seem quite likely that the book truly was drawn from a combination of the Westport locations and the Westport residents, not just from Great Neck, LI. So many of the residents were wealthy, good-looking, debonair, educated, charming, fun-loving partiers, like the characters in the book. It is easy to look at some of the photographs and say, oh look, there is Jay Gatsby! It is even easier to say, oh my, just like Scott and Zelda in Westport!
PS: My one criticism is that the book could have used some better editing.