The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
The classic story of a man who ages backwards—and inspiration for the film starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett—by the author of The Great Gatsby.
Penned by one of the greatest literary talents of the twentieth century, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button follows the adventures of a man born at the age of seventy, living his life in reverse. After achieving success in the military and in business, and becoming a husband and father, Benjamin goes on to attend college, prep school, and then—as his mind begins to deteriorate—kindergarten.
At once humorous and haunting, "Fitzgerald's wonderfully simple story is a kind of conjuring trick, an exercise in forcing the impossible into the mundane. You end it both amused and slightly saddened. For the most curious thing about Benjamin Button's life is how ordinary it seems. All the usual triumphs and miseries are there: it's just that the start and end aren't the same" (The Guardian).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The impending release of a movie version starring Brad Pitt has made this humorous tale, formerly among the least known of Fitzgerald's short stories, a hot property. DeFillippis and Weir's adaptation preserves the original's straight-faced tone describing the career of a man who begins life in his 70s and grows progressively younger. If bystanders find this more than "curious," they usually are just irritated at Benjamin for not behaving like other people. He himself is surprised as his body morphs, but is always open to new possibilities; his good-natured adaptability gives the social satire a gentle edge. Readers should, of course, look up Fitzgerald's original, but there's much to enjoy in this handsome little hardbound book. Cornell's sepia watercolor panels are especially clever at showing physical and emotional changes as Benjamin moves backward through life while America rolls forward for 70 years. A useful, gracefully written afterword by Donald G. Sheehy, professor of English, completes the volume nicely.
