Image by Egle Athari
Hi there and welcome to The Craine’s Nest!
A friend of mine recently invited me to join a book club, and while I’ve always thought book clubs might be stuffy and uptight, I’m happy to have found this one is not! For the most part, it’s a great mix of girl talk, good food and drink, and an interesting discussion about the book that we’ve read. The group is made up of creative, entrepreneurial women, which is my comfy little nook, and I like that I’m reading books I wouldn’t necessarily choose for myself.
The first book that I read with the group, was Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, by Therese Anne Fowler. I’m not gonna lie… I was pretty bored for the first hundred pages or so and then, unexpectedly, everything turned around. The novel was suddenly brought to life with imagery and color, when Scott and Zelda, the dynamic duo, moved to New York City. Through many different countries and surroundings, Fowler did a great job of capturing their extraordinary personalities and their crazy, mixed-up love. She recreated environments of the era in beautiful detail, making me feel like I was right there with Scott and Zelda, at the many speakeasies, clubs, and hotels they frequented. With her vivid descriptions of the style, food, and drink of the day, Fowler created a lively backdrop for an array of colorful characters.
Fowler also included many a Jazz Era Cocktail (mostly all about gin!), such as the Orange Blossom, which is one of the drinks I’ll be revamping here, today. I jotted down all of the drinks as I read through the book, and I’ve put a modern spin on the ones that captured my imagination the most.
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