This book of short stories - novellas really, as each story is an hour or so long - are very much of their time. People don't live like that any more. Its a three and a half star book, the boring stories, Benediction and the Camel's Back getting two stars each and the really good ones, Bernice and Benjamin Button getting four. The Lees of Happiness is right in the middle with three.

Bernice Bobs her Hair is a lovely story of how the makeover of an unpopular cousin rebounds on the one generous enough to help the girl but not quite generous enough to give up her own man and place in the spotlight. Bernice gets her own back!

Benediction is a story that might appeal to Catholics a lot more than it did to me.

The Camel's Back was probably very amusing at the time but now the tales of the rich and louche who offer money to those they consider their social inferiors as a way of getting them to do what they want has been taken over by endless tales of Hollywood stars and rich nobodies like Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and those of their ilk. Time, and wrinkles, will put them (back) in their place!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a better film, a marvellous film, that it was short novel. Its an interesting concept, starting off old and working backwards in life and F. Scott Fitzgerald told it better than anyone.

The last story, the Lees of Happiness, meandered hither and thither and there was an overdone contrast between the bleached blonde and the good woman who stood by her man 'til the very end. However, it was the bleached blonde that came out with what she wanted, although I don't think I was supposed to draw that conclusion. I think my sympathies were supposed to lie with the virtue of the good woman and so they did, until the end. What point is there in maintaining virtue over happiness when there is no one to benefit?

You can listen to the stories here: http://librivox.org/selected-short-stories-by-f-scott-fitzgerald/ ( )