I am a fan of Fitzgerald in the sense that The Great Gatsby is one of my favorites, and his other short stories are great reads. This edition contains all of the Pat Hobby stories, which he wrote shortly before his death while working in Hollywood. Pat Hobby, a humorous yet also pathetic character, is a middle aged man who is past his prime career-wise. Although successful as a screenwriter for Hollywood's silent films, the new "talkies" era has left him floundering for steady jobs.
All of the stories have the same general premise- Pat is struggling to find some kind of screenwriting work to get much needed income. In his quest for finding renewed success, he makes a fool of himself in his desperateness. His social skills and awareness are sorely lacking, as he essentially does anything that others ask of him for a little cash, no matter how ridiculous (in one story, he is persuaded to dress up like Orson Welles for fun, in another he takes an unsuspecting couple on a "Homes of the Stars" tour as a favor for a friend).
Most of these stories are laugh-out-loud funny, and of course the writing is top-notch. However, within the humor, at the root of the stories is Pat's struggle to find some kind of personal success and importance to those around him. He is presented as someone who is stuck in the past- he is convinced he can still be on top, even though the world has moved on without him. He is a pathetic character who ultimately you can't help but feel sorry for.
I really enjoyed this collection (4/5 stars)
This book came from my TBR pile.
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