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    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    Ebook43 pages42 minutes

    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

    By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    First published in 1922, it tells the story of a baby who is born with the physical appearance of a 70-year-old man, and then rejuvenates through aging. The novella has been adapted for the screen in 2008. The movie, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, was directed by David Fincher.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStart Publishing LLC
    Release dateApr 28, 2014
    ISBN9781609779337
    Author

    F. Scott Fitzgerald

    F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1896, attended Princeton University in 1913, and published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, in 1920. That same year he married Zelda Sayre, and he quickly became a central figure in the American expatriate circle in Paris that included Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway. He died of a heart attack in 1940 at the age of forty-four.

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    Reviews for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

    3.5/5

    660 ratings38 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This is a review of the short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."I recently saw the movie version of this story, and so I bought the Fitzgerald version and sat down to read it. Normally, it is almost unheard of for a movie to be better than the book (in my opinion), but for this one, I have to disagree.I suppose that being a short story, Fitzgerald couldn't possibly have filled in all of the details that I was eager to read. I can't help wishing that he would have decided to write this one as a full novel instead. The idea of the story is just so intriguing, I would have love to have spent more time in the story.The plot line is the following: By a stroke of mind boggling chance, Mr. and Mrs. Button manage to parent a newborn... old man. Though bewildered, they do their best to give their son the best life they know how. But as Benjamin grows up, he becomes younger, not older. This complicates his entire life, including aspirations to attend college, his marriage, how he relates to his children and grandchildren, and much more. I love the idea here, of a man aging backwards, and yet there was a lot about the story that I did not like.First of all, a lot of it didn't make very much sense. For example, Mrs. Button has a baby and it is a normal sized old man. At least in the movie they tried to make this plausible - the newborn was the ordinary size for a baby, only its face and skin was that of an old man. But here, the baby isn't a baby at all. He literally IS an old man. Now this is of course, impossible. No woman could give birth to a human being the same size as herself!Also, minutes after being born, Benjamin can speak. I suppose that this was done to further the notion that he is an old man and in no way a baby or a child. However, this is, again, impossible. I think that I like the movie's version better - he learns to speak gradually, like any other child in the world.Another thing that is not necessarily a flaw but that annoyed me was the character of Benjamin's wife, Hildegarde Moncrief. I have to admit that I was expecting a love story here, but actually Benjamin neither loves nor is ever loved by any woman in his life, besides his mother. Hildegarde is introduced to the story so that Benjamin can marry her, and after that never really appears again except to be mentioned two or three times. It is said that Benjamin finds her annoying, and later that she has gone to Italy. After this, she vanishes altogether from the story. She must have died at some time in Benjamin's lifetime, since she was technically so much older than him, but that is never mentioned either.I hate to keep saying this (it seems a bit wrong to say about any book - especially one written by Fitzgerald!), but again, I like how the movie portrayed this part much better.The love story that the screenwriters added in was lovely, one that conquered time, age, and death. But, don't expect any of that here.I am not saying that this short story was horrid... I liked the occasional bit of dry humor, and I was laughing at the jibes Fitzgerald kept poking at Yale!Perhaps if I had read the short story before I saw the movie, I would have liked it more, but I couldn't stop myself from looking for something deeper here, and I didn't find it. Not surprising, considering that this is only a short story, but nevertheless. It didn't impress me.
    • 4/5
      Yes, you are reading correctly: F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s the story of a man who was born old and grew younger and younger as time passed. A little story, well told.
    • 2/5
      Used an Audiobook with this one, maybe it had something to do with the reader's voice but I wasn't drawn in to the story; I was merely waiting for it to end. Haven't read much else of Fitzgerald, so want to to find out if it's his style I don't like or just that book.
    • 4/5
      A very fast read (what else from a short story?) that captures the essence of the differences between old and young. You truly feel for Benjamin Button and his "Curious Case". I haven't seen the movie based on this short story. I found the book at my local bookstore, and bought it to support the business. I suggest borrowing or locating a collection of Fitzgerald's short stories.
    • 2/5
      It has finally happened! There is finally a movie which wins hands down in being better than the book! More of a bedtime story than an actual book, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a straight-forward, matter-of-fact tale about a man growing down. Too brief to have any sort of characterization or much detail, the story lacked the passion, purpose and tragic tinge that the movie so perfectly encompassed. The only time I was even mildly invested in this short tale was at the very end, when Benjamin's life began to fade from him. I have to say I'm glad I didn't read this book first--I probably would have never gone to see the movie--which is almost entirely different save for the title. This book had an excellent idea, but lacked any appropriate follow-through. I didn't hate it, but I'm not impressed.
    • 3/5
      The most interesting things about this short story are the illustrations and the fact that Mr. Fitzgerald wrote something fantastical like this (although I haven't read a lot of him, so maybe this isn't so surprising afterall). I did feel like there wasn't much of a point to this story. There were suggestions that something might happen (like when he tried to attend Yale and said they would be sorry not to let him) but then nothing really happens. Obviously his aging backward made for all kinds of complications of society - and maybe that is what the point was - how society doesn't like anything out of the ordinary. But overall I wasn't captured by the story.
    • 4/5
      An intriguing and depressing story. I enjoyed the social commentary involved in the story. It's too bad it's not a novel. I would have loved more detail. Most intriguing to me was the disdain Benjamin's son had for him as he became younger.
    • 3/5
      One just has to appreciate the ghastly commercialization inherent in slapping an admittedly nice cover on a fifty page short story and selling it for more than a mass market paperback, when, for a few dollars more, you can get a broad smattering of Fitzgerald's stories in one volume. Just think how many more copies of this edition they could have sold had they plastered Mr. Pitt's beauteous facade across the front, perhaps even in a Warholesque four squares showing him at different ages (it worked for 'Brokeback Mountain' movie tie-in editions). I cannot help but compare the story to the movie since the theatrical adaptation is what compelled me to seek this out. Fitzgerald's idea is fantastic, and yet I don't feel he did it justice with the story. There was quite a bit more that I feel he could have explicated, more he could have mined for satiric effect. I seem to be the exception regarding the movie, which I thought was an inspired interpretation of a very brief text that brought a level of humanity to Benjamin Button through his relationships, even though the movie utterly lost the social commentary that marks Fitzgerald's work and makes it more dynamic a text.
    • 2/5
      A short story of a person who lives their life in reverse. I have not seen the movie. Of course the language is elegant, but after the first few pages, it becomes too predictable and not funny enough to hold my attention. The ending was sad, though. Imagine shrinking into nothingness...
    • 4/5
      Having recently gotten around to seeing the movie I wanted to read the original story. I am glad I did. The movie romanticizes the story beautifully, but the short story tells us a little more of the gritty truth behind what would happen if a man were to age backwards. Regardless of the fact that I was familiar with the outcome of the story, from the very line I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens. If that’s not the sign of writing excellence then I cannot think of another one.
    • 3/5
      I happened across this story and thought it sounded interesting. It's about a man who ages backwards -- he looks like an old man when he is born, and slowly ages back to a baby. Not too long ago I read a novel with a similar premise titled "The Confessions of Max Tivoli". I enjoyed that novel a lot, and enjoyed the story being fleshed out a bit more than it was here. But for a short story (or novella), this was enjoyable and gave you something to think about.
    • 3/5
      Having seen the movie I guess I was expecting a longer book this is more of a sketch of an idea than a novella. It wasn't a bad little read but the 30 odd pages only took me about 20 minutes and I can't say that in those 30 pages I gained any emotional investment what so ever.
    • 4/5
      Didn't expect it to be so short!
    • 3/5
      Not really worthy of note, aside from being the inspiration for the movie. The illustrations are quite good, but I didn't like that Fitzgerald focused on the character's external, rather than internal, conflicts. By keeping Benjamin's mind at the same age level at his body, rather than having his mind age normally while his body ages in reverse, he misses out on a lot that made the movie interesting.
    • 3/5
      Very short novel.. Intriging premise. Felt nonsensical in the beginning but as he begins to grow younger it is easy to get caught up in the story. Some interesting issues arise most specifically his relationship with his wife Hildegarde. When he meets her he appears to be 50ish and finds her very attractive but as she reaches middle age and he is college age the attraction is lost. Rlevant issue when this was written and clearly relevent now.
    • 4/5
      Not sure what to say that this story was about, but an entertaining, absurd plot. Very short.
    • 4/5
      “For what it’s worth, it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be.”
    • 3/5
      Nice read, but not extraordinary.
    • 2/5
      I thought this was a great idea but that it was not carried out to the fullest (which might be due to it being a short story). However, I do think the irony of it was astoundingly clear. *spoiler alert* I think the aging process is studied from such an unusual angle (from old age to young), but in such a similar way to the standard way of life. It draws the similarities of the beginning and end of life as we see it usually, with dependence at birth, independence in the middle stages, and then dependence again at the end, and by flipping it upside down, it has the exact same effect. Pretty astounding, though by no means mind-blowing, but quite original in showing the parallels between the vastly different ways of aging and how they turn out to be the same. It's such an easy concept, but definitely adds a little depth to the rather simple idea. Anyway, worth the short read.
    • 3/5
      A quick listen (as an audio book) of a curious case. Suspend your disbelief and just enjoy!
    • 4/5
      Great short story with slight science-fiction undertones.
    • 2/5
      I've not seen the movie, but of course I knew the premise going in. I hope the movie executes the concept better than this clunker did. Lots of great ideas - but anyone who just ponders the idea of aging backwards will come up with those ideas on their own. Fitzgerald added nothing.

      Ok, I admit - he added something that strongly resembles misogyny. Apparently Benjamin's mother had no influence on his up-bringing, and his wife was worthless past the age of forty. So, either FSF didn't think women's roles were worth working out in the story, or he didn't think women are worth much, period.
    • 4/5
      When Roger Button goes to meet his infant son Benjamin for the first time at the maternity hospital, he’s horrified and sickened to find an old man in the cot. The hospital staff can’t get rid of the family quick enough. And so begins Benjamin’s backwards life.

      I had no idea how short this was when I reserved it. How they made a 2 hour 40 minute film out of 52 pages of story, I don't know, although I gather the film isn't the same story as the book and obviously it must be (very) fleshed out! The book, however, is brilliant!

      One can’t help feeling sorry for Benjamin. It’s not his fault that he was born an old man but people reject him - his father keeps him at arm’s length and is hugely embarrassed by Benjamin - Benjamin’s mother doesn’t appear much in the story.

      As is inevitable, he is unable to stop the ‘unaging’ process and the story can only end with one possible conclusion.

      It’s such a tight story - this copy is only 52 pages long. It is funny in places, sad in others and totally entertaining throughout. I will definitely try something else by this author.
    • 3/5
      Very well written and interesting. You really felt for the characters.
    • 3/5
      A unique story, particularly for F. Scott Fitzgerald. I was greatly impressed by the film which I think did a better job of capturing the profound sadness of Benjamin Button, especially at the end of the story. The book gets at it too, but the film had more of an effect on me in that you simply get to see more of Benjamin Button's life and thus had more of a connection. Plus the love story in the film is much more profound.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the book. I haven't seen the film yet. I am quite surprised that the reaction of the mother, to the baby, was ignored. I would have been interested in what the author thought the reaction of a mother, in this circumstance, would have been. Otherwise, the story was intriguing and interesting, and proved that in God's sovereign wisdom, things proceed, naturally, as they should.
    • 3/5
      One just has to appreciate the ghastly commercialization inherent in slapping an admittedly nice cover on a fifty page short story and selling it for more than a mass market paperback, when, for a few dollars more, you can get a broad smattering of Fitzgerald's stories in one volume. Just think how many more copies of this edition they could have sold had they plastered Mr. Pitt's beauteous facade across the front, perhaps even in a Warholesque four squares showing him at different ages (it worked for 'Brokeback Mountain' movie tie-in editions).
      I cannot help but compare the story to the movie since the theatrical adaptation is what compelled me to seek this out. Fitzgerald's idea is fantastic, and yet I don't feel he did it justice with the story. There was quite a bit more that I feel he could have explicated, more he could have mined for satiric effect. I seem to be the exception regarding the movie, which I thought was an inspired interpretation of a very brief text that brought a level of humanity to Benjamin Button through his relationships, even though the movie utterly lost the social commentary that marks Fitzgerald's work and makes it more dynamic a text.
    • 3/5
      A melancholic story about a man who is born old and grows younger with age, always a stranger in his own body and a disappointment to the expectations of the world around him. The characters are not photorealistic individuals like we're used to from modern stories, but stand-ins for social archetypes. Women don't exist, not in any meaningful role. But Fitzgerald unveils the pitfalls of these archetypes in a clever way until the inevitable disillusion fades away in the nescience of the child.
    • 4/5
      How did a lady birth a full grown man?

      Weird

      It's a pretty depressing story. I feel bad for him. He just needs a hug.

      I like the illustrations. It was hard sometimes to tell how old he was supposed to be. But that's okay.
    • 3/5
      This short story tells of a man who, at the time that he is born, appears to be an old man of seventy. As time passes, he ages "backwards," becoming younger each year. It's an interesting story, and it's well worth the read. This particular edition features quirky (and wonderful) illustrations by Calef Brown. A humorous, original, lighthearted book.

    Book preview

    The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - F. Scott Fitzgerald

    I

    As long ago as 1860 it was the proper thing to be born at home. At present, so I am told, the high gods of medicine have decreed that the first cries of the young shall be uttered upon the anaesthetic air of a hospital, preferably a fashionable one. So young Mr. and Mrs. Roger Button were fifty years ahead of style when they decided, one day in the summer of 1860, that their first baby should be born in a hospital. Whether this anachronism had any bearing upon the astonishing history I am about to set down will never be known.

    I shall tell you what occurred, and let you judge for yourself.

    The Roger Buttons held an enviable position, both social and financial, in ante-bellum Baltimore. They were related to the This Family and the That Family, which, as every Southerner knew, entitled them to membership in that enormous peerage which largely populated the Confederacy. This was their first experience with the charming old custom of having babies—Mr. Button was naturally nervous. He hoped it would be a boy so that he could be sent to Yale College in Connecticut, at which institution Mr. Button himself had been known for four years by the somewhat obvious nickname of Cuff.

    On the September morning consecrated to the enormous event he arose nervously at six o’clock dressed himself, adjusted an impeccable stock, and hurried forth through the streets of Baltimore to the hospital, to determine whether the darkness of the night had borne in new life upon its bosom.

    When he was approximately a hundred yards from the Maryland Private Hospital for Ladies and Gentlemen he saw Doctor Keene, the family physician, descending the front steps, rubbing his hands together with a washing movement—as all doctors are required to do by the unwritten ethics of their profession.

    Mr. Roger Button, the president of Roger Button & Co., Wholesale

    Hardware, began to run toward Doctor Keene with much less dignity than

    was expected from a Southern gentleman of that picturesque period.

    Doctor Keene! he called. Oh, Doctor Keene!

    The doctor heard him, faced around, and stood waiting, a curious expression settling on his harsh, medicinal face as Mr. Button drew near.

    What happened? demanded Mr. Button, as he came up in a gasping rush.

    What was it? How is she? A boy? Who is it? What—

    Talk sense! said Doctor Keene sharply, He appeared somewhat irritated.

    Is the child born? begged Mr. Button.

    Doctor Keene frowned. Why, yes, I suppose so—after a fashion. Again he threw a curious glance at Mr. Button.

    Is my wife all right?

    Yes.

    Is it a boy or a girl?

    Here now! cried Doctor Keene in a perfect passion of irritation,

    "I’ll ask you to go and see

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