the curious case of benjamin button

this short story was written in the 1920's by f. scott fitzgerald, and consequently is full of quaint phrases and words.. my personal favorites are "phaeton" and "picaresque" :) the story is a quick read, beautifully written, and simple but with a plot that's meant to inspire more complicated reflections on the progression of life. according to the foreword, the story was inspired by a mark twain quote, that it was a shame that the best part of life comes at the beginning and the worst part at the end.. fitzgerald tries to show what might happen if this was reversed, and the tale he conjures up is a mix of sad humor, irony and (to me) a sense of futility.. futility, because, towards the end of his life, benjamin button has no recollection of the rich experiences in his past..by the end of his life, benjamin is an innocent young child, with no laurels from his past accomplishments, no stories to pass on to his children.. yet, he passes away in the same fashion as any other person, with no baggage..

duchess rules..

"georgiana: duchess of devonshire" is meticulously pieced together from letters, diaries and scraps of paper that survived more than 200 years. the parallels between her lifestyle, marital woes, influence on fashion/society and that of princess diana (her descendant) is fascinating! it was so refreshing to read about a strong (yet very human) woman who had such a great influence on politics during a time that has been mistakenly known for emphasizing traditional roles for women at home and in society. the book does NOT read like a history lesson; the author combines historic fact with riveting story telling. i KNOW i will be disappointed by the movie, but i'm curious to see georgiana brought to life on the big screen!