The Last of the Belles

Inspired by Fitzgerald-s own courtship of his future wife Zelda, -The Last of the Belles- centres on the Southern beauty Ailie Calhoun from Tarleton, Georgia, who finds herself the object of attention of all the officers at a nearby army base, including the narrator, Andy. A wistful and melancholy exploration of unfulfilled dreams and lost youth, the story is considered one of Fitzgerald-s finest pieces of short fiction.This volume also includes other acclaimed stories - such as -Jacob-s Ladder-, -The Swimmers- and -The Bridal Party- - written by Fitzgerald between 1927 and 1931, during the prolonged period in which he was struggling to compose Tender Is the Night.