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... ( )

This novella, recently made into a movie (which I've heard was not so great?), is aptly titled -- Benjamin Button's case is indeed curious. Born at the age of 70 and aging backward from there, Benjamin button never can quite fit into post-Civil War Baltimore society. Every time he gets settled, his reverse aging throws his acquaintances into upheaval. No one can really quite seem to believe that he is, indeed, aging backwards.

The story seems to have two main points. For one thing, Benjamin, living his life backwards, loses out on the benefit of memory, which dissolves as he gets younger and younger. He cannot learn from experience -- he is born experienced, and loses it as he goes along. For those inclined to say that "youth is wasted on the young," this case offers an interesting paradox.

The second "point" (which I'm less convinced was Fitzgerald's intention; it may just be my reading of it) seems to lie in people's reactions to Benjamin Button. No one knows quite what to make of his situation, and they tend to place the blame on Benjamin himself, which hardly seems fair. Their reaction casts an interesting light on society's treatment of social "others," and has interesting implications nearly a century later.

Of course, these are largely my own extrapolations; on its own, the novella/short story doesn't really seem to promote a specific agenda. It's mostly just a cute story about a curious case -- intriguing, lighthearted, and quite entertaining. Even if you're not generally a fan of Fitzgerald (and I'm certainly not!), it's worth giving this story a try.

I love the concept -- a person born as an 80-year-old man who gradually grows younger until he dies as an infant. Unfortunately, this story was written like a children's book -- a straightforward plot and writing style, with almost no character development or exploration of the way society reacted to Benjamin.

For those who liked the concept, I recommend "The Confessions of Max Tivoli". Max, too, is born old and de-ages through his life. His actual and apparant age always add to 70, and he maintains a steadfast love for one woman and has one loyal, understanding friend, throughout his strange life. ( )

What a singularly delightful tale, written richly and evocatively. ( )

A great short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a baby born at the old age of 70something, only to curiously grow younger instead of older. He experiences everything backwards, his father soon becomes his brother and his wife soon becomes a grandmother and his own child soon becomes his father.

It was very entertaining and interesting to read this idea of a child being born as an old man and dying as an infant, unable to remember all the incredible things he has learned in his life.