Save Me the Waltz

Save Me the Waltz is the only novel ever written by Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of famous American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1932, it was written in six weeks while Zelda was hospitalized for schizophrenia. It is a semi-autobiographical account of her relationship with Scott, providing insight into their disturbed marriage.

Zelda and Scott had lived glory days as the most famous couple of the Jazz Age in New York, following the success of his first novel This Side of Paradise. Save Me the Waltz is based on their time together in the France, which represented the beginning of the decline of their marriage. The novel reflects Zelda’s anxieties to do something for herself and move out of the shadow of her husband’s accomplishments.

The protagonist is Alabama Beggs, who at the start of the novel is a young girl from a good Southern family. Her father is an esteemed judge, a distant and stern man, and her mother dotes on her and her older sisters. Alabama is, in almost every way, representative of Zelda, and their lives mirror each other almost exactly until later on in the book. The first part of the novel recounts Alabama’s youth, and her meeting her future husband David, the book’s stand-in for Scott F. Fitzgerald.



Alabama sees both her sisters experience heartbreak as their father disapproves of their suitors of choice. Alabama, still young but eager to grow older, paints her face, dances ballet, and hopes to marry a man from New York and move to the big city someday. By the time Alabama is almost eighteen, the war has been going on for a few years. She has a reputation in town for being a flirt and for inappropriate behavior, kissing officers and getting drunk. She falls in love with one of her many beaux, a lieutenant called David Knight. David wants to move to New York and be an artist, and believes he will be famous one day. Alabama loves him, but does not like it when he speaks of his success and how he will maintain her.

They get engaged, David telling her father that he has some money from his family. As the war carries on, David is sent away and they both have affairs with other people. Neither seems to mind too much, and they get married when the war ends. Alabama leaves her parents’ house behind, thinking that she will miss them both. She does not know how poor David truly is, but they are both happy to have each other.

The second part of the book picks up with the couple living in Connecticut, having become a famous couple in New York society. This mirrors Zelda and Scott’s fame for their debauched parties and public drunkenness, which accompanied the success of Scott’s first novel, This Side of Paradise. David has become a successful artist, and the two live lavish lives despite often running out of money. Alabama is pregnant, and her parents are disappointed with her lifestyle when they come to visit. The baby, Bonnie, is born soon afterward. Bored with their lives in New York, the couple decides to go to the French Riviera.



During the boat journey to Europe, a storm hits and Alabama is anxious throughout a lot of the journey. She spends much of her time cooped up in her cabin with Bonnie while David drinks with friends at the bar. They arrive in France, and find a house to settle into. David spends all his time working on his painting, and Alabama feels alone. One day, she meets Jacques, a handsome French aviation officer, and becomes fascinated by him. They begin an affair, and David becomes jealous as the couple’s relationship becomes strained. Eventually, Jacques leaves for China and Alabama is heartbroken.

They move to Paris and join the never-ending party happening in the capital. David becomes interested in a beautiful woman and propositions her in front of Alabama, who feels inadequate in comparison. He disappears with the other woman as Alabama goes to the ballet with some friends, and she becomes interested in pursuing a career in it. She meets a famous former dancer, known as Madame, who says she would be willing to teach her, despite Alabama being too old.

In the third part, Alabama becomes committed to her ballet classes, putting herself through rigorous and oftentimes brutal training. She stops going out with David and drinking, determined to succeed. David becomes jealous that she is not spending enough time with him, and mocks her for thinking she could become good at it. They are unhappy together, but continue staying in Paris.



An Italian critic comes to see Alabama’s classes and offers her a solo role at the Opera in Naples, on a modest salary. At first, Alabama dismisses the idea, knowing she could not move Bonnie to a new school and that David would not follow her. After some thought however, she decides to take the offer and go to Naples, leaving her family behind. This is the main difference between Alabama’s story and Zelda’s: Zelda Fitzgerald had also learned ballet as an adult, and received this same offer. The author, however, refused.

The fourth and final part of the book covers Alabama’s time in Naples, living alone in a small apartment and training hard for her role. She does well in her first performance, and David sends her flowers to celebrate her success. Bonnie comes to visit, and seems to dislike Naples and Italy, finding her mother’s life too coarse. She gets ill and is promptly sent back to Paris.

One day, David and Bonnie are called to Naples to see Alabama. She has injured her foot dancing, an infection from a blister. David tells her she will never be able to dance again. The whole family returns to America to visit Alabama’s father, who is dying. Alabama gets to spend some time with her family before her father passes away. The couple has one last party at her father’s house before they move away to start their lives anew, and the book ends with Alabama emptying the ashtrays from the party, commenting on the act’s cathartic and symbolic nature.



Save Me The Waltz is the only book Zelda Fitzgerald ever wrote. When she showed the manuscript to Scott, he was furious that she had used the same source material that he intended for his novel Tender is the Night. He did help her publish a limited run of the book, but it flopped. He told her that she was not a talented writer and derided the book, causing her to never write again. The book’s rambling, lyrical style has proven divisive, with some praising Zelda’s unique voice but others only recognizing the novel’s value as a document on the Fitzgeralds’ relationship.