When your eyes first fall upon the Mediterranean you know at once why it was here that man first stood erect and stretched out his arms toward the sun. It is a blue sea..."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald, How to Live on Practically Nothing a Year (1924)
How to Live on Practically Nothing a Year (1924) by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a follow-up essay to How to Live on $36, 000 a Year, that chronicles Fitzgerald's attempt to provide wife Zelda with the wealthy lifestyle she loved. After spending the author's salary to the point of debt, the couple is told living abroad is less expensive, so they move to the French Riviera. Despite their desire to live simply, the two are swept up by the social life of expatriates and doomed to further financial ruin. This cleverly crafted insight into the lavishness and excess of the era is a must-read for all who want to know more about the life of Fitzgerald.