Tender is the Night
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Original publication date: 1933
ABOUT
"Set on the French Riviera in the late 1920s, Tender Is the Night is the tragic romance of the young actress Rosemary Hoyt and the stylish American couple Dick and Nicole Diver. A brilliant young psychiatrist at the time of his marriage, Dick is both husband and doctor to Nicole, whose wealth goads him into a lifestyle not his own, and whose growing strength highlights Dick's harrowing demise." (from Goodreads)
MY THOUGHTS
I simply adore Fitzgerald's writing style. (His earlier book "The Great Gatsby" is one of my all-time favs.) His descriptions are spellbinding; he weaves webs of magic with words. Certain sentences and passages I just want to read over and over again. Brilliant metaphors, striking imagery, complex characterizations. It's all just incredible.
"Tender is the Night" starts off very slowly, I must admit. If not for the strength of Fitzgerald's writing, it would have nearly unbearable. He brings together the whole cast of characters that will populate the book, and the early pages are filled with lazy afternoons on the beach and long nights filled with parties.
The story builds to a pivotal plot point, and with that Fitzgerald takes the story back in time to when the key characters, Dick and Nicole Diver, met. This was definitely the strongest portion of the book. It is more bourgeois - and believeable - than the beginning, and Dick and Nicole became characters that I understood and cared about.
Fitzgerald then brings the story back around to the pivotal plot point. Everything begins to fall apart for Dick and Nicole, and for the other characters as well, and things turn bleak and desperate. The end is not a happily-ever-after, but it is the inevitable conclusion that Fitzgerald has built toward.
RATING
I read this book for the Paris In July blog event.
I'm glad you found the congruity between Tender is the Night and The Great Gatsby. Many consider Gatsby to be the perfect novel, and Tender is the Night is so different - messy and sometimes drawn out. Fitzgerald seems to take the long way around to genius in Tender is the Night, whereas he takes the direct route in Gatsby. Like you, though, I love both.
ReplyDeleteI hesitated to read Tender is the Night because I had heard comments like that. While The Great Gatsby is far superior, Fitzgerald's strong writing is still evident in Tender is the Night. I'd definitely recommend The Great Gatsby as a first read, though.
ReplyDeleteI have an aversion to Fitzgerald since I had to read (and analyze) Gatsby about 5 times in 2 years for different classes in college. I don't know if I can ever read Gatsby again, but I *might* consider some of his other novels just because I love the time period he was writing in.
ReplyDelete@Anbolyn - Yes, I guess that would make you a little hesitant to read more Fitzgerald, wouldn't it? :)
ReplyDeleteI read Tender is the night a few years ago when holidayimg in the South of France, and lived it. In fact I think I prefer it to The GG. Lovely to read a review of a good book.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, that would be the perfect time to read this! :)
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