364. Tender is the Night

Tender is the Night
F. Scott Fitzgerald
1934
Around 315 pages

If every author is writing the same book over and over again, trying to get it right, theoretically their last book should be their best. That is certainly true with Tender is The Night, which Fitzgerald clearly put his heart and soul into. Too bad it is frequently overshadowed by The Great Gatsby, as this is the vastly superior work.

Dick and Nicole Driver are a glamorous couple who rent a villa in Southern France, and surround themselves with other expat hotties. Rosemary Hoyt, a 17-year-old actress, is staying with her mother in a nearby resort. Rosemary becomes infatuated with both Nicole and Dick, and picks up on the fact that the couple is not stable. Dick has a drinking problem and Nicole is struggling with mental illness. Sound like anybody we know?

Fitzgerald poured himself into this story, and it's obvious he's offering us a sad reflection on his life. Why can't two hot rich people in France be happy? What is it about the human condition that we can make it so difficult for ourselves? Of course, Fitzgerald doesn't have the answers to these questions, but he is capable of painting a compelling portrait of two people who exist to destroy each other, like every great love story should be.

I agree with Fitzgerald that this is the novel he should be remembered for. A masterpiece.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

The title is taken from the poem "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats.

Fitzgerald considered the novel his masterwork. 

Rosemary Hoyt was based on 17-year-old Lois Moran, who Fitzgerald had an affair with. Zelda set fire to her expensive clothing in a bathtub in revenge. 

UP NEXT: A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh. More Waugh. Yay.

303. The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
1925
Around 200 pages

You'd be hard pressed to get through the American educational system without being forced to read this novel at some point. I understand why; English teachers are obsessed with the "American Dream" theme, and the symbolism is easy to digest. There's nothing like having to do a powerpoint on a novel to suck the fun out of it. 

Nick Carraway relates his interactions with the enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby, who is obsessed with reuniting with old flame Daisy. Nick teaches us all what an unreliable narrator is, and Daisy doesn't do a lot for female drivers. That summary would probably get me an F in an English class, but thankfully I am free from the tyranny of Socratic seminars.

When I think of the Roaring 20s, this is usually one of the first images that springs to mind. Fitzgerald certainly captured the setting brilliantly. The dynamics between the characters are rich for interpretation, but plots that hinge on misunderstandings are always a little irritating to me.

I liked Tender is the Night better, but this is a pretty great novel and one that everybody should read.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Inspired by Fitzgerald's affair with socialite Ginerva King and the parties he attended in Long Island.

Other titles considered were Among Ash Heaps and Millionaires, Trimalchio, Trimalchio in West Egg, On the Road to West Egg Under the Red, White, and Blue,The Gold-Hatted Gatsby and The High-Bouncing Lover.

Written after his Fitzgerald's play The Vegetable flopped.

UP NEXT: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. An old favorite.