“New friends can often have a better time together than old friends.”
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald was April’s read for #classiclitbookclub, 📚 and one I’d read before for A Level. I wasn’t a fan when I first read it at sixteen—though, to be fair, I really didn’t enjoy dissecting books. For me, books were written to be read and enjoyed, not analysed and picked apart so students could try to get into the author’s head. 🤯 That’s probably why I failed my A Level English Lit!!!
Anyway, I did enjoy it more this time around, thanks in part to the narration from Trevor White, who brought the characters to life far more than a classroom full of students and a slightly fuddy-duddy teacher ever did! I also noticed a lot more this time 👀. Before, all I really remembered was people lying on a beach in the South of France—after all, a teenage girl is going to pick up on the places she’d rather be. ☀️🏖️
What I didn’t remember was the reason Nicole Diver was in a mental institution in the first place, which was quite shocking, 😳 or how young Rosemary actually was. Her mother really stood out as an enabler, actively encouraging her to flirt with a much older, married man—I mean, he was probably closer to her mother’s age! 😬
Overall, I still found the book a bit clunky. It didn’t always flow well and jumped around quite a bit. That said, I did enjoy the characters and their stories, villainous or otherwise, and I’m glad I had the chance to read it again—this time just for fun. 😊
About the Book
When the young and naïve Rosemary Hoyt comes to the French Riviera in the 1920s she is bedazzled by the glamorous lifestyles of Dick and Nicole Diver and their high-society set. Yet, beneath this polished veneer, the lives of the Divers are fraught with complexity and anxiety. As their mysterious, problematic past resurfaces, the struggle to keep up appearances takes its toll, and their seemingly perfect lives begin to deteriorate with alarming rapidity. Overflowing with descriptive brilliance and lyrical power, Tender is the Night is also remarkable for the strong autobiographical element to the story.
About F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) was an American novelist and short story writer whose work came to define both the glamour and the underlying disillusionment of the Jazz Age. Known for his elegant prose and keen social observation, Fitzgerald explored themes of wealth, ambition, love, and the fragility of the American Dream. His most famous novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), remains a cornerstone of American literature, offering a vivid portrait of excess and longing in 1920s society.
Fitzgerald also wrote Tender Is the Night (1934), a more introspective and complex work that draws heavily on his own life, particularly his relationship with his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald. Alongside his novels, he produced numerous short stories that capture both the sparkle and the strain of high society. Though his success faded during his lifetime, Fitzgerald’s work has since gained enduring recognition, securing his place as one of the most influential voices in American fiction.
