Tender is the Night

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Back of the Book

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. A profound study of the romantic concept of character, Tender Is the Night is lyrical, expansive, and hauntingly evocative.

Why You Should Read It

Fitzgerald’s critique of how rubbing shoulders with the leisure class can destroy one’s art is present in almost all of his books, but none as potently as Tender is The Night. He focuses on the dissolution of both an art, but also a marriage and a sense of self. Tender spotlights Fitzgerald’s understanding of craft and stands as a manifesto for the preservation of one’s passions through the highs and lows of particularly eventful social lives—a wonderful read for those who prefer to stay in.

Memorable Passage

They were still in the happier stage of love. They were full of brave illusions about each other, tremendous illusions, so that the communion of self with self seemed to be on a plane where no other human relations mattered. They both seemed to have arrived there with an extraordinary innocence as though a series of pure accidents had driven them together, so many accidents that at last they were forced to conclude that they were for each other. They had arrived with clean hands, or so it seemed, after no traffic with the merely curious and clandestine.

About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) was an iconic American novelist and short story writer whose literary contributions in the Jazz Age have left an enduring mark on American literature. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald achieved fame with his debut novel, This Side of Paradise, and solidified his status as a literary giant with the timeless classic, The Great Gatsby. Known for his exploration of the American Dream, decadence, and the societal upheavals of the Roaring Twenties, Fitzgerald's writing captured the essence of an era with exquisite prose and acute social observations. Despite facing personal struggles, Fitzgerald's legacy endures for his keen insights into the human condition, the eloquence of his storytelling, and his ability to encapsulate the complexities of the American experience. He is worth knowing not only for his literary brilliance but also for the cultural impact of his works, which continue to resonate with readers and offer a poignant glimpse into the contradictions and aspirations of the American psyche.

 
 
 
 
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