Comments on: Tender Is the Night and A Sudden Light

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 03:25:42 +0000

In reply to Rachel. Hi Rachel, yeah if you liked Stein's first novel perhaps you'll like this one as well. Some on Goodreads didn't think it matched "Racing in the Rain" but I thought it was just different (more epic like) and I liked it just as well. It's worth checking out.

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 03:22:22 +0000

In reply to JoAnn @ Lakeside Musing. Hi JoAnn: I admire you if you read Tender Is the Night as a teenager. Seems a bit denser or more unfocused than Gatsby. But it'd be interesting to hear what you think of it now. Hmm. Maybe the same.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 15:51:00 +0000

I haven’t read Tender is the Night – I’m woefully behind on reading classics. I haven’t read Sudden Light either but I was wondering if it was as good as The Art of Racing in the Rain. Sounds like it’s worth checking out. Happy New Year!

By: JoAnn @ Lakeside Musing

JoAnn @ Lakeside Musing — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 22:00:11 +0000

I read Tender is the Night in high school (ages and ages ago!) and remember liking it a lot more than Gatsby. Not sure how much of it I really got at 16 or 17 though. I’ve been contemplating a rereading high school project and this is at the top of the list, along with Steinbeck’s The Winter of our Discontent.

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 16:43:43 +0000

In reply to Ti. Yeah Ti -- I'm captivated by Fitzgerald; his tragic life, his words. I don't know too much about Zelda. Was she worth all the suffering? I guess I forgot you read West of Sunset. I need to go back to see what you thought of that. Is it good? Do you find out more stuff from it? Thanks for your input in all things Fitz!

By: Ti

Ti — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 16:36:03 +0000

Fitzgerald was not a strong man. Not in my opinion. He liked fine things, rubbed elbows with the wealthy and was such a tragic figure with his alcoholism and weakness for beautiful women. But it’s endlessly appealing to read about him, isn’t it? I find him so fascinating.

I am so glad you read this with me. I’ve had it on my to read shelf for no less than 5 years and after West of Sunset, I knew I had to read it soon. I do want to read Zelda some time. It was pitched for my book club but not chosen. Maybe I should pitch it again.

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 16:33:50 +0000

In reply to Brian Joseph.

Interesting Brian. Yeah perhaps Dick was trying to be noble by taking on Nicole in marriage — or he really loved her as well, but then ultimately the marriage’s failing ends up his downfall. Yes I found the ending to be quite sad as well. It’s a bit of a killer really — you don’t really find out much about Dick’s demise other than he’s in small town NY moving around at the end — and not really in contact with family.

By: Susan Wright

Susan Wright — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 16:24:46 +0000

In reply to Judy Krueger. Hey Judy, Happy New Year too! Love your comments! I learn so much. Interesting observation about Dick's patriarchal macho-ism in the book. It seems like the sexism in the 1920s must have been rampant. I'm sure the biography of Zelda would be really interesting. I'm totally into them as well. They seemed so promising and yet doomed. I still might read more of his books.

By: Brian Joseph

Brian Joseph — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 11:24:47 +0000

Though not as compelling as The Great Gatsby, I really liked Tender is the Night.

There are many reasons that I liked it. I remember feeing that, though he brought most of it on himself, I find that the state that Dick finds himself to be in at novel’s end to be very poignant.

By: Judy Krueger

Judy Krueger — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 01:17:30 +0000

Happy New Year in advance!
Tender is the Night: I read it several years ago and could not get past the stupidity of a psychiatrist marrying his patient, knowing full well how messed up she was. And how that was so patriarchal of him, to think if he just had her she would be OK. But last year I read Stewart O’Nan’s fictional account of Fitzgerald’s last years, called West of Sunset, and I felt a little better about good old Scott. Now I want to read Zelda by Nancy Mitford (it is a biography) and get Zelda’s side of the story. I feel a bit embarrassed to be so fascinated by them; it’s like stories about Princess Diana and the royal family. But Fitzgerald at one time was the highest paid author in the US, so that is how I justify my obsession-:)