Tender Is the Night (G.K. Hall Large Print Perennial Bestseller Collection)

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Summary: The Greatest Novel Ever Written!
Review: Tender Is the Night is by far the greatest literary work of Fitzgerald's time. His use of vivid description and imagery is breathtaking. I could not put this book down! Fitzgerald created characters in this novel which were so complex you feel as though you already know them. Tender Is the Night is sexy while heartbreaking, adventurous while thought-provoking. The story of the love, and loss, between the wealthy Dick and Nicole Diver, and how their lives together are forever changed by the young Rosemary Hoyt. This book is for anyone who has ever felt love, lust, joy, or sorrow. If you like The Great Gatsby, you will absolutely adore Tender Is the Night.

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Summary: No "Gatsby"
Review: Fitzgerald's writing style is brilliant in places here, and I found it fascinating to see how he built up some of the novel's themes -- especially that of wealthy American tourists invading war-scarred Europe. At one point, he writes something about a nation (the U.S.) that had spent the last ten years (1918-1928) wanting nothing more than amusement: Just wait a few decades! But I didn't have much sympathy for Dr. Diver, who I felt was ruined more by his own self-pity than by his marriage. And therefore, I didn't find much point in reading about his downward spiral.

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Summary: a case study of the author himself
Review: very few authors touch me in the way fitzerald does. most of his works usually include disclaimers pointing out his errors in location and spelling. if you can overlook these flaws you will realize that there is no other writer that so expresses an era. to read his novels takes you back into that magical yet innocent time. this book especially mirrors fitzerald's personal tragedies and triumphs; from the mental illness that took his wife away to the constant feelings of inadaquetly fulfilling his professional goals. the settings are spectacular and forever gone. one walks away feeling somewhat saddened by the characters and by the deterioration of dr. diver while his wife becomes strong once again. he has failed somewhat in his profession but has succeeded in his views by finally making his wife well. her life just starting once again full of promise; his life at its downturn. it is a good novel that follows his usual patterns but is a classic none-the-less.

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Summary: Complex, interesting, and enchanting-- a must read!
Review: Fitzgerald is one of the most interesting authors ever, and you will enjoy how his real life parallels the characters in this book. I would reccommend reading this book slowly so that you can follow the plot and really get into it. If you liked Gatsby, you will surely love Tender Is the Night.. the Gatsby of a different color.

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Summary: Fitzgerald's best
Review: No matter what the pundits say give this book a chance, and you'll find it to be Fitzgerald's best. The Great Gatsby may be more elegantly written but Tender Is The Night packs a wallop that makes the former seem a bit too cute and melodramatic. With the revelation of Nicole Warrens's source of mental illness (which you'll find in the unabridged version), the plot moves along at a snappy pace with premonitions of a future tragedy hinted at but never revealed (which is the sign of master storyteller). The ending is incredibly sad and because of it incredibly beautiful. Unlike Nick Carraway's eulogy that acts like a balm, the 3rd person narrative of Tender Is The Night offers the reader no such solace. There's only the lingering image of a man born to be great, broken beyond repair.

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Summary: Enjoyable, but not Fitzgerald's best
Review: I enjoyed this novel very much, but it's not as good as "The Great Gatsby" or "The Beautiful and Damned" I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline of Dick Diver and his wife Nicole. It's beautifully written, but I hated the way the book ended~I guess I was hoping for a more positive ending, rather than Nicole and Tommy Barban becoming romantically involved instead remaining with Dick. However, I'd certainly recommend this book to anyone

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Summary: Good, but not what I expected.
Review: Fitzgerald has an amazing style of writing. Afer a few short stories and Gatsby, I thought I'd love Tender is the Night. In the beginning of the book (book1), I was totally absorbed with Fitzgerald's descriptions and idealism and perfection of Dick Diver. When Rosemary left as 'narrator,' I thought the book went somewhat downhill, along with Dick. But then, that's how the story goes. I fell for the disillusionment at the start, and was disappointed as the 'real' was revealed.

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Summary: Sporadically touching. Overall dated and disappointing
Review: Fitzgerald wrote a perfect short novel in Gatsby. I find the more ambitious and longer Tender is the Night disappointing. It is too loose, occasionally rambling, and the overly artful language now seems dated. The storyline is simple- the progress of a marriage from infatuation to its end, and the collapse of the main character. But the book only comes to life in the final fifty pages. Unlike his contemporaries, Proust, Hemingway, Miller etc, Fitzgerald now seems antique. Instead, I would recommend Fiesta- The Sun ALso Rises, or, if the reader has a couple of years on his hands, Remembrances of Times Past. Both cover the essential theme far better.

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Summary: Moving yet Opaque
Review: Mr. Fitzgerald, excuse me for this brief criticism of your masterwork, "Tender is the Night." To begin, TITN is a articulate, beautifully detailed work. Fitzgerald brilliantly mantains a languid, imagery and motif-filled text. Dick Diver, Rosemary and Nicole are each real people, in stunning contrast to the superficial emotions and problems of Gatsby, Nick and Daisy. Overall, the book is captivating, the characters intoxicating. Yet it was the poor flow of the book that annoyed me. Gaps in time, unartful character and plot development, and inconsistancy in chapter breaks led me to be shocked at his lack of care for what could have been his most amazing piece. Pehaps the themes struck too close to home or its magnitude became too intense for F. Scott Key. Regardless, this book makes for a great vacation read as it is one infinitely more complex and deep than "Gatsby".

Rating:
Summary: Better than Gatsby
Review: Fitzgerald is the greatest American writer ever to pick up a pen. It is a character study unparalled in any of his works. The imagery is stunning and beautiful and then all at once shocking and sad. You can't call Dick Diver a pathetic man, but rather a man who sensed he outlived his purpose and then realized he was an old man, very much alone and unhappy. I was happy that Nicole was able to recover as she did, and at the same time deep down inside hoping against his own self-destruction that Dick would be able to pick up his own shattered pieces of wasted life, before he killed himself or was killed. But you knew it couldn't end that way, and anyhow when fitzgerald puts together a scene, you merely brace yourself and go along for the ride. He always makes you glad you did. I think this book is a masterpiece, fully realized but tragic.