Tender is the Night Hardcover - 2000

Tender is the Night was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first novel in nine years (since The Great Gatsby in 1925) and his fourth and final to complete. The generally autobiographical work reflects events surrounding the hospitalization of Fitzgerald’s schizophrenic wife, Zelda, and his own unrelenting alcoholism. Tender is the Night was published in four issues of Scribner's Magazine (January ­— April) until Charles Scribner’s Sons produced the first novel edition in April 1934.

The novel, whose title comes from John Keats’ “Ode to a Nightingale,” has two versions in print: the original, which uses flashbacks in the narrative, and the second, revised version, published posthumously by Malcolm Cowley, in which the storyline is restructured so that events take place chronologically. Some have suggested that this particular revision was in reaction to critics of the original. Tender is the Night sold only 12,000 copies in its first three months compared to Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise, which sold over 50,000 in a similar time period.

Still, reception for Tender is the Night steadily grew over time. Today, it is ranked 28th on the Modern Library’s list of the “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century as well as 69th on NPR’s “100 Years, 100 Novels, One List.”

Between the First World War and the Wall Street Crash the French Riviera was the stylish place for wealthy Americans to visit. Among the most fashionable are the Divers, Dick and Nicole who hold court at their villa. Into their circle comes Rosemary Hoyt, a film star, who is instantly attracted to them, but understands little of the dark secrets and hidden corruption that hold them together. As Dick draws closer to Rosemary, he fractures the delicate structure of his marriage and sets both Nicole and himself on to a dangerous path where only the strongest can survive. In this exquisite, lyrical novel, Fitzgerald has poured much of the essence of his own life; he has also depicted the age of materialism, shattered idealism and broken dreams.

Details

• Title Tender is the Night
• Author F Scott Fitzgerald
• Binding Hardcover
• Edition Book Club Editio
• Publisher Book-of-the-month club, New York
• Date 2000
• ISBN 9780965684392