Tender is the Night

By F. Scott Fitzgerald,

Book cover of Tender is the Night

Book description

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in a friend's copy of Tender Is the Night, "If you liked The Great Gatsby, for God's sake read this. Gatsby was a tour de force but this is a confession of faith." Set in the South of France in the decade after World War I,…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

3 authors picked Tender is the Night as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Fitzgerald’s mastery of the English language is beautiful to behold. This book is one of the most eloquent expositions of the control of his prose while at the same time confronting his greatest weakness in life: an inability to find happiness and true love that loves him back. Set on the French Riviera, Tender is the Night is honest and painful. It’s an insight into Fitzgerald’s melancholy world of excess.

This is both fantastic to be a part of and tragic. The tragedy and the beauty are juxtaposed in the most fantastic way–this makes this book one of my favorite…

From Freddie's list on love and friendship set in Europe.

I love Fitzgerald for his way of writing those silent moments between two people who manage to have an underlying conversation without speaking a word. As if spoken words are only surface dialogue to what the character’s body language and eye contact really want to say.

Fitzgerald captured it beautifully here within Nick and Rosemary’s interactions–probably my favorite exchanges between characters. Although The Great Gatsby remains my top favorite story, Nick and Rosemary earned Tender Is the Night my attention.

I love this book not only for its exquisite writing but because it describes a French Riviera world that has mostly disappeared. The Jazz Age, post WWI, when the Americans descended on this coast and created a fabulous, champagne-fueled playground for themselves. Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda were amongst that high-flying set. However, being the brilliant novelist that he was, Fitzgerald also brings the pain, the confusion and tragedies of love into the mix. The writing is as romantic and elegant as the stunning villas and hotels in which these beautiful people reside, seeking excitement, drinking to excess, living out…

Want books like Tender is the Night?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Tender is the Night.

Browse books like Tender is the Night

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in the French Riviera, wealth, and psychiatrists?

Wealth 61 books
Psychiatrists 63 books