Tender is the night by F.Scott Fitzgerald

Sometimes reading a book by a supposed 'great' author for the first time, especially a classic author, can be risky. Firstly there's the risk that the prose in the book is written in such a way that makes my modern brain unable to understand it. To a 21st century reader subtle hints and gestures can easily become lost in flowery prose. Then finally there's always a chance I won't be able to understand what all the fuss is about. I can have trouble understanding why a book is a beloved classic or why the author is considered a great?

I have great pleasure (and no small measure of relief) in saying that not only can I understand why Tender Is the Night is considered a great book but also the author F. Scott Fitzgerald. In fact I now know what to go and read; Fitzgerald's other novels. perhaps I shouldn't have started with Tender Is the Night and can now only be disappointed?

The book is first told from Rosemary Hoyt's point of view. Rosemary, a young movie star, comes across Dick and Nicole Diver who live a rather lavish life in the French Rivera and she immediately falls in love with this golden couple. Rosemary follows Dick and Nicole firstly around the French Rivera and then around Paris. She sees first hand how this couple seem to captivate everyone around them, the parties and the close circle of friends all pivoting around Dick Diver. Dick the object of Rosemary's affections seems to have a unique seductive charm which seems to enthral everyone who meets him, heck even I wanted to run off and marry the guy while reading the first part of the book!

The second part is then told from Dick's point of view and takes place a few years on after Rosemary has left. We learn that Dick married Nicole after meeting her in a clinic where she was being treated for schizophrenia brought on by an incestuous relationship with her father. Years have gone by and Dick who used to be an aspiring psychiatrist now no longer has any drive in him and is living off his rich wife's money. This along with the stress of acting as doctor to his wife's illness over the years has taken it toll. The façade that we read about in the first part of the book is beginning to rapidly slip.

A lot is said about the prose in this book and words such as 'beautiful' and 'lyrical' are thrown about when describing it. For me though the pull of this book are the portrayals of the characters and the themes. Perhaps this is testament to the prose which, although beautiful, is also subtle and did not hinder the story or message in anyway.

The real skill in Fitzgerald's writing is the way I felt while reading this. As mentioned previously I wanted to run off and marry Dick Diver in the same way that Rosemary did in the first part, then later when I read the story from Nicole's perspective I felt just as irritated and as tired towards Dick as she did. I did not feel I was being manipulated into feeling these things by Fitzgerald rather that the characters were so well developed I could not help but feel connected to them.

There is an ultimate sadness running through this book. Sadness that these two people are no longer able to communicate, that Dick can no longer help his wife and that they spend their time travelling around Europe in a futile existence. The contempt that Dick and Nicole start to feel for each other is brilliantly written and you can almost feel the hatred sometimes radiating from the page.

'She spoke with such force that in his shocked state Dick wondered if he had been frightened for himself-but the shocked faces of the children, looking from parent to parent, made him want to grind her grinning mask into jelly.'

There is no right or wrong in this marriage. Dick feels he has 'failed' in both his professional life and in his inability to help Nicole. It's very easy to understand how he can become disillusioned and resentful after trying to hold everything together for so many years. Nicole has had a hard start with her father and now has a mental illness which threatens her constantly and she is also, in her own words 'planet to Dick's sun'. With all these factors in place you can see how although it is not their fault this marriage can be destructive. There are other factors but ultimately what almost destroys them is the loss of starry-eyed optimism that comes with youth and leaves with age while regret and disillusionment creep in.

Adding to the feel of the book were also an array of other characters and some observations regarding Europe after the First World War and the superpower that America had become as a result. It's impossible not to regard this book without looking at Fitzgerald's own life, his wife Zelda was hospitalised for schizophrenia and there were affairs on both sides. There was also intense drinking on Fitzgerald's part as there was on Dick's and other similarity's to their marriage and the locations used all feature in the book.

The overall impression that I got was that Fitzgerald really did pour everything he had into this novel with a stunning result. This is not a happy, feel-good book by any means but I did not find it 'depressing' Instead I found it insightful, thought provoking and meaningful.

Verdict 5/5

Posted by Jess

This also qualified for the 1930s mini challenge hosted over at Things mean alot.

Instructions for American Servicemen in Britain 1942

I’ve always been interested in history, particularly the Second World War. When I was a child it was all about warplanes, tanks and submarines. Now that I’m older it’s still about warplanes tanks and submarines but I also take more of an interest in the more political and unseen aspects of the war.

Imagine my excitement when I stumbled across this tiny book in my local bookstore. At only 6 inches tall and 30 pages long you can easily digest it in 30 minutes. The introduction explains that the book was originally printed in pamphlet form by the War Department in Washington D.C. to be issued to American troops being sent to Britain in preparation for the invasion of mainland Europe (D-Day) the book gives a fascinating glimpse into how America viewed Great Britain and the British people in 1942.

The book is full of headers such as;

“BRITISH RESERVED, NOT UNFRIENDLY”

“DON’T BE A SHOW OFF”

“THE BRITISH ARE TOUGH”

“THE BRITISH LIKE SPORTS”

When writing a review of this book it is very tempting to quote from it extensively. As a modern British person reading it I can say the content is very funny (although I’m sure it wasn’t designed to be) full of ridiculous stereotypes of the good old fashioned British citizen with a stout stiff upper lip taking German bombs without complaint. However it is often, somewhat disconcertingly, very astute and certainly contains some truths about our characteristics which clearly haven’t changed a great deal in 68 years (which I find comforting)



One of my favourite passages asserts;

“The best way to get on in Britain is very much the same as the best way to get on in America. The same sort of courtesy and decency and friendliness that go over big in America will go over big in Britain. The British have seen a good many Americans and they like Americans. They will like your frankness as long as it is friendly. They will expect you to be generous. They are not given to back slapping and they are shy about showing their affections. But once they get to like you they make the best friends in the world”

The book doesn’t just talk about the people it also talks about the government of Britain, the size and geography, why there are no skyscrapers in London and (of course) the differences between Cricket and Baseball!

It also gives practical information such as what to expect from the weather, how British money works and how to pronounce ‘Thames’ correctly. The book does have the strange habit of referring to British people as 'Britishers' which is an expression I have never heard used before!

One of the most interesting aspects I found was the section about British women. In both Britain and America before the war women were not expected to work or do anything except keep the home clean and raise children. During the war thousands of men went off to fight meaning there was no-one to work any of the jobs previously done by men. Women finally had the opportunity to prove that they could work just as hard and just as capably as men. Not just in factories and offices but also in military roles too. The same thing happened in America but not quite on the same scale. I found this particularly touching since my Great-Grandmother was a WREN during the war. The book makes a point of reminding US troops to respect these women;

"A British woman officer or non-commisioned officer can - and often does - give orders to a man private. The men obey smartly and there is no shame. For British women have proven themselves in this way. They have stuck to their posts near burning ammunition dumps, delivered messages afoot after their motorcycles have been blasted from under them. They have pulled aviators from burning planes...Now you understand why British soliders respect the women in uniform. When you see a girl in khaki or air-force blue remember she didn't get it for knitting more socks than anyone else in Ipswich"

The book does a first class job of providing a clear view into the mindset of the war. Although the book is interesting and entertaining to us today it was first published and issued for a very serious reason; to help ease tensions and maintain relations between Britain and America in a time when Hitler was doing his best to strain the alliance. The book puts a lot of emphasis on not upsetting the local people and says “It is always impolite to criticize your hosts; it is militarily stupid to criticize your allies”

All in all a little gem of a book I often re-read. It never fails to cheer me up. Well worth a read even if you aren’t particularly interested in the war

4/5

By Chris

The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I have been rather slow in picking up The Time Travelers Wife, its been a huge best seller for years and I've seen it constantly on peoples best read lists. In fact this book has been so popular that I knew how the story ended, which I must have picked up from somewhere.

For those of you that don't know The Time Travelers wife follows the story of Henry and Clare and how Henry's time travelling affects both his life and his marriage to Clare. I had heard that this book focuses more on the love story between Henry and Clare rather than the time travelling aspect. I found this to be true but I wonder if the book had taken on a more 'sci-fi' angle, would it have been as popular?

Clare first meets Henry when she is 6 and Henry is 36 in the meadow behind her house. He tells her that he is from the future and that in the future they will be 'friends'. Oh and would she mind awfully leaving clothes out for him in future as he will be visiting a lot. As Henry visits her throughout her childhood and teenage years she eventually falls in love with him so that by the time she does meet him in 'current time' when she is 20 and Henry is 28, she is already head over heels so the relationship is therefore destined to reach its conclusion of marriage.

This novel must have been a headache for Audrey Niffenegger to construct. The book is written in the first person jumping from Clare to Henry from present, past to future. The different chapter headers are therefore titled showing the year and the ages of both Clare and Henry in order to give clarity for the reader. Niffenegger could have let the reader work out the time frame as each chapter started or made the characters clue you in e.g. 'I am Henry and I am 38 in the year 1988' etc. But by spelling out the year and ages of the characters in the chapter header it is less confusing and does not hinder the pace of the story.

In most of the reviews I have read most people warmed more to the character of Clare than Henry, some reviewers were not even completely sure they liked him. I found Henry the more interesting character, he has a much darker side to him which he has developed in order to cope with his time travelling escapades. He can disappear and show up completely naked anywhere so he has had to develop an impressive array of survival skills, most of which has been taught to him from an older Henry. Henry can pick locks, steal and pickpocket rather effectively. Sometimes, even with these skills, he will get caught so he can outrun most people and use his fists rather brutally if the occasion requires it.
I also liked Henry because he had resigned himself to his fate, a scene in the book where a much older Henry teaches a young Henry how to pickpocket I found touching. The young Henry needs to learn this but at the same time the older Henry regrets how he is corrupting himself.
Henry will also use the advantages of time travelling like buying a winning lottery ticket and visiting his dead mother from afar. I certainly found him a more complex character compared to his wife Clare.

Clare reads at first very much like a stereotypical romance heroine with her long flowing red hair, slim figure and being the 'deep thoughtful one' in her immediate family but her character is more developed throughout the book. I especially liked the chapter where she describes that in fact sometimes she likes it when Henry is not there, she can listen to what ever music she likes and can generally do as she pleases, yet she is always pleased when he comes back. Clare for me was sometimes a little 'too perfect' yet incidences like when a teenage Clare asks Henry to scare a fellow high school student who assaulted her, shows her more angry side and also makes you realise how much Clare has had to contend with

Amongst the heartache and tragedy in the book there are also a few comic touches. Clare's revelation that she 'slept with someone else' at first nearly breaks Henry's heart because he thinks she is talking about last week whereas in fact she is talking about something that happened years previous before Henry had even met Clare. The relief that Henry feels when they sort out this little misunderstanding is used to good comic effect.

Niffenegger does a fine job of highlighting the marriage's ups and downs and of their love which although is destined, is also built up over the years by sharing their life together and makes for a very connected and intimate couple. Aside from what I think is some serious padding, this is recommended as an entertaining and moving read.

Verdict 4/5

Posted by Jess

btw I have spelt 'Traveler' as per the book title but I may have accidentally spelt it in parts using the English spelling (which my spell checker prefers)

Top Ten Picks - Favorite Love Stories Of All Time

This week over at Random Ramblings its the turn of the Top ten Romantic stories. Alas this means that Chris will not be submitting anything this week which is no bad thing as I can think of plenty. Romantic books are something which I do enjoy a lot but don't read too many of them, perhaps because I hate anything cheesy so its hard to find romantic books which do not fall into this category. If anyone has any recommendations for me then please leave them in the comments sections and I will be sure to add them to my wish list. Also do read the other entry's in this as there have been some really good suggestions.


1.Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

OK when I quizzed Chris about romantic stories this is the only one he could come up with as he did love the film with Leonardo Dicapio as did I. I did study this in school and while I enjoyed it the story did come very much alive for me in that film. I've seen it a few times now and every-time I watch it I still practically beg Romeo not to drink the poison.


2.Water for Elephants

Not my favourite book in the world but I did like the couple in it. What I liked was that after the drama and tragedy is all over, they manage to live a perfectly nice life and grow old together. I think that's beautiful.







3.The Time Travelors Wife

I only finished reading this yesterday but I knew it was going to be on the list pretty much from page 50. They spend most of the book living quite a normal life just like everyone else which is intercepted constantly by Henry's time travelling. One of the most connected couples I've ever read about.





4.Pride & Prejudice

Well OK this will pretty much on everyone's else's list so I wont say any more apart from, well how could I resist this ultimate I hate you, no I love you couple.




5.The Notebook

I've only ever seen the film and because I have yet to find a blogger who recommends the book over the film, that's how its staying. But the film I loved and thought the two actors playing the lead roles were brilliant.






6.Lady into Fox

OK this isn't a romantic book as its about a lady who turns into a fox while walking with her husband one day. But the reason I put this on the list is because the husband seems determined throughout to keep going with his marriage despite what has happened. He looks after her, feeds her and even continues to share the marital bed. Then when his wife decides she wants to live outside as a fox, her husband still insists on sleeping outside near her den (if its warm enough) and even gets a little jealous when she has cubs with a male fox. Now if that isn't taking your 'for better or worse' vows seriously then I don't know what is!


7.When Harry met Sally

For me the ultimate friends becoming lovers story complete with a new years declaration of love.




8.Sleepless in Seattle

Well Meg Ryan you made it on the list twice, playing the American sweetheart did your career wonders.









9.Pretty woman

Completely implausible, a complete fairytale but I love it. Plus when I was in LA I went into the hotel in the film at the end of Rodeo and used their toilet, this didn't enhance my love of the film its just something I thought I'd share.






10.Lost in translation

It would have been a little gross if the two characters in this film had gotten together but its made all the more powerful because they don't. I remember a TV programme over here got someone who could lip read to try to work out what Bill Murray whispered in Scarlet Johansen ear at the end but unfortunately they could only get half of it.

If your popping over on the blog hop then welcome :)

A Short Gentleman by Jon Canter

The latest NTTVBG pick to be discussed on Sunday was A Short Gentleman by Jon Canter. This is a very different read to the other books for this club so far as its a more light hearted funny book.

The narrator of this book is a Robert Purcell, a barrister who is the quintessential English Gentleman. Born into a rich household, Robert had a privileged childhood during which he dreamed of one day emulating his father by becoming a judge, gaining a respectable wife and having two children; a boy and a girl. Quite early on in the narration we learn that Robert has committed a crime for which he has been sent to prison and thus his career and personal life has taken a nose dive. We do not learn what this crime is until the end of the book and it was great fun reading about Robert's life going according to plan before completely unravelling.

Robert is not a nice character, he's condescending, pompous, arrogant and a terrible snob. These are aspects of his personality of which he is very proud. So why did I like this book? Well because these attributes meant that the narrator was never 'self pitying' and also because it gave the narration its wit and humour.

'I've inherited my politics from my father. I believe in a free market but I also believe it's the primary duty of a political party to look after the poor. The poor must be fed and clothed and housed, though preferably not next door.'

He seems to be a man who reminisces constantly about a bizarre bygone era. An era which, in reality, probably didn't exist except in the minds of people suffering from a hopeless rose-tinted nostalgia for 'Englishness'.

He came from a time when such questions went unasked. A man could have a mistress and a wife, without the wife asking questions. A man could visit a prostitute once a week, without the wife accusing him of having 'intimacy issues',........A man could have a close male friend, without that friend insisting they walk down the aisle of the Church of St Elton the John.

I don't normally use quotations in my reviews (I consider it far too much effort) but I have here to give you an idea of the humour and narration throughout the book, some of which made me laugh out loud. By the end of the book I don't think I really cared what crime Robert had committed because that wasn't the reason I was turning the pages, in the end I was drawn in by the story which had become quite developed and I ended up warming to Robert if only because the other characters were so much worse but just as hilarious.

Verdict 4/5

Posted by Jess

Challenges and Awards

I have finally decided to join the 1030s mini challenge being hosted over at Things mean a lot and it’s not just because of the rather attractive button this challenge has. No it’s because my next book is ‘Tender is the night’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald which was published in 1934, I have never read Scott Fitzgerald before so hopefully this book will be a good introduction.

We have been given a couple of awards over the past few days. Firstly the One lovely blog award from the also lovely Cat from Cat-bookmagic.



We also have been given the Oh My Blog! Award from Petty at Pen and Paper.


The procedure, as The Little Flower explains being,

"1. Get really excited that you got the coolest award EVER!
2. Choose ONE of the following options of accepting the OMB award:
(a) Get really drunk and blog for 15 minutes straight, or for as long as you can focus.
(b) Write about your most embarrassing moment.
(c) Write a "Soundtrack of your childhood" post.
(d) Make your next blog a 'vlog'/video blog. Basically, you're talking to the camera about whatever.
(e) Take a picture of yourself first thing in the morning, before you do anything else (hair, make up, etc) and post it.
3. Pass the award on to at least three, but preferably more, awesome bloggers. Don't forget to tell them."

I’m gonna go with ‘Soundtrack of your childhood on this one.

But before I can do this I need to talk about Australian Soaps (yes there is a connection) I don’t know if it is actually the law in Australia but it certainly seems to be. Basically if you were an up and coming actor/actress/singer during the 80s/90s in Australia then you would have been MADE to appear in a soap over there at some point during your early career. The most popular soaps to appear in for these young entertainers would have been Neighbours and Home & Away, but if you weren’t quite beautiful enough for those then there was always prisoner Cell Block H.
I’m rambling; anyway the height of popularity in the UK for Australian soaps was during the 80s when I was only about 10. EVERYONE in school watched them and we would all swap posters everyday of the soap stars. Well during all this many of these stars made a break for Hollywood (the most well known being Guy Peace, Russell Crowe and Naomi Watts – in fact for all you true blood fans that’s where Jason Stackhouse started)
But for the rest of them that weren’t Hollywood worthy they would wash up on the UK shores and then start to bleed our ears with their awful 80’s pop music and thus the connection. Yes when I think of music during my childhood I cannot help but think of Kylie and Jason, the most successful of these. Do I listen to them now? No, in fact I cringe, Kylie may be a bit of a sex kitten now but then she was very uncool with a terrible 80s perm. Do I watch these soaps now? No, not for years.



Ok so I would like to pass these awards to the following bloggers who I have recently discovered.

Book Bookie
BookMarc Blogpants
Caribousmom
Learning to Read
the ladybug Reads
This Bookish Life