A review by bookish_5280
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book started off incredibly. I love the first 100-150 pages or so. And then, a whole bunch of problematic elements appear (
pedophilia, incest, etc) as well as blatant racism. I can appreciate the role of some of these elements in other books (not racism, to be clear), such as pedophilia or incest,  and they appear as main themes in books that I love. But my problem with this book, in contrast to ones like Lolita or The Color Purple, is that there is not enough focus on the childhood trauma (I think there is one main chapter that discusses it).
I just thought that it could have been much more emotionally affecting and beautiful on a deeper level. I see the potential appeal, but even with the ending (which I did like), it is still not going to go on my favorites list. 
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