Old Books, New Readers discussion

Hello everyone!

This week's reading is about, Book 1: Chapters 1-10

Feel free to post your thoughts here.

"....she ceased her struggle to make tangible to herself her shadowy position as the wife of an arriviste who had not arrived."

"The horn of the car ahead was muffled by the resistance of the thick air."

These are simple words, but, for me, the way he arranges them is so visual. F. Scott seems to paint word pictures effortlessly.

What a contrast to Woolf!

So far, interesting. :) I find Rosemary's mom's views strange for that time period. She tells her daughter she needs to work and not marry. Isn't the feminist movement at a later time? I could totally be wrong. ;) :) A quote from mom I found interesting... "Wound yourself or him-whatever happens it can't spoil you because economically you're a boy, not a girl." She apparently doesn't care if her underage daughter (she's not eighteen, yet) has an affair with a married man, or ends up breaking up a marriage, because she's got a job!

I also didn't realize that duels were still occurring in the 1920's... It'll be interesting to see how that turns out.

I agree with Kimberly about how Rosemary's mom's views being strange. I thought it would be controversial for her mom to be ok with Rosemary getting involved with a married man.

I wonder what it is Violet McKisco saw in the bathroom that put her in such a shock.

It took me a few chapters to get into this, but once the party started (literally) I'm pretty hooked.

I find Rosemary's relationship with her mother lovely. So often you find teenagers who want to rebel and think their parents know nothing, and yet here Rosemary is completely adamant about how perfect she thinks her mother is.

I'm also in the same boat as Michelle, I'm very curious as to what Violet saw in the bathroom. Was there an argument between the Divers? Perhaps was Nicole caught doing something that she shouldn't have been?

John wrote: ""....she ceased her struggle to make tangible to herself her shadowy position as the wife of an arriviste who had not arrived."

"The horn of the car ahead was muffled by the resistance of the thic..."

Yes totally agree!

Kimberly, that line made me smile and I think that was along the lines of feminism then. I remember reading something about the The Lucy Stone League which I think was going strong then. That had more to do with name rights I think but still.

Samantha, I think maybe Rosemary's like that because her mom is the way she is. She doesn't seem overbearing in the way parents tend to be portrayed now a days, but her mother is a bit helicopter-ish. She may have raised Rosemary to work but not so much to be an independent thinker, which may ruin her chances of being a boy kind of thing if Rosemary can't break from the co-dependent situation the mother has set up for them.

That sort of shows too in how Rosemary seems to really not have a lot a friends and what not with it just sort of being the two of them. And Rosemary just does as she is told. At some point she even says something to her mother along the lines of hey when are you going to stop having things for me to do.

I am really curious to find out what the heck happen in that bathroom too. The duel part is interesting. The last book I read with a duel in it was Fathers and Sons but that one takes place in the 1800's.

I also had a hard time getting into it but now at this point I'm like okay so what's going to happen next?

I'm just getting started (June was a busy reading month) and so thanks for leaving all these great comments! I'm also wondering what was so important that Violet saw that a duel ends up happening over it!

I like the poetic feel of the descriptions, very good writing.

I think America and Europe are having an identity crisis in this book. There's a lot of comparisons and symbolism about the two cultures so far. But I don't know what point Fitzgerald is trying to prove yet.

I also am wondering about the quote at the beginning which is where the title, "Tender Is the Night" comes from. Are nightingales known as symbols for anything? I know they are known for their beautiful singing. I'm excited to see what this means as I read the story:

"Already with thee! tender is the night. . .
. . . But here there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.

--Ode to a Nightingale"

I'm glad you've hoped in on this one! We always leave the reading up for the book from the month before just for people who are catching up. After that time they can be found in the folder for the year they were selected in the group. :)

I don't know if Fitzgerald has a point there with Europe vs America, I know that he was with the expats so maybe it was one of those things once you are removed from your culture and thrust into another, you sometimes notice how what you do is different from what other people do.