jacob_longini shared a tip ""The truth was that for some months he had been going through that partition of the things of youth wherein it is decided whether or not to die for what one no longer believes ... he used to think that he wanted to be good, he wanted to be kind, he wanted to be brave and wise, but it was all pretty difficult. He wanted to be loved, too, if he could fit it in," (Fitzgerald, 172). Wow. I had this book recommended to me by a friend in the context of a debate we were having. As is the age-old conflict, I was arguing that Hemingway was the greatest American novelist, and he was arguing that it was Fitzgerald. Both of us had read short stories by both men, and both of us had read one or two of their most beloved novels, but both of us had missed important staples. He hadn't yet read The Sun Also Rises, my favourite novel, and I hadn't read Tender is the Night. So, I started this book with high hopes, but doubtful that Fitzgerald would match the prowess of my favourite author. I was wrong. While I believe that Hemingway still takes the cake, Tender is the Night has catapulted Fitzgerald into my top few favourites, and this work, in particular, is among the greatest novels I've ever read. In fact, I found that this book is the closest thing to a Sun Also Rises short of maybe one or two other Hemingway works (although I'd say it surpasses a few of those as well). In my opinion, Tender is the Night is better than The Great Gatsby, provided you are willing to put in the extra couple-hundred pages of work. Book 1 instantly engaged me, Book 2 challenged that engagement, and Book 3 made me frantic to finish, but deeply saddened me when I reached the end of my journey. Hemingway may be my desert-island reading pick, but Fitzgerald is who I wish most to emulate in my own writing. The style is beautifully lyrical and the plot is hauntingly tragic, all of which come together in a poignant snapshot of human feeling that would be a travesty to miss."