Fitzgerald's classic was the topic of my first high school term paper—and despite that, I still love it. Fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby has built a mansion on Long Island Sound for the sole purpose of wooing and winning his lost love Daisy Buchanan, who married another man while Gatsby was serving overseas. This classic American novel captures the Jazz Age in all its decadence and excess, while weaving a wistful story of love and loss. Even if you've seen the movie (especially if you've seen the movie) you need to read the book. The Audible version, narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal, was an Audie Award Finalist.

Fitzgerald said of Tender, "Gatsby was a tour de force, but this is a confession of faith." From Amazon: "In the wake of World War I, a community of expatriate American writers established itself in the salons and cafes of 1920s Paris. They congregated at Gertrude Stein's select soirees, drank too much, married none too wisely, and wrote volumes--about the war, about the Jazz Age, and often about each other. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, were part of this gang of literary Young Turks. It's difficult not to look for parallels between Fitzgerald's private life and the lives of his characters, psychiatrist Dick Diver and his former patient turned wife, Nicole. Certainly the hospital in Switzerland where Zelda was committed in 1929 provided the inspiration for the clinic where Diver meets, treats, and then marries the wealthy Nicole Warren. In the novel, Dick is eventually ruined--professionally, emotionally, and spiritually--by his union with Nicole. Of all his novels, Tender Is the Night is arguably the one closest to his heart." Add Audible narration for $1.99. The narration, Therese Plummer, frequently narrates titles by Kevin Wilson, Robyn Carr, and Kimberly McCreight.

When F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel was published in 1920, the initial printing sold out in three days. From the publisher: "Virtually a record of the 'Lost Generation' in its college days, the novel treats Fitzgerald's characteristic theme of true love blighted by money lust and is remarkable for its honest and detailed descriptions of the early Jazz Age."