Love in the Night: and Other Love Stories • F. Scott Fitzgerald

I discovered this book on Karin’s blog, and since I was really in the mood for stories from the 1920s—and this little book is truly a beauty—I couldn’t resist. I had read The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald before, but my impression of it was rather mixed back then. So I was all the more surprised by this wonderful collection of short stories, which absolutely hit the mark for me.

Love in the Night contains seven love stories, written as short tales in the 1920s. According to the appendix, the last two stories were written in 1931 and 1940. It’s easy to immerse yourself in post-war America and the Golden Twenties, because that’s exactly the backdrop Fitzgerald chose. And indeed, the stories in this book perfectly capture that atmosphere. I’ve always loved the era and the novels of the Lost Generation, and I enjoy diving into that exuberant time that seemed to be filled only with parties and love affairs.

The stories in this little volume captivated me very quickly. I haven’t read anything so light, pleasant, and at the same time so entertaining in recent months as these delightful novellas. The collection is beautifully curated, as all the stories revolve, of course, around love—about how people meet, fall in love, find each other, or realize the opposite: that they’re not meant to be. Fitzgerald conjures a delicate and dreamy atmosphere, and his protagonists are often very young and under the spell of first love. Few things move a reader as much as that innocent first love—sometimes passionate, sometimes tender, but always unguarded and full of the spirit of endless youthful possibility. His characters are often insecure, restless, still searching for their own identity, and their lives and decisions unfold with the same unpredictability.

Fitzgerald portrays a wide variety of encounters and characters, and his stories always end with a fine twist. Sometimes he manages to surprise the reader, and often he elicits a smile with subtle humor. There’s a refined creativity here that I thoroughly enjoyed. I found his characters to be real people, and with only a few smoothly written lines, he manages to bring them vividly to life. Each scene has something cinematic about it, and the dialogues are consistently excellent. Like a really good film—only better, because it’s a book. I found myself lying on deck with the protagonists on yachts during warm summer nights, feeling their hopeless infatuation, their joy, and their disappointment.

Visually, the book is truly beautiful. I love the pattern reminiscent of the 1920s. The linen binding, with its blue color and golden embossing, is simply lovely to look at. The ribbon bookmark matches perfectly. The only downside is the lack of thread stitching. Overall, however, Diogenes Verlag has created a real little gem here.

Conclusion: I really enjoyed these seven stories—they were over far too quickly. The love stories read effortlessly, and with just a few words Fitzgerald manages to create wonderfully atmospheric images: of first love, warm summer nights, hopeless infatuation, youth, and always with a touch of humor. Sometimes with a happy ending, sometimes full of tragedy. Perfect entertainment, ideal for the beach chair, and a very successful overall package, also in terms of its visual qualities. A great book that I can wholeheartedly recommend—and one that has put Fitzgerald back at the top of my list.

Book Information: Love in the Night: and Other Love Stories • F. Scott Fitzgerald • Diogenes Verlag • 256 pages • ISBN 9783257069518