Gatsby notwithstanding...

Best Fitzgerald novel?

Tender is the Night.

But, then again, the only other one of his works that I've really tried was This Side of Paradise, which I thought was kind of unbearable. I don't blame him, he was really young and it was his first go 'round, but it just didn't work for me.

I guess The Beautiful and the Damned is too scandalous for this forum?

I've read all of F Scott Fitzgerald's books...

I agree with you, Desolation, that Paradise was a lesser work, tho not quite a bore to me. I found Amory Blaine a root-for-able character. Tho I can't really recall the story all these months later.

I liked Tender is the Night tremendously, but there were parts were it dragged perceptibly. That's the only critique I can make of it tho.

The Last Tycoon was unfinished....

So for me, that leaves Beautiful and Damned standing. But even apart from the flaws of the other books Beautiful and Damned is his best. His great claim was that he was the voice of his generation and I think it's captured in Beautiful and Damned above all the rest.

Thankfully tho he DID write Gatsby to show all concerned just what he was capable of.

I love Tender is The Night, although if he'd managed to finish The Last Tycoon, it would be a strong contender.

I like what Hemingway said about Scott's work, "He wrote two really great books, and left one unfinished that might have been the best of all." Or something like that.

A lot of what I've read of Hemmingway talking about Fitzgerald struck me as unfair. He speaks very callously. Constantly critical of Fitzgerald. I think Hemmingway was just a boar. But there are a lot of great letters between the 2 that really display the affection they had for one another and their shared passion. Really worth the google.

The quote Desolation is referring to comes from A Movable Feast, and if we can take what is written here as truth (albeit, a biased truth) then Fitzgerald deserves the scorn he receives; at least from Hem's perspective.

Assuming Hem ever wrote anything as good as Tender is the Night. (never mind Gatsby)