my summer vacation day six: gin & f scott fitzgerald

our last full day on the lake! too soon, too soon. so, the goal was to spend as much time on the water as possible.

so, no sewing, no knitting, almost no cooking - just cucumber sandwiches, gin & lemonade, fresh peaches and cherries, and reading on the dock.

i re-read the great gatsby a few weeks ago, after realising (when the latest film version came out) how long it had been since i read the book, and how little i remembered. and i enjoyed it so much, that when i saw a copy of tender is the night while at a bookstore, i decided to read that, too. it's so much more personal than gatsby, much more looking inward than outward, much more broken.

all of which makes the sad tale of the introduction feel like a punch in the gut: that fitzgerald slaved and worried over this book for years and his response to the poor critical and commercial reception it received. it's like putting all your effort into making amends and trying to win back the heart of someone who know longer loves you with the greatest most dangerous act you can imagine, and receiving only the dull response of "huh, i don't get it."

i suppose that's just the way it goes, sometimes.

also, i got a sunburn.

n.b. these summer vacation posts are one week delayed as the cottage is delightfully free of electronics!