Love in the Night is a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have read several stories by Fitzgerald now. I am fond of his writing style. The main draw to read this story for me was to explore this author’s work more.
Love in the Night begins in the South of France, Cannes, with a 17-year-old Russian boy Val. He comes from a wealthy royal family in Russia, and they are on a trip to France for the summer. Val climbs aboard the wrong yacht for an event when he meets a beautiful girl. Both of them are immediately drawn to each other and spend a passionate night together. Although, she is married to an older gentleman, which Val learns about this later in the night. He falls head over heels for her, but both part without a way of contacting or finding each other again.
Val goes through a lot of ups and downs in the following years. He loses his family and the family wealth during the Russian Revolution. He moves to Paris and takes up different jobs to make ends meet. He becomes a taxi driver. Often people whisper about him being a Russian royal now living in such circumstances, but he doesn’t take it to heart or tries not to. He never really forgets about his first love and pines after her. Once he is on a vacation in Cannes when he sees the yacht that reminds him of his night with her. He is surprised to know that the yacht belongs to her. He is shocked to see her, but she finally introduces herself. In the epilogue, we find out they finally end up together.
There is a contrast between the lives Val has when he meets her and when he meets her again years later. He is on the Eastern front during World War I, and when the imperial Russia collapsed, his parents die, and he moves to France. It is a little unbelievable that someone can fall so desperately in love in a few hours, but it makes the hopeless romantic in me very happy. He puts aside some money every year and goes on a vacation. In 1922, he lands back in Cannes when he meets her again; she is a widowed woman now. The story is about love, loss, first love, and yearning.
Love in the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a short and quick read. It is a little too romantic and idealistic, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I loved the flow of the writing and the journey of Val’s character. It’s a cute, beautifully written romantic short story.
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Books and blues 
Thank you for the amazing review.. I read his book entitled “The Great Gatsby”, the fall of American Dreams.
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Thank you 😊
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