About this audiobook
On the French Riviera, Dick and Nicole Diver appear to occupy the centre of a cultivated, privileged social world. Their hospitality attracts people who see in the couple an image of confidence and ease. The arrival of a young actress, Rosemary Hoyt, introduces another perspective on a marriage whose history is not immediately visible.
F. Scott Fitzgerald moves beneath the surface of leisure to explore the relationships between wealth, care and personal identity. Dick's work as a psychiatrist complicates the boundaries of his private life, while the expectations of the couple's circle place further demands on the image they maintain. Charm can conceal dependence as readily as it expresses affection.
The novel examines marriage, ambition and the cost of sustaining an admired way of living. Its emotional complexity emerges through changing viewpoints and the gradual disclosure of the past, asking what happens when the roles that once held people together begin to restrict who they can become.
