It is interesting to note the evolution of Ernest Hemingway's reaction to "Tender is the Night". When the novel first appeared, Hemingway, while noting some fine passages, dismissed "Tender is the Night" as yet another example of F. Scott Fitzgerald's decline as both a writer and a person. However, as the years passed and Hemingway revisited the novel again and again, he came to regard it as Fitzgerald's best book.

Hemingway's reaction has always interested me. It was also a source of frustration as I tried without success to get through "Tender is the Night". At first I thought my abandonment of the novel was due to the introduction of too many characters too early in the book, but Bruccoli's very fine companion has made me re-evaluate this view. I think my earlier frustration was a direct result of my unfamiliarity with many of the places and people that Fitzgerald alludes to throughout the novel. Bruccoli gives succinct descriptions of people and places that may not be familiar to modern readers, but he also goes further. He points out logical inconsistencies, chronological errors, and outright mistakes that can distract (or confuse) the reader.

Is this effort worth it? Most definitely. Bruccoli's work pays off handsomely, helping to bring into focus a beautiful, intricate novel.

Just ask Papa.

As the volume's introduction points out, this "is not a critical study: it does not analyze the putative meanings of Tender is the Night." Instead, Bruccoli's purpose is to briefly explore the novel's genesis, creation, publication, and aftermath. The main course of this feast, however, is a lengthy section of explanatory notes on Tender's numerous references. The text is additionally buttressed with photos and illustrations as well as a time scheme and chronology of events. Bruccoli's presentation is thorough without being pedantic, making this quite readable by scholars and students alike. One only hopes that someday this material will be shuffled with Fitzgerald's novel for a long-overdue annotated edition of this greatly underrated work.--Michael Rogers

This book is the biggest piece of crap I've ever read - and I read a lot! How it ever got published is the real mystery! Don't waste your time on it.

As a owner of one of the internet's most well respected Sarah McLachlan websites as well as an expert in Sarah McLachlan Biography, I find this book insulting. Building a Mystery reads like a schizophrenic patient's transcript strife with vague references, endless garble, and little substance. Having read the book front to back, I found little about 'Sarah McLachlan' and mostly what seemed to be an ongoing, unguided defamation. Not only does the author refuse to latch onto a journalistic perspective with direction and commentry from the people who matter most to the heart of the person and concept of 'Sarah McLachlan', she becomes attached to the alleged stalker which took his like soon after a legal battle with Mclachlan. I could not identify with her perspective or logic and found the book uncomfortable to read. It is no wonder Sarah McLachlan's family and record company wanted nothing to do with the author or this book. I strongly recommend against wasting your money.

The first chapter of this book is absolutely boring, thanks to Judith rambling on about travelling to Halifax. Anyway, I found that Judith didn't write enough about Sarah's life before she released "Touch" in 1988, but you can't get everything you want, right? I also found that Judith wrote far too much Sarah's supposed stalker and not enough about the process Sarah went through to write her beautiful songs. I did enjoy Judith's comments about Terry McBride (Sarah's manager) because I have found him to be a bit of a money grubber and a control freak when it comes to Sarah. When I originally reviewed this book I gave it 1 star, but I've re-read the book and it's quite obvious Judith loves Sarah as a musician, but that she didn't want to give a biased view of the life and career of Sarah McLachlan.