The Great Gatsby

by F Scott Fitzgerald

Tony Tanner (Notes)

'A classic, perhaps the supreme American novel' Sunday Times, Books of the Century

'It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life'

Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach ... Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby - young, handsome, fabulously rich - always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.

• ISBN10: 0141182636
• ISBN13: 9780141182636
• Publish Date: 24 February 2000 (first published 14 July 1905)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Penguin Classics
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 240
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9780141182636

Reviews

[Raven]

I read this book every year in middle & high school and then again in 2017 to give it a new shot. I detest this book. Everything about it. It's not a bad book, by any means, but I could never get into it, was never entertained by it, and hated it with every fiber of my being. I'm only rating it now because it popped up in a rec and made me want to rage. I loathe this book.

[RoXXie]

Kurz und knapp (full review soon):

Die Welt erscheint jedem von uns auch mal tristlos und grau. Auch Gatsby hatte dieses Gefühl, schon in jungen Jahren. Er fühlte sich zu mehr berufen. Dazu, die Welt zu sehen, sie zu umarmen und voll auszukosten.
Und tat was er tun musste, um zu bekommen, was er begehrte. Doch tief in ihm war etwas, ein größeres Begehren. Es bringt die Vergangenheit wieder und vielleicht wird es ihn alles kosten, was er hat, um diesem Begehren nachzugeben.

[jnkay01]

Actually listened to the Planet Money podcast reading, marking the novel's becoming part of the public domain.

[Ele.ments]

4,5 ⭐️

[tylerrosereads]

Review coming soon

[remo]

Leí la historia de Jay Gatsby al principio de mi curso de American Literature, el año que pasé allí. Para mí fue una novela muy simbólica, en la que el transcurso de los acontecimientos no era tal sino que era siempre símbolo de otra cosa. Los ojos del cartel en el valle de las cenizas, que pueden ser dios o mil cosas más, la luz verde en el extremo del lago hacia la que Gatsby extiende los brazos (que resulta luego ser la casa de Daisy), el Midwest y el Este como símbolo de la América que es y la que quiere el autor... La historia, una historia en la que un misterioso millonario, Jay Gatsby, da unas fiestas impresionantes cada semana en su mansión de Long Island y se sabe muy poco de él, hasta que vamos sabiendo poco a poco todo sobre sus motivaciones, es un vehículo auxiliar para un montón de opiniones y símbolos. Gatsby pasa del misterio más misterioso a ser un tipo normal que además de tener una vida comprensible fue alguien que en realidad rebajó las miras de lo que podía haber siodo para concentrarse solo en ganasr dinero para conquistar a l amujer que amaba, que era muy simplona y solo se fijaba en el exterior. El propio narrador, que va de poseedor de la Verdad sobre lo Correcto y lo Incorrecto, pero luego hace de Celestina para romper un matrimonio y en general orbita cual polilla alrededor de todos los personajes que le dan asco por su vida disoluta y su falta de ética. En su momento no me llegó a tocar, esta novela, a la que no quito ningún mérito, pero reconozco en ella un retrato a pinceladas breves del alma humana.

[Bianca]

2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge
‪10. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads‬

He must have looked up at an unfamiliar sky through frightening leaves and shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is and how raw the sunlight was upon the scarcely created grass.

— A critique of wealth and materialism, disguised as a tragic love story

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Okay, so my original review of 1 star was probably a little prejudiced. I mean, even the best of books is soured a little when you have to read it while taking notes for a school essay? I also feel like I was not emotionally mature enough to appreciate The Great Gatsby when I was fifteen.

All that said, I still don't find this to be a remarkable novel? I have a bit more appreciation for satirical aspects of it, but The Great Gatsby is marketed most as a star-crossed romance. While it is this huge, easy romance... I just couldn't bring myself to care. The characters are so shallow and uninteresting that a bit like Nick, I cannot be bothered to be interested in Daisy and Gatsby or Tom and Myrtle or any of it.

And, yes, I do realize the irony of that. I realize that they are shallow on purpose. I understand and appreciate the fact that one of the aims of The Great Gatsby is to shine a light on the frivolous, self-interested nature of the 1%, but unfortunately it's still a novel as well, and the satirical choices took away from the the character design. And that's okay, because this novel still works for some people. I am just not those people. I need to feel attached to my characters, even if they are horrible people. Without that investment, I lose interest in the novel.

So - as I appreciate Fitzgerald's writing style a little more now (some of his word choices are exquisite) and I understand the purpose of the story a bit better, I'm raising my review from one star to three. It's still not a book I love - it's not even a book I like - but I can respect it a bit.

Oh. Except for all the racist crap Tom spouts? That's bullshit.
_________________

Original Review (2005) - 1 Star

[kiracanread]

I really enjoyed The Great Gatsby, although I do feel as though through time it has become incredibly over-hyped, and so when going in to this book I expected so much more than I received. Although there are definitely memorable moments that have stuck with me since my first read.

[readingwithwrin]

This wasn't as good as I was expecting it to be if I'm honest.
It was okay, and I knew most of the story already, from things I've heard.

Truthfully I found Daisy to be fairly annoying and way overly privileged. Her husband was equally annoying.

Nick was a character I actually liked and cared about through most of the book. I wanted to see him succeeded and try and get Gatsby to stop being so obsessed with Daisy.

Gatsby, you had everything so many people wanted, yet you sat around and wasted it by pinning for someone you could never have. Also what exactly did he do for a job, and why so secretive all the time?

I get the hype around this book, and I feel like If I had read this with a group instead of on my own I would have liked it more.