The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Great Gatsby
Book Review: A bit of experience goes a long way with interpretation
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to say, that as is the case with many regarded literary classics, Gatsby took awhile to grow on me. Four years in fact.
As a junior in high school this was required reading. I remember reading it then, checking out opinions on it before getting around to it, and becoming somewhat excited with the conversation and debate that would inevitably follow the assignment. I found the novel then, in complete contrast to my opinion now, to be a completely boring and pointless read.
Last year as a college sophmore I decided to give it another go. Enough time had passed where I forgot many of the details of the piece that it naturally seemed like a good idea for a quick read. The lingering first impression of Gatsby, along with the seemingly endless amount of opinions contrasting with my own, convinced me that this book was worth a second shot.
Without getting into various personal (and probably subjective) interpretations on the many themes and symbols throughout, I simply have to say that I now regard it as one of the best books ever written. While the aforementioned aspects of literature (themes/symbols) play a large part in distinguishing this book from many others, for me it was the prose and the story itself. It's just too bad it took some personal growth and a bit more patience to finally appreciate it- I can't even go on about it because I loved it so much.
Book Review: A book worth reading!
Summary: 5 Stars
Jay Gatsby was the main character or protagonist in "The Great Gatsby." For his whole life, he went out of his way to turn from rags-to-riches in order to seek for his true love. However, did this "fallen angel" have the right to pursue happiness? Was his pursuit of true love fortunate or unfortunate? The content or plot of the story would tell us that love was the greatest link.
As for Gatsby's real profession, the people despised and looked down on him. In spite of this, this was the one area in which we admired him for. When the people who lived in America during the 1920s were carried away and charmed into vanity, Gatsby did not lose his inner self - his na?vet? and his high or lofty ideals. He was still a person of principle and was still punctilious about his dreams. Even if he would lose every thing for the love of his life, he would have no regrets at all.
What was the drive or impulse that led a person to be so dedicated or devoted? What could possibly be the cause that led a person to be so persistent with his or her faith? It is very hard for us to love others as we love ourselves. At certain times, we feel that it's not worthwhile to pay our love and affection. For that reason, I admire and sympathize with Gatsby even more. Throughout his whole life, love had always been both a burden and a reward (for him.) Love is an ongoing lesson in life in which all of us are obliged to learn.
Though this story did not contain positive and inspirational characters, the content of this book may direct the readers towards a deeper understanding of the main character's na?vet? and purity, and then guide or bring out the love within the readers' hearts.
Book Review: A classic (?!?!)
Summary: 3 Stars
This classic tale tells the story of Gatsby, a self-made man and his doomed love for a married woman he'd met prior to her marriage. The narrator is Nick Carraway who lives next door to Gatsby on Long Island and is present for all the major moments in the affairs of his friends.
It seemed odd to me that these people wanted Nick to witness their sordid conversations and assignations. The author seems to want to give Nick a romance of his own, but Nick's relationship with Jordan is never fleshed out. The focus is on Gatsby, a person I both disdained of and championed. He is rich and throws huge parties, but the people around him are hangers on who know nothing of him and enjoy spreading rumors about him in his home, while also eating his food and drinking his beverages. He cares nothing for these people and is only having the parties in order to draw his love to him. Sadly, when he needs them, these people do not come and he is alone.
This is another classic which I found myself disappointed in. I expect that for books to become classics, there must be something remarkable about them, but I didn't find much to remark on with this book. It was not as difficult to adjust to the cadence and style of writing of this author and this era than other classics I've read.
Book Review: A classic for a reason
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read this book twice, once when they forced me in school and later when I was about 27 years old. In my later reading, I fully appreciated the language of this book and view it as one of the most entrancing books I've ever read, equal in might only to The Grapes of Wrath. Will it change your life, probably not. But it brings you to a far off place, in an era that the author brings to life vivdly. I read this book a few times a year, and it never loses its power.Book Review: A classic masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
I fell in love with F. Scott Fitzgerald's brilliant novel, The Great Gatsby, when I was in high school. I was captivated by the lush, lyrical prose that was such a distinctive characteristic of the novel. I think that Fitzgerald has given us a searing, powerful take on the rich dilettantes of the 1920's. He slowly and skillfully reveals the shallowness and callousness of these people, as they manipulate and deceive everyone. It seems that Fitzgerald's heroines were always reincarnations of his real wife, Zelda. It is clear that Gatsby has hopelessly romanticized the superficial and hollow Daisy Buchanan. He has elevated her to a pedestal that she does not in any way deserve. Yet he is determined to pursue her and his dreams, at all costs.
Fitzgerald is unmatched when it comes to character studies. He has used his own real life experience among the elite, to peel away the beautiful artifice and show us the truly ugly, heartless soul inside these people. Daisy and Tom are unhappy and unfulfilled people. Tom uses Myrtle to escape from the boredom and inanity of Daisy. He could care less if it all turns out badly. Consequences, morality and decency are not qualities that one finds in the likes of Tom and Daisy. They take what they want and try to steal moments of happiness at the expense of the humanity of those who are manipulated and played like chess pieces. Life is a game to them, a game to be played out in grand style and if someone gets crushed in the process, so be it.
Fitzgerald finds his own voice in his narrator, the conscientious and astute Nick Carraway. He is the observer, watching the carnage and emotional wreckage unfold before his eyes. Through him, we see the horror of what Tom and Daisy do to those who have the misfortune to those who cross their path. Initially, Nick is enchanted to be in their company, but by the end as he surveys the tragedy and destruction that has been wrought, he is repelled and wants only to put as much distance as he can between himself and these monsters. Fitzgerald's own ideas and thoughts are expressed through Nick. It's a masterful way of illuminating the reader. Nick is the moral compass in this novel. He sees the truth, the ugly reality of what makes up the rich and famous, their lack of character, their emptiness, their need to lose themselves. In the end we feel the way he does. The beauty and lavishness of the lives of these people are just a brittle exterior, covering up the hideousness that lies underneath.
As I read this novel again, years later and much older, it has taken on a whole other dimension. I have enough life experience now to truly appreciate the dark and sinister reality that can lie behind beauty and wealth. It is now a richer experience, because Fitzgerald's novel is timeless. He provided a stinging, harsh critique of the kind of people he knew all too well, of an era, a time in which people satisfied their greediness at the expense of others. The book can never become outdated, because what it says about people who have too much money and time on their hands with too little humanity, applies to generations through the years.
This is a seminal work, a beautifully crafted tale about a time that was captured forever in these richly drawn characters. Fitzgerald had the most distinctive style of writing I have ever experienced. No one else has ever even come close to his genius. He can dissect and carve out the essence of his characters using the most lovely prose. His descriptive phrases still leave me breathless. I am only sorry that he died prematurely in 1940 at the too young age of 44, thereby depriving us of the privilege of reading more of his magnificent writing. We must make do with what he was able to give us in the brief time he was on this earth.