The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Great Gatsby
Book Review: A not-so-great American classic
Summary: 2 Stars
Alright, as you can probably figure out, I wasn't so fond of Gatsby. I went in, as most high-schoolers do, forced to read and understand yet another "great" novel, one of the other classics, and steeled myself for the worst. 'This book can't be that bad', I thought. 'I mean, it's a classic. People the world over rave about it, it's been a top seller for the last couple decades. That has to mean something.'
Now that I've read it through I find myself disappointed. Yeah, I understand that Gatsby is about the rise and fall of the American Dream and not getting caught up in the past and even how much our past affects our future. But other than that, to me it reads like a biography of Fitzgerald's life, with himself in the starring role. I mean, really: the young man who started life poor, who worked his way to the top and falls in love with a beautiful, rich, and not-all-there socialite who turns down his love in favor of a life of luxury. It doesn't seem surprising that this was written only a few years after his marriage to Zelda - who nearly did not marry him because he couldn't offer her the security and luxury of wealth! It disappointed me very much to think that this classic of literature is a loose story of FItzgerald's life. I understand writing what you know, and I've written enough to see the power of writing the stuff you understand, but that's just ridiculous.
The language of this book doesn't really read like a true view of Nick Carroway, the supposed narrator - instead, to me it felt more like I was watching a home video shot over Nick's shoulder with Nick providing occasional narration. Fitzgerald over-characterizes certain characters, giving them true form and personality, almost to the point of nausea - in the first chapter alone he has dedicated an entire paragraph and a half to a description of how wonderful Daisy was and how men all over fell in love at the sight of her - and this is supposedly from the mouth of her cousin! I didn't get much of an inage of Tom either, but Gatsby you knew to the point of wanting to slap him every single time he said "old chap" because it just gets annoying. As for Wilson and his wife, the catalysts and the reason for the book's ending? Didn't get much of a description of them either.
Fitzgerald's skill with emotion is supposed to be one of the reasons that this book is so well-known and loved. But the ending is the only bit that got a good reaction. I was disgusted by the rest of the story, and I hated it. He did have skill with emotion, he did make you connect with the story, but it is good to have such pure and total disgust of something?
That's pretty much the sum total. If you want to really, really feel with a story, Gatsby can do it. Love it or hate it, you'll be at the extreme, I'm finding. If you want a story chronicling what is typically considered to be the American Dream and it's ups and downs, this book also is probably a good choice as well. But I would definetely not recommend it for reading outside of those two reasons, whether those be for school or work or just curiousity. If you want a good classic, read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Gone With The Wind or even The Odyssey or Iliad, but not this book.
I hope this review helps somebody.
Book Review: A realistic portrait of the descent of the American dream.
Summary: 4 Stars
A portrayal of the glamour and superficiality of the Roaring `20s, The Great Gatsby focuses on the tragic love story between millionaire Jay Gatsby and young beauty Daisy Buchanan. Narrated by Daisy's cousin, Nick Carraway, the first half of the tale traces Gatsby's past--how he met Daisy, left to serve overseas, and how she married harsh but practical Tom Buchanan in the meantime. The book traces this event as the inspiration for Gatsby's wealth: we witness his numerous, lavish parties thrown in vain attempt to attract the attention of Daisy, who lives in a different sector of New York. He resents the fact that Daisy feared marrying him due to his financial status. We learn that he obtains his money through shady means, thus underscoring the values of a goal-oriented society. Gatsby, with the help of Nick, is eventually reunited with Daisy, yet Tom grows suspicious of their close relationship, leading to Gatsby's tragic demise.
Throughout the novel, the reader sees the extravagance and excessiveness of Gatsby through his reckless lifestyle, yet as we look closer we see a certain emptiness pervading it. For example, although he lives in a gigantic mansion, only a few people live with him. At his funeral, only four people show up, and Daisy is not included in that number.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby in order to illustrate the American dream as a vain, empty journey without progress, exposing the tragic flaws of an achievement-oriented society. Fitzgerald is essentially criticizing society's tendency to concentrate on the goals, rather than the new experiences and learning we ought to gain from the journey. Thus, he asserts that the entire point of the American dream--freedom, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness--has been lost to the new cynicism, extravagance, and greed that now characterize it. Gatsby, though a seemingly friendly and gracious individual, undergoes his downfall due to his lack of integrity in his pursuit of wealth.
We can see that The Great Gatsby mirrors Fitzgerald's own tragic love story with his lover, Zelda. In his state of disillusionment after losing Zelda, Fitzgerald wrote the book in order to emphasize the decline of the American dream; Gatsby's willingness to cheat and swindle his way to riches marks a shift in the American dream in the 1920s from integrity and individualism to extravagance and greed. Though he tried to hide his past from Daisy, it eventually caught up to him, establishing another of the book's themes: the inescapability of the past.
Although this novel does not make for the most entertaining or action-packed read, I completely recommend it to everyone. The characters, in truth, are not at all likeable, yet this is exactly what Fitzgerald was aiming for: flawed individuals. From first-hand accounts, he has tremendous insight into the faults of humans in a goal-oriented society. There is also abundant symbolism, allowing for a very in-depth analysis of the novel's purposes. I advise any potential readers to fully chew and digest this novel for full enjoyment, as it is no hollow work.
Book Review: A terrible story horribly told
Summary: 1 Stars
I forced myself through this poor excuse for sewage once in high school, and I hated it. With great passion.
About five years later, I subjected myself to its crapulence again, because a friend kept saying I ought to give it another chance, and I happen to believe that there may in fact be second acts in American lives.
Same result. The book is called "The Great Gatsby." But instead of writing from Gatsby's or an omniscient viewpoint, Fitzgerald has Nick Carraway do the narrating. Frankly, the title character from Grey's Anatomy would've been a better choice. And she's awfulness incarnate.
Carraway--boring, feckless, inconsequential, turgid Carraway--he's only one problem. A much greater flaw in the book is that Jay Gatsby and his shenanigans would not be interesting or edifying in the least even if Dante were telling his story.
Now, I'm not giving anything away by saying that the upshot of the book is that Gatsby wastes his life.
Please, do yourself a favor and don't let him waste even a moment of yours.
Book Review: A true classic
Summary: 5 Stars
This has and always will be one of my favorite books of all time. I fell in love with it the first time I read it in high school and have read it four or five times since then. I disagree that young people cannot relate, in only 20 now and I find it fascinating.
I think you do need some level of higher intelligence to appreciate this book. There is a lot of symbolism and that makes the book just that much greater. And who could forget the imagery of the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckelberg. Fantastic!
Book Review: A true classic!
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up this book after about 12 years and I have to say I loved it just as much the second time around. Fitzgerald's descriptive ability is effortless and filled with beautiful imagery that stays with you forever. Everything just jumps off the pages and makes you feel as if you are in the book itself, partying at Gatsby's mansion or lounging with Daisy Buchanan. It is a beautiful book, a MUST read, and definitely a true classic!