The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.55 You Save: $7.45 (50%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.40 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Great Gatsby
Book Review: The Great Gatsby
Summary: 3 Stars
The Great Gatsby written by F.Scott Fitzgerald is set during the marvelous and provocative age of the Jazz era. It is a story that follows the journey of a young man Nick Carraway who moves into a neighborhood in Long Island and is a neighbor to the eccentric powerful Gatsby. Nick has a cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who he goes visits and meets her husband Tom along with beautiful Jordan Baker. Every night Nick is amazed to see his neighbors' popularity and hear about his infamous parties. One night, he is surprised to find out the Gatsby has personally invited him to one of his entertaining parties. After going to Gatsby's parties many nights he was unsuccessful at meeting him until one night he sparks an interesting conversation with a young man who turns out to be Jay Gatsby. One afternoon Nick had lunch with Miss. Baker who admits to him that Gatsby is in love with his cousin Daisy. Gatsby's intension was to confess his long lost love to Daisy and win her over like he had done five years before. After Gatsby's reunites with Daisy they decide to proclaim their love to Tom, but obstacles keep them from being together.
In this book there are many themes that coincide to make an interesting story that turns out to be a tragedy. Love, greed, money, ambition, jealousy, and betrayal are all human attributes that are subtly sporadic throughout the novel. Gatsby represented money and ambition and determination along with love while the woman he loved represented greed and betrayal. Gatsby did everything in his power to get his love while Daisy was undetermined to what she wanted and whom she truly loved. The love interest between Nick and Miss. Baker ends in a unsettled dispute because of betrayal and jealousy. All the characters in the Great Gatsby are tied to these rudiments in one form or the other.
These elements combined gave The Great Gatsby a great ending and made reading it worth while. Although extremely slow paced in the beginning for my taste, I was intrigued by about page 100, it satisfied me by the end. It was a surprising tragic ending that made every boring page before was worth reading. Ever since I started high school I had heard about this book and it's elegant style of the 1920's, I was extremely disappointed when I started reading it because it was nothing what it was hyped up to be. I gave the reading 3 stars because half of the book was extremely boring to me but the other half was extremely well written and thought out. I would recommend this book to any one of my friends if they have the patience to a slow start but a great ending.
Book Review: A good book to read!
Summary: 4 Stars
In 1922 during the jazz age, F. Scott Fitzgerald brings forth an extra ordinary tale of love. Fitzgerald was made to write a smooth and entertaining novel such as, The Great Gatsby, which became a classic of the twentieth century literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald carefully selects his characters' words as he describes the astounding and fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his strong, innocent intentions as he strives to exalt his love to the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby is a tragedy amongst the wealthy and the poor. It is irresistibly melancholy but funny, while light but sensible from beginning to the end.
The story depicts Gatsby's obsession with his one true love, Daisy, whether he was right or wrong to love her, his love for her robs life of all its meaning and purpose. Fitzgerald writes a phenomenal novel, that without a doubt, can be called a masterpiece. His choice of words is very articulate and the description he embodies in every sentence is pleasurable for all readers. Fitzgerald helps the reader to become a part of the novel and connect with the characters. He writes to make his readers be aware of their imaginations, while making them picture the narration perfectly down to the very last detail. Fitzgerald creates fictional characters, such as Gatsby that one can fascinate to and enjoy reading about. This novel is hard to put down, its very easy flowing once you start you just have to finish it!. The book is so dramatic and entertaining that it's easy to miss the fact that it's beautifully written.
A work to remember, for I usually have trouble connecting with other books I read for Literature class. The Great Gatsby was such a breakthrough, and a good attempt to get my fascination of dramatic, and suspenseful novels into place. I highly suggest for anyone who would like to read a dreamy, classy, and an outstanding story to pick up The Great Gatsby. The story gives a new thrill of a Shakespearean story "Romeo and Juliet," with a sensational twist at the end. It proves that not every love story ends beautifully, or the way the main character would like it to, which makes Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby an even more sophisticated and like no other.
This story is not like your average "love story", it gives away more than you expect. And that clearly shows how an author develops his master piece as he progresses with his writing. I am sure that many young adult readers that come across The Great Gatsby will surely enjoy reading it. It is surely a dramatic novel at it's best!
Book Review: The Great Gatsby
Summary: 5 Stars
F. Scott Fitzgerald was the author of "The Great Gatsby." Fitzgerald was born in 1896. An interesting fact is that he was named after his ancestor who wrote the "Star-Spangled Banner". He was an underachiever when he was in high school but he was intelligent. He did, however, end up going to Princeton University, though he didn't graduate from there. He instead enrolled in the army in 1917. Events in Fitzgerald's life inspired him to write his most famous book, "The Great Gatsby." Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in 1940.
The most controversial situation in "The Great Gatsby" was the disfunctional marraige between Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Tom was interested in a girl in New York. Daisy even knew that Tom was having an affair but she tried to love him anways. She figured that she had to because she had a baby on the way and Tom was the only life she knew.
Jay Gatsby lives across the bay from Daisy. Every night, from across the bay, Gatsby watches Daisy's greenlight on her porch. Gatsby and Daisy used to love each other before Gatsby went off to war. Gatsby's absence left Daisy lonely and she married Tom. Gatsby wanted Daisy back. He tried to live the "American Dream." He thought this dream would bring his love back to him. Daisy, however, never heard of Gatsby's return until she was invited over to a lunch which he "happened" to be at. The luncheon caused Daisy and Gatsby's love to rekindle and they began to have an affair.
Tom found out about the affair and he was furious with Daisy. He knew he was having an affair himself, yet he still had the nerve to tell Daisy she was wrong. Tom thought Daisy should be a faithful wife to him. This was the main conflict which caused all the problems to arise throughout the novel.
This conflict really caught my attention. I felt for Daisy as she was still living the life when her husband was with another woman. I can't imagine the pain she was going through and how hard it must have been to continue to be with him. When Daisy started seeing Gatsby, I did not think she was doing the right thing. Two wrongs don't make a right. That was the feeling I had throughout the book, hurt for the way the Buchanan's chose to live their lives. Their life of cheating, lying, pretending, and settling for less then the best. I felt this way because I know there are people who really live their lives this way and I wish no one would have to go through that pain. This book has a very strong and lasting impact on the reader.
Book Review: Overrated.
Summary: 2 Stars
Ah, The Great Gatsby...you know, I've read the book three times already, and every time I did, the book is still no good. Widely regarded as a masterpiece, I think The Great Gatsby took advantage of the claim as a marketing tool in a way of generating sales. But honestly, the book is just not that darn interesting. It lacks feelings, emotions, and realism, but F. Scott Fitzgerald does well in making his characters appear as robotic, unfeeling, and uninteresting. The most surprising thing about the book is how Jay Gatsby appears to be smaller than life. Had he been portrayed as a legendary figure, my opinion of the book would have been much dramatically different. Rather, he is an ordinary guy who happens to have money. Anyhow, if I had to suggest a much better book that deals with the same themes as The Great Gatsby did, it would easily have to be The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe. The Great Gatsby is dated in its details as they are also lacking of description whereas in The Bonfire of the Vanities (A Man in Full isn't too far off either) is more relevant to our times and is very revealing. I could almost taste it as if I was there, but in The Great Gatsby, it was difficult to follow the course of action at times. It could be the writing itself, but let's be honest, no matter how many revisions it will take, The Great Gatsby is not that interesting. It might be an accurate description of the Roaring Twenties, but let's face it, it was a dated era. Nevertheless, I was forced to read the book during high school and found nothing of substance. The second time I read it for pleasure during college, I still found nothing of substance. And now, I read it again for pleasure and still find absolutely nothing of substance. I want to make a comment about two things in the book. Every time Jay Gatsby calls Nick "old sport," I cringe with my eyes shut. When Nick (the narrator whom I hate) suddenly said, "I just remembered that today's my birthday," now...that is probably the worst moment of the book. It's just so stupidly random and so stupidly stupid. Even Sam Waterston had to pull out the Keanu Reeves moment by quoting the line. One part in the book where Jay Gatsby threw his clothes in the air, Daisy Buchanan remarked about the beautiful shirts. At that moment, I immediately flashbacked to Mia Farrow's over-the-top performance and wondered if I could get a glass ball from the dance club and whirl it above her. All in all, it is safe to say that The Great Gatsby has been vastly overrated over the years.Book Review: A Slice of Jazz Age Life and of Human Social Nature.
Summary: 4 Stars
F. Scott Fitzgerald had high hopes for "The Great Gatsby" when it was published in 1925 -that were dashed by a tepid reception. The novel didn't have much critical support until the 1940s. Perhaps, in its own age, it hit too close to home with too much venom. Perhaps the Roaring Twenties, when liquor and money flowed freely, are romanticized in retrospect, and the novel's prevalence of casual dialogue gets more respect now. H.L. Mencken called it a "glorified anecdote", and, indeed, that is how "The Great Gatsby" is presented. The narrator recalls an experience he had among friends a couple of years earlier. As a story, there isn't much to it. It is how characters perceive one another, how they wish to be perceived, and the simpler and indifferent reality that comment on an age, as well as on the immutable social nature of humans.
Nick Carraway, a man of prominent family who came East to do something vague with bonds, narrates the tale. Nick took a modest house on Long Island, next door to a magnificent mansion owned by Jay Gatsby, a man whom no one knows anything about, except that he throws magnificent parties with all manner of glamorous people in attendance, constantly, which people like just fine. Across the bay, Nick's second cousin Daisy Buchanan lives with her husband Tom, and it is at their home that Nick meets a professional golfer named Jordan Baker, whom he doesn't respect much but takes up with all the same. It is through a series of social gatherings that we get to know this group of people and that Nick eventually becomes friendly with his mysterious neighbor, Mr. Gatsby, who has plans to reclaim his long-lost love: Daisy Buchanan.
It struck me that the prose is not very literary for a pre-War novel. The story unfolds in scenes and through dialogue. But it has a merciful brevity that I associate with that era. The lack of extraneous detail and background earned my admiration. Fitzgerald focuses on the interactions of the characters and ignores what goes on in between. This is one slice of their lives, the bitter slice that Nick remembers. It's interesting that it is Gatsby who evokes the readers' sympathy, even though we know little about him and Nick disapproves, though holds a begrudging admiration, of him. Amid the hypocrisy, ambition, and shallowness of these Jazz Age bon vivants, Gatsby is confident is his ability to re-do the past. But when Nick concludes that "we beat on...borne back ceaselessly into the past", he speaks of himself as much as of Gatsby.