Boring, boring, boring. Started slow, got slower, speeded up a fraction, mercifully ended. If the story hadn't been so short I'd have given up before the end, as the tedium of turning the next page is sure to have overwhelmed me. Well, maybe I'm being a little harsh... but I didn't like it.

A satisfying read, old sport!
Pink suits, bright yellow cars, duck egg-blue dresses, jazz, outlandish decadence, peacock feathers and endless champagne place a veil over the background of snobbery, greed and moral decay.

Baz Luhrmann dazzled with his 2013 adaptation. At the time, I thought it was typical Luhrmann ‘over-the-top’, delightful entertainment, but after reading the novella I see he got it spot on.

The Great Gatsby is not without some faults. I’ve shared my reservations about hints of antisemitism with my buddy reader, Marge Moen. I read articles and essays on this, most pointing to F. Scott Fitzgerald simply writing what was reflected in American society in the early 1900s. One could debate this until the cows come home, old sport!

Sometimes researching the background of novels can cloud the sum of all its parts, so I left it there and just enjoyed the read.

Read as part of The Infinite Variety Reading Challenge, based on the BBC's Big Read Poll of 2003.

I am a Classics person, but not a Modern Classics reader. I prefer the Victorian and pre-Victorian Classics and Modern Classics have never really interested me. However, even before I began this Reading Challenge I knew that I needed to change that. I'm still not overly enamoured with Modern Classics (though they tend to be a lot shorter than Victorian Classics are, which can come as a relief) but I am thoroughly enjoying the journey through the genre.

This book was quite a disappointment and not a surprise at the same time. I knew I wasn't going to love it before I went in to it, though I don't know why. I had no preconceptions of this book: I've never seen the film and I haven't ever read a blurb about it. My copy doesn't have one. I just knew I wouldn't love it.

I didn't think I wouldn't like it, though. I can't really think of any specifics, I just didn't like the plot, the characters or the setting at all. There were some fun moments, some dire moments and just a whole lot of dullness going around. It's hard to really enjoy something if you don't feel any sympathy or empathy with the characters, not even mentioning that ever-present idea that we need to identify with characters, too. I also found that this book wasn't particularly American, or particularly 20s, or particularly anything at all, really. It was just a kind of story with a kind of moral to it.

The one thing I will say about this: F. Scott is a wonderful writer. I kind of thought this before I went in, but I never really knew until I found I was re-reading sentences over and over again just to re-live them. Not what they were saying, or what they were telling, or showing, or portraying, or anything like that, but just the words used and in which order. Sometimes it felt like magic. I will definitely read more F. Scott, but this one really isn't great at all. But that's okay. Most Classics aren't that great, anyway, we just pretend they are most of the time.


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What is there to love about The Great Gatsby?

F.Scott Fitzgerald’s writing here leaves only a little to be desired. The characters themselves seem shallow and empty, lacking in morality and you could take all this into consideration and instantly report: ‘well that’s a shallow book if ever I’ve heard of one.’ However it can also be seen that, The Great Gatsby is a scathing social commentary that explores the fruitlessness of pursuing dreams. Particularly dreams that are nothing more than shadows. To that end The Great Gatsby is a brilliant piece of fiction designed to criticise the lack of morality among its rich and selfish inhabitants who parasitically devour the work of the poor.

One of the most beautiful elements in this novel is the depiction of the Valley of Ashes, which ultimately all the characters pass through regardless of being rich or poor. It is a place of equality and reminds one of the idea of the ‘Valley of the Shadow of Death’ mentioned by the Psalmist David, and in the novel itself Wilson relates those giant eyes to the eyes of God, a God who sees all that men do. Which is such a brilliant image to present to the reader. It is imagery like this that haunts one far after finishing this novel. Imagery remembered emphatically.

It is also the language of Fitzgerald’s work that draws one in. It may not always be flawless writing but it is vivid and alive. Fitzgerald’s is essentially thoughtful writing. It is the language of quotes that act as prison bars to keep the reader enthralled by the novel.

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’”

Of course The Great Gatsby will always be a polarising text due to its characters and the debate about whether it is truly a novel about the American Dream. It is a polarising effect that stems from the allure of the book – the way in which the novel hauntingly hints at something greater while remaining so brilliantly flawed. One certainly cannot fully explain their own fascination with the book, save that it does that rare thing that strong literature should do. It serves, as Franz Kafka said, to be “the axe for the frozen sea within us.” An axe in a forest of frozen dreams – poetically carving up a vision of one man forever haunted by the failings of his own dream.

There once was a man they called Jay,
A symbol of Jazz Age decay.
And just as Scott held a
Fixation for Zelda,
Jay’s Daisy dream sure made him pay!

Another classic that many were "forced" to read in high school English class, the Great Gatsby is of course an amazing book. Evocative of a superficial world of wealth and sensuality seen from the blasé eyes of Nick Caraway (a very Hemmingway-esque character if I may say). Far better than the recent movie, the book is both poignant and bitingly sarcastic. There is a lot of FS Fitzgerald's own life and obsessions here and plenty of tragedy but without over-the-top pathos. The tone rests - like Caraway himself - detached and distant. The strength here is in the ambiguity of his feelings for Gatsby and the facetious lifestyle he represents. A masterpiece to be read again and again...but do not miss Tender is the Night which to my mind was similar but, since it was longer, features slightly more developed. characters.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a 20th-Century American Classic!

n  I've watched the movie The Great Gatsby several times but never read the book. Until now...n

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the first book I read by F. Scott Fitzgerald highlights the creativity of his storytelling. The Great Gatsby, my second read by this author, highlights the beauty of his writing style. He's like an artist painting a canvas.

The Great Gatsby is set during the Roaring Twenties, the years of post-World War I and before the Great Depression. Fitzgerald paints an accurate picture of the overindulgence and questionable behavior of the era. The characterizations are colorful, bold, some are bitter, and all bring an interesting mixture of flavors to the story. I love the intent that no one is who or what they appear to be, except, perhaps, Nick Carraway.

Fitzgerald paints scene after scene of Jay Gatsby's well-designed search for the American dream. His wealth, the lavish lifestyle, the fancy car, and the gossip and mystery that surrounds him are all part of his allure and his carefully plotted plan. All he needs now is his new next-door neighbor, Nick, to assist with putting the final pieces together...

Fitzgerald brings an edginess into the story by painting contrasts between two fictional communities divided by Long Island Sound and it sets glaring cultural divides within the story: West Egg vs East Egg; New Money vs Old Money; Jay Gatsby vs Tom Buchanan.

There's a brightness, quick pace, and welcoming atmosphere at the start of the story that slowly begins to fade into the darkness, heaviness, and sadness of the ending.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by actor Jake Gyllenhaal who gives life to all the characters, especially Nick Carraway, whose narrative recounts the Spring and Summer he spent in New York in 1922.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is an artist with his beautiful prose, the evocative story of daring greatly, and the shattering consequences of what might have been an impossible dream. The Great Gatsby is a story and theme that remains as relevant today as it was then. I highly recommend it!

5⭐

Published on April 1, 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald is said to have viewed The Great Gatsby as his best work. Neither a critical nor commercial success in his lifetime, in the decade after his death it surged in popularity. It remains a best-selling novel today and is considered an American Fiction masterpiece.

If I were to write about Gatsby, I would definitely use the word "soft." This is where I differ from Fitzgerald. Our focus is quite different, but it also shows my lack of confidence in society, and consequently, in myself, which makes me lose sight of the word "great."

The first time I read The Great Gatsby, when I was much younger, I couldn't truly empathize with it. I forgot many details, didn't even grasp the main plot, and the much - discussed ending left no impression on me. I only remembered Fitzgerald’s frequent and nagging comments and the dialogues that I couldn't understand, especially the "iceberg" parts I couldn't see at all. So, I gave the novel 3 stars for its realism, 3 stars for the thoughts and writing style in the commentary and scenery descriptions, averaging 3 stars. As for the story, I found it boring.

Unexpectedly, this book became clearer as my life progressed, emerging from the fog. When I saw Leonardo starring in the movie, I was shocked by the immense splendor depicted and understood many things.

First, I underestimated the allure of wealth and glory to the poor; second, I overestimated the ability of individuals to cross class boundaries. I thought Gatsby's tragedy stemmed from avoidable obsession and greed, just his own doing. However, even today's situation in my country makes it clear to me that for those from the lower class to enter the aristocracy, the whole process is inevitably accompanied by self-alienation, cruelty, and indifference. In this sense, discarding past naive fantasies is so easy that one can accept the present's exploitation of the past, transforming from a lowly position to despising one's past self as long as one can decisively discard past fantasies - of course, they would define their past dreams as naive. This is not merely self - inflicted but a conflict under the powerful societal class divide.

Gatsby stands out because, while raising his social status, he also tries to retain his old dreams. When he had nothing, love and wealth were both distant from him. He gained love first, making it the motive for pursuing wealth. These 2 were inseparably combined, and Gatsby regarded love as part of his self - achievement, an absolute loyalty to the past. His half - hidden introduction of his experiences reflects his struggle between the inferiority he feels within the upper class and his pride in himself. Compared to those who shake off the past, his behavior towards Daisy shows hesitation, contrasted sharply with his ruthless handling of business and political affairs, which earned him a bad reputation in high society.

Think about it, Tom, born into nobility, only needs to inherit wealth and engage in sports to maintain his social status and moral reputation. Gatsby, born into poverty, must go through bloody primitive accumulation to join high society. Both commoners and nobles have mixed feelings about Gatsby's achievements: commoners envy his wealth while cursing his ruthlessness; nobles want to use his connections while doubting his unknown origins. Both loathe this moral infamy. This makes Gatsby unable to truly integrate into the noble social circles while alienating himself from his origins. Undoubtedly, this is a scenario every commoner striving to ascend through their efforts will encounter.

Gatsby shows remarkable resilience in this dilemma, straightforwardly advancing in any initial intention. From a young age, he aimed to escape poverty, learning all the necessary business skills and strict self-interest principles, breaking away from an ignorant, mediocre traditional family, climbing all possible social connections to achieve ultimate wealth, colluding with politicians and gangsters, engaging in illegal trade, and more. Any of these endeavors was extremely dangerous, and a single misstep could ruin him. What kept him going? I don't think it's mere greed. Greed alone couldn't drive him to such lengths - it's just a facade of material society's encouragement of wealth accumulation, seen by short-sighted, weak-willed individuals as enough motivation. Although greed played a part, it couldn't match his achievements. His perseverance exceeded greed's limits, and his pursuit transcended wealth's satisfaction, leaving him feeling a sense of lonely emptiness.

Undoubtedly, Daisy had long become a symbol of his pursuit. By setting his goal in the past, wealth accumulation only led him astray. She had entered the noble circle and couldn't leave this stable, perfect social class to follow the precarious Gatsby. Their divergence wasn't just a personal love tragedy but a result of the rigid class barriers, making their life paths impossible to intersect. Gatsby's uncompromising stance against these barriers made him more determined to seize the unreachable. Another symbol was poverty - Gatsby's inherent repulsion led to limitless pursuit of wealth, constantly acquiring, seeking, and flaunting to escape fear, full of guilt over his wealth and sadness for the past. This guilt distinguished him from contented nobles like Tom, making him sensitive to insults, but also one reason Nick considered him "great": old nobles, self-righteous in their morality, were selfish, while new nobles, seeking moral recognition, genuinely embodied tolerance and loyalty.

The decay of old nobility and the rise of new aristocracy is a cyclical societal process. Wealth is an eternal theme in capitalist society, a fact and tendency no scholar can deny. Fitzgerald holds deep sympathy for someone like Gatsby with the "American Dream" - neither envy nor hatred - a literary function. The duality in Gatsby makes him a Promethean tragic figure in capitalist society, possessing noble wisdom, perseverance, tolerance, and compassion, yet punished by fate for his actions. Wisdom and perseverance made Gatsby's tough, ruthless side; tolerance and compassion made his hesitant, self - doubting side. Toughness towards oneself meant cruelty towards others; compassion towards oneself meant hesitation towards others. Gatsby aimed to balance this, constantly extending his reach to avoid becoming a prisoner of any class, opposing all classes, becoming a stranger to societal classes.

Can we understand that an individual's excessive pursuit of self - ability eventually leads to societal rejection? For himself, he seeks social recognition while never being satisfied. For society, it praises wealth and ruthlessly punishes rule - breakers. If one possesses both extraordinary wealth and unyielding persistence, they will feel eternal loneliness and sorrow, ultimately facing destruction under society's indifferent gaze. In this scenario, one's only motivation must come from within, not bestowed. Gatsby sought to grasp Daisy, she abandoned him, but he refused to abandon himself. Inevitably, Gatsby became a sacrificial victim of class conflict, yet his heart approached eternity before death.

I think naming the book "Brave Gatsby" would also be fitting. "Brave Gatsby" and "Soft Gatsby" constitute the "Great Gatsby." From my perspective, I can only highlight one side, as many writers, especially comforting the poor with "chicken soup for the soul," do - either praising his perseverance or his love, all based on his success. The poor get solace from Gatsby; the nobles see him as a topic, a significant clown, and a soothing agent for the poor, always an alienated, flattened character. Fitzgerald, as a novelist, saw Gatsby's fate and the immense conflict between individuals and societal barriers, beyond our reach.

4.8 / 5 stars

I clearly needed a reread of this classic because the first time I didn't quite appreciate its greatness. However, I'm rather pleased to see that my assessment of the whole affair is still right: Jay Gatsby should've dumped that empty-headed little chit Daisy into the bay and rode away into the sunset with a gorgeous woman by his side on his yellow sports car, preferably running over Tom's evil hide in the process.

#YouWillNotChangeMyMind

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know if my appreciation of this should be tempered by the fact I was about three quarters of the way through before I realised I'd read it before (though I think it was many years ago)!

Plot

It is (mostly) set in Long Island in summer of 1922, amongst the young, idle, amoral rich, playing fast and loose with their own lives and indeed, those of others. All very glamorous, self-centred, and shallow, but the possibility of darker things lurking holds interest and tension.

Characters

Even if you like celebrity parties, there are no good, pleasant characters; it may start off glamourising such lives, but things are very different by the end.
“They were careless people... they smashed up things and creations and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness... and let other people clean up the mess they had made."
Tragically, this even applies to children: only one is ever mentioned, she appears briefly, but is then oddly forgotten, perhaps reflecting that she is irrelevant to everyone, and to the story.

Nick, the narrator, is the odd one out in that he actually has to work for a living. Also, perhaps because he nurses a secret is he in love with Gatsby, or merely dazzled by him?


Image: Gatsby glamour and excess, from Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film (Source)

Nick is also the most honest and honourable one (or perhaps the least dishonest and dishonourable, though the fact he explicitly mentions his reputation for honesty (more than once) does bring Lady Macbeth to mind). He reconnects with his cousin, Daisy, who is married to Tom, and dips his toe in their social set. Always the outsider, yet somehow inside, and thus surely culpable for things that happen, at least to some extent.

Daisy is perhaps the most significant character, though more words are written about others. Her name is unlikely to be a coincidence: daisies are robust and wild; they don't need or want hothouse pampering - despite appearances to the contrary.

The host with the most is the mysterious Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish parties for people he barely knows (albeit with an ulterior motive). Like all the main characters, he is a westerner who moved east. Nick (and therefore Fitzgerald) seems to think this is significant, though as a Brit, it is somewhat lost on me.

Artifice

Some people see through the artifice:
“She was appalled by West Egg [the village], this unprecedented 'place' that Broadway had begotten upon a Long Island fishing village - appalled by its raw vigour that chafed under the old euphemisms and by the too obtrusive fate that herded its inhabitants along a short-cut from nothing to nothing.”


Image: Gatsby grime, from Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film (Source)

Relevance today

Americans often have strong feelings about this book because of the way it explores (and, initially at least, admires) The American Dream. However, as a modern Brit, with no emotional attachment to the concept, it still feels relevant.

The message is about the power - and danger - of chasing dreams, without giving thought to the wider ramifications. Extravagance and superficiality lose their lustre after a while. Perhaps the "celebrities" who currently fill the pages of glossy magazines such as Hello and OK should take note: there are many similarities.

Or maybe it's about the overwhelming force of love - its costs and consequences - and the pain that hope bestows. Especially secret, forbidden love.

Can you be true to yourself, or one you love, if you are dishonest in other realms?

Quotes

There are some wonderful descriptions and images:

* One such couple "drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together".
* At times, it is almost Wildean, "I drove... to see two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all" and "I like large parties. they're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy."
* "It was the kind of voice that the ear follows up and down, as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again."
* Chat that "was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire".
* "The last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face... then the glow faded, each light deserting her with a lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk."
* "Her eyebrows had been plucked and then drawn on again at a more rakish angle, but the efforts of nature toward the restoration of the old alignment gave a blurred air to her face."
* "trousers of a nebulous hue"
* "the moon soaked with wet light his tangled clothes upon the floor"
* "Drowsiness closed down upon some vivid scene with an oblivious embrace... these reveries... were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy's wing."
* Regarding a college, "dismayed at its ferocious indifference to the drums of his destiny".
* "his eyes leaking isolated and unpunctual tears"

There were also a couple of startlingly awkward phrases, one on the first page. No one is perfect, but given how much Fitzgerald is lauded for the perfection of his writing, they surprised me:

* "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
* "A sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows and the great doors, endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host, who stood on the porch, his hand up in an informal gesture of farewell."

Also, is "the day... was pouring rain" (not "with rain") common in American English?

See also - similar but different

Six years after this, Fitzgerald published a short story, Babylon Revisited. The characters are from a similar social set, but the child is the centre of the story, and where Gatsby is a tragedy, Babylon might not be. See my review HERE.

Jay Gatsby is the most ambitious, naive cinnamon roll to ever walk the literary earth and I can never get enough of him.

Fitzgerald’s prose is flawless. Every time I read The Great Gatsby, I feel like I’ve been sucked right into a 1920s party (which is sometimes alarming because I look terrible with short hair and omg that’s a lot of people). It’s dreamy, it’s romantic, it’s stunning. And because of it, you don’t even realize you’re reading a book full of toxic, horrible human beings until it punches you in the stomach. Gatsby and Wilson excluded, of course.

I’ve read this book so many times now that I just keep a broom and dustpan at the ready for when it, without fail, shreds my heart into confetti.

Fitzgerald had a lot to say about the American Dream and goddamn did he nail it. Shredders everywhere, man. It’s a masterpiece.


Also, if you like audiobooks, I highly recommend the one read by Frank Muller! He’s the only one I’ll listen to.

i don't care i'm putting this in my "lgbtq-rep" shelf because there is no way in hell Nick is straight. like NO WAY. you can't fight me on this.