If you don't succeed at first, try, try again! On rereading this book 'Fitzgerald's crowning achievement - THE novel of the 1920s, and loved by every generation since' it's like my eyes have been opened and a shroud lifted! From the very first page the writing, the atmosphere and that reliable(!) narrator held my attention and kept it rivetted over all nine short chapters. As well as being a blistering critique of the American Dream, it's also about the narrator Nick Carraway's eye's being opened, just like mine were on truly understanding the story of the great Gatsby!

Personally feel that this story will always stand true for America, the way people are so easily thrown under the bus when their tide turns, despite being so 'invested in' and 'hung on to' when in vogue, see Gatsby; how the privileged live their lives and decimate the lives of the less privileged around them with little regard or indeed consequence, i.e. Tom and Daisy; how striving for the American Dream has no real rules and does not really call for a moral compass or integrity, see Gatsby; and how the enlightened, despite understanding this, do little about it, as the American Dream is a integral part of America itself, see Nick. The cherry on top is the writing and the utterly amazing feat of saying so much in so few pages. F. Scott Fitzgerald, I so stand corrected! 9 out of 12!

This book also underlines one of my strongest bookish beliefs, in that if I ever "don't get" a lauded read, I must one day return at another point in my life and reread it again, especially as my expectations are very much then lowered. If you didn't/don't think much of this book, please read it again one day. This book kicks ass!

2005 and 2022 read
Link to my 2005 one star review

Jay Gatsby, is a mysterious young man, who gives extravagant parties on Long Island, New York, outside his palatial mansion , in the warm, lazy, summer nights. That he doesn't know the people he invites, not to mention the numerous gate crashers, might make it a little strange, but this being the roaring 20's, anything goes, rumors abound about Gatsby, bootlegger ? Who cares, as long as the free liquor flows, the great food served, and the beautiful music, continues playing. Finally attending one of his own gatherings, we discover that he's after Daisy, a lost love, she's married, which complicates the delicate situation. Nick, Daisy's cousin, arrives in town and through him, reunites Gatsby with his former girlfriend, she enjoys luxury, which is why Daisy married rich Tom and not poor Jay. A catastrophic car accident kills Tom's girlfriend, yes, he's a creep but a wealthy one, it's vague who's responsible, but her husband thinks he knows. Death in a swimming pool, ends this tragedy and symbolizes the Jazz Age ... Thoughts: Gatsby was a tortured, lonely man, even shy, who tried to become a member of the establishment. He, with all his riches, needed to enter it, to become part of it, to feel alive but could never remove the dirt and his lowly, and embarrassing origins. They (the upper class), used him and laughed at the stranger behind his back, and the illusions about Daisy , a woman who never really existed, except in his distorted mind. The truth shocked Gatsby, the pretend gentleman but he could never let go of the mirage, if he did, there would be nothing left of his soul.

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.

I actually liked this one! Minus you know, the antisemitism and racism…

|| 4.0 stars ||

This was very depressing, but in the most compelling way. You see hints of it sprinkled throughout, but you don’t realise quite how depressing it is until you get further into the story.

There was a constant air of mystery and mystique around Gatsby, but in reality he was just a very lonely and sad man. He tried so very hard to appear sophisticated, to showcase his wealth, to make it seem like he belonged. Yet, it was all show. Nobody ever really accepted him. Nobody really cared for him. He was insignificant to everyone, even to the people who went to his parties; they only cared about the lore surrounding him, not the actual person.
But still, Gatsby kept trying to fit in, to appear important. But he simply wasn’t. And nobody wanted him, no matter how generous and inviting he was. He just wanted to be loved, but he never was. Not even by Daisy, whom he did all of this for. Everyone just used him in one way or another, and Daisy worst of all. He loved her so much, he would have done anything for her, and in the end she just completely abused that in the most careless and brutal way possible.
Honestly, I just think that no one really saw Gatsby as a real person, they just saw him as a “figure”. Someone to gossip about or to use to get whatever they wanted, but not someone to actually befriend. No matter how much Gatsby would have liked to find someone who cared, he never did. And so he just remained alone, forgotten and left behind, showing that all of his efforts had been for nothing. Therefore, his tragic ending was very fitting for him and his life, no matter how sad it made me.

English (The Great Gatsby) / Italiano

«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.”»

The Great Gatsby, the book that most of all I postponed the reading. There was something in the title that didn't excite me, that didn't pass the smell. I was wrong.

The narrator, Nick Carraway, lives in a house across the street of the luxurious villa of Jay Gatsby, the embodiment of the American Dream. Nick is affected by Gatsby straight away,
and starts a friendship with him, helping him to win back the love of an old flame, that is married by now.

The novel is poetic at times, often cynical, with an enjoyable style of writing. The lesson is ruthless: the American Dream is exactly what it is. It is not real, it's only a dream.

Vote: 8

«Nei miei anni più giovani e vulnerabili mio padre mi diede un consiglio che non ho mai smesso di considerare. “Ogni volta che ti sentirai di criticare qualcuno,” mi disse, “ricordati che non tutti a questo mondo hanno avuto i tuoi stessi vantaggi”»

Il Grande Gatsby, il libro che più di tutti non mi decidevo a leggere. C'era qualcosa nel titolo che non mi entusiasmava, non mi ispirava. Avevo torto.

Il narratore Nick Carraway vive in un villino di fronte la sfarzosa dimora di Jay Gatsby, l'incarnazione del sogno americano. Ne subisce fin da subito l'influenza ed intreccia con lui un rapporto di amicizia, durante il quale cercherà di aiutarlo a riconquistare una vecchia fiamma di lui, oramai sposata.

Romanzo a tratti poetico, a tratti cinico, dallo stile più che gradevole. La morale è crudele: il sogno americano è proprio quello che è, solo un sogno.

Voto: 8

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning—
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”

n  ‘i was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.’n

im going to a 1920s themed party tonight and so, naturally (being the bookworm that i am), im gonna do a quick re-read to give me all those gatsby-esque vibes! all the glitzy glamour, flashy fashion, and daring dreams will definitely get me in the mood!

i first read this in 10th grade english class and it will always be a very dear book to me. it was the first classic i read that i felt like i understood. and not only that, it was the first classic that i actually enjoyed, leading me into my love affair with the words of fitzgerald.

i loved (and still do) experiencing the extravagant and luxurious lifestyles, the idea of morality in the 1920s, the scandalous nature of love and betrayal, and how beauty can become corrupted.

such a compelling and tragically wonderful story that will forever remain one of my faves.

↠ 4 stars

This was a bookclub read that I've not read for many many years. It was of course assigned reading in both high school and college. I remember pouring over all the various aspects of this book and picking it a part like disecting a frog.

Now that I'm older....much older. This reading broght a whole new light on this book for me. And I'm sorry to say....I think this book is HIGHLY overrated.

This book was never a sucess (either critically or via sales) when it was released and I think that it actually is far from "The Great American Novel". I think this is a case where years of "reading into" this book has made it seem more than it is.

I HATED the book discussion (and kept silent through most of it) while I listened to a few pretencious people spout verbatium the various things I learned when "studying" the book. Trying to sound knowledgable on what Fitzgerald meant by this or that or the other thing.

The bottom line....Fitzgerald is dead and I've not found credible sources from HIM as to what he meant. So I'm left with analyzing this book with my own intellect and now that I'm old enough "to think for myself" and not concerned about the grade I will receive I find this book "coming up short".

I just don't get the hype on this one. Then again, I guess there's a reason why this book was unpopular and forgotten about for the first 20-30 years after it was first published. Personally, it makes no difference to me that this is supposed to be an "important" literary novel, as I like to make those conclusions for myself rather than going with the masses just because it's the masses. I found this book to be quite boring and rather depressing. Thankfully it was a short one day read. I am willing to read another Fitzgerald in hopes that I'll have a different opinion. By the way, I found the explanation for the artwork on the cover of the book (which I found on the internet) to be much more interesting than the book.

One of the themes of my reading this year is to reread the classic books I read while in school and view them through adult eyes. It is in this light that I read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and rated it 3.5 stars.

Taking place during the roaring twenties in Long Island, New York, the story features the up and coming generation, veterans of the Great War and adherents of the American Dream. Our narrator is Nick Carraway a war veteran who has moved east to seek his future in the stocks and bonds market. Although young, he appears out of place amongst the frivolity taking place around him. It is in this light that the story occurs.

Most people most likely know about the story of Tom and Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby aka James Gatz. All have come to New York to seek the American Dream in one way or another. Usually I am drawn to rags to riches stories like Gatsby's, but I am going to focus on the two elements of the book that had me rate the book lower than other classics.

The first element I did not like was the love affairs that took place throughout the book. Tom and Daisy appear happily married on the surface. At first meeting, they invite Nick to their home in an attempt to set him up with professional golfer Jordan Baker. They have an apparent warm home and beautiful daughter, and, yet, neither is happy. Rather than get on with their lives, each would rather be gallivanting around with others and face the consequences later. This was a major sticking point for me because personally part of the American Dream is bettering oneself to leave a better life for future generations, yet the Buchanans chose to be products of the frivolous decade they lived in.

Fitzgerald paints a picture of life in the twenties that has endured; however, it was a turnoff to me.
The other element that I did not care for was the disjointed story telling. We do not find out completely about Gatsby and his background until near the end of the novel. Usually, the uncertainty makes me want to read pages quickly to find out the twist, but in this particular case, I would have liked to have known sooner, allowing the rest of the plot to shape itself out. Looking back, I believe the disjointed plot parallels the disjointed ways of the Buchanans and Gatsby's lives; I tend to prefer a more straight forward story.

What does make Gatsby a classic for me, and I can see why this book is read in schools because it leads to discussion, is the imagery, especially the green light at the end of the dock, which could symbolize many things. For me, this green light is the American Dream, the seeking of a better life, which is what Gatsby, the Buchanans, and Nick Carraway were striving for in some way during the novel. I can now say that I read The Great Gatsby for the first time in twenty years; yet, the story isn't as timeless for me as other classics I have read.

The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald is a classic—one of my favourite. I listened to it as an Audible release narrated by the entire cast of professional readers by the book and watched a movie.
Why did I like it? First, we can see people who are the exact product of their society. Also, how ignorant and arrogant can guests that enjoy and overstay their welcome. What to unrealistic expectations can lead? Where is there true love between Mr Gatsby and Daisy? Who is Daisy? The only person who got the invitation was the only one who carried it. After all, the main character could not correctly process the wholeness of the complexity of what has happened while partying in the inner circles of High Manhattan society. We know that he suffered from alcoholism and psychiatric disorder in the end. And this is how this book starts.