cleaning out my cr shelf it turns out im NOT in my classics era but fear not i will be soon

—

am i? entering my classics era???

Fitzgerald, you have ruined me.

Fitzgerald can set a scene so perfectly, flawlessly. He paints a world of magic and introduces one of the greatest characters of all time, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is the embodiment of hope, and no one can dissuade him from his dreams. Have you ever had a dream that carried you to heights you could never have dreamed otherwise? When Gatsby is reunited with Daisy Buchanan, he fills the space to the brim with flowers, creating a living dream. How is anyone supposed to compete with that?

The Great Gatsby perfectly makes use of a narrator, Nick. Why is Gatsby so great? Because Nick tells us. If Gatsby told us, we would just think that he is a braggard, the least humble person in the world.

This book is wildly addictive, so intricate yet perfectly woven together, a brilliant literary masterpiece. I have to keep going back to reconnect with Jay Gatsby, a naïve but beautiful and charming hope, perfectly imperfect, a relentless dreamer.

2025 Reading Schedule
JantA Town Like Alice
FebtBirdsong
MartCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
AprtWar and Peace
MaytThe Woman in White
JuntAtonement
JultThe Shadow of the Wind
AugtJude the Obscure
SeptUlysses
OcttVanity Fair
NovtA Fine Balance
DectGerminal

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Mr. Gatsby, come off it. Get a life. She simply isn't worth it, yaar.

I feel like The Great Gatsby is essentially a series of awkward conversations followed by a series of awkward silences in the mansion of an ex lover. Or the next door neighbour.

It rambles on, going off on a tangent for no reason, and all the characters are awful. Daisy is selfish and idiotic. Gatsby is a naive, creepy stalker. Tom is an insufferable, unfaithful, misogynist.

If this is an American classic, I think I'll stick to Jane Austen.

“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him.”

The sixth stop in the World Tour brings me to America in 1922 and to the classic that is ‘The Great Gatsby’, a novel that depicts the iconic hedonism of the ‘Jazz’ era through the characters, the themes, and the historical backdrop in a way so few books have. Authentic, perhaps because it represents a period in the authors own life when Fitzgerald himself indulged in the raucous and flamboyant lifestyle savoured by many who challenged the social norms, enjoyed the economic prosperity, and lived life unapologetically.

Colourful, flashy, decadent, corrupt, and flapper-tastic.

The Plot

It is the summer of 1922, when New York salesman, Nick Carraway, moves to Long Island, New York. A ‘des res’ inhabited by the ‘nouveau’ riche / new rich self-made Americans. His neighbour is the intriguing and decadent Gatsby who throws lavish parties but in his quiet time appears a recluse, often found staring into the lakes bordering his mansion.

Socialising with his distant relation Daisy, Nick is invited into the circle that will open his eyes to the new American Dream, which is when he meets Jordan and Gatsby. Although all is not what it seems, Gatsby’s means of making money comes to the fore as do many other revelations shining a light onto what now appears the imperfect society.

Attending a dinner arranged by Daisy, it soon becomes apparent to the others and to Daisy’s husband Tom that Daisy is having an affair with Gatsby. Creating a sense of bad feeling and anger among the guests, Tom gets into an argument with Gatsby which leads to a sequence of events that is to prove deadly.

Review and Comments

Symbolic and even cynical about the life that evolved around pleasure-seeking when the ‘flawed’ human traits and moral delinquencies within people were to remain as they always were, but somehow disguised under the flapper outfits and dazzling lights.

“A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about.”

At first, the book appears as a lighthearted story of love and romance, glamour and the newfound happiness in wealth and entertainment. However, the underlying poignant message for me was very different and if anything, it pokes fun and ridicule at the ‘fake’ era of glamour, music, and joy, and a less than romantic attachment between the main characters.

A great character study, evocative and important themes, and a wonderful trip into living, what many thought as ‘The American Dream’. However, the American Dream is much more than the book depicted and it certainly isn’t contained within this time period.

Nevertheless, a good era to visit on the World tour, many of which will be in the US at different points in history, and with different groups.

the only thing I got from this is that Nick is gay

2.5

ترتبط هذه الرواية في ذهني بذكريات جميلة ودافئة
فلقد درستها في عامي الأول في الكلية
وكنت أقرؤها بلذة خالصة لن يعرفها من يقوم بقرائتها مترجمة

لا أجد رواية تقوم بتجسيد الحلم الأمريكي كهذه الرواية
وعليك أن تقارن فكرة الحلم الأمريكي في بدايتها بفكرة الحلم الإنساني ككل
هذا الشبق العظيم للوصول إلى القمة
الحصول على كل شيء
النجاح العظيم
والحرية المطلقة

فكرة الحلم الأمريكي ترجع جذورها إلى البدايات
لحظة توقيع إعلان الاستقلال
والذي يجعل الرجال جميعهم متساوين في الحقوق
حيث خلقوا جميعاً من ربّ واحد بحقوق مستحقة
لاحظ هنا أن توماس جيفريسون ذكر
All men are created equal
وإن كانت لفظة men
تعني الإنسان في وقت ما إنما استخدام اللفظة عامة جعلها تحتكر الحرية على الذكور
فمازالت المرأة وقتها تعامل على أنها مواطن من الدرجة الثانية
وربما إلى الآن

يرسم فيتزجيرالد أبطاله بعناية
يدقق في تفاصيلاتهم الخاصة
يأخذك في دواخلهم ويداعب ملامحهم بلغته الماكرة الممتعة

~~**~~
ابتسم بتفهّم
بأكثر من مجرّد تفهم
وكانت واحدة من تلك الابتسامات النادرة التي تحمل صبغة طمأنينة أبدية فيها
والتي قد تأتي عبر أربع أو خمس مرات في الحياة
لقد واجهت
أو بدى أنها واجهت
العالم بأكمله في لحظة
ومن ثم ركزت على روحك بمحاباة لا تقاوم في صالحك
لقد تفهّمتكْ قدر ما تريد أنت أن تكون مفهوماً
آمنت بك بالقدر الذي تريد أنت به الإيمان بذاتك
و طمأنتك بأنها تأخذ نفس الانطباع الذي قد تودّ إعطاءه عن نفسك في أقصى طموحاتك
~~**~~

كانت طريقة الكاتب في الوصف هي الآسرة هُنا
فالقصّة ذاتها إن تجرّدت من سردها القيّم ستبقى عادية جداً
وتافهة لدى البعض
رجل فقير يحاول قدر ما يحاول إثراء ذاته للوصول إلى قلب المرأة التي أحبها
والتي تتصف بانتهازية ووقاحة وأنانية تجعلك تود سحقها احياناً

القصة لن تتفهمها جيداً إلا إذا كنت مهتماً ببدايات الحلم الأمريكي
وبدراسة تلك الفترة من عمر أمريكا القصير
فالرواية تدور في عصر الجاز
وتلقي الضوء على أوقات قريبة من بداية الكساد الكبير
و في وقت كان الإتجار بالخمور ممنوعاً
والذي انتشر فيه بيع وشراء الخمر بنهم كبير في السوق السوداء

تنقل الرواية المشاعر الإنسانية في أوجها
تجدها متجسدة في الحروف تكاد تنطق
بطريقة شديدة الخصوصية وبمهارة أدبية عظيمة

القصة أكثر من مجرد شباب وفتيات يعيشون المتعة واللهو
فهي تصور حيرة جيل مجنون بأكمله
يعاني الاغتراب والملل والجهل
يحاول الوصول إلى فكرة مستحيلة
إلى ثراء ومجد وحرية
حتى يتساقطوا واحداً تلو الآخر من التعب وخيبة الأمل
فكل واحد فيهم أراه قد مات في نهاية الرواية بطريقة أو بأخرى
بحيث لم يبقى ممن قد بقى سوى أشباح لم تعد قادرة حتى على التفاهات اليومية التي يغرقون أنفسهم بها

هناك أكثر من فيلم شاهدته عن الرواية
ولم يعجبني أي منهم
ولكنني أنتظر الفيلم الجديد
وأشعر أنه سيكون مختلفاً
وممتعاً

متعة الرواية تقل كثيراً في الترجمة
فالرواية الأمريكية تحتاج لقراءتها كما كتبت وبنفس الروح
و لقد تمتعت بدراستها ،وحصلت على تقدير جيد جدا سنتها
:D
ولذا تبقى في ذهني مرتبطة ببعض قطرات من سعادة
وبأوقات حلوة لا تُنسى

I didn't like the book. I found it bland and boring. It is a short novel with 9 Chapters and yet nothing much happened until the middle of Chapter 7! Although it was simply written it was hard to follow. Don't understand why it is considered one of the classic novels of the 20th century. I realize I am in the minority with my review. I did like the setting of the "roaring 20's."

Thank god this book is ended. I never felt that much relief after finishing a book. This is a nightmare for me. I mean, what exactly is written in this novel. The Great Gatsby is considered one of the greatest American novels of the 20th century.

Although, to be honest, I don't care about its hype anymore; I pick F. Scott Fitzgerald's work because I thought it would blow my mind. It did, but not in a prominent way.

I am not one of those readers who DNF the book, but I thought at least three times to do that. The book is so monotonous that it suffocates me. The characters are ridiculous, and the narration is all over the place, with loose ends. People have different opinions on this book; for some people, it portrays unconditional love; it was plain dumb for me.

Jay Gatsby and Daisy love each other, but she married Tom because Jay was away for some time and broke. After five years, Gatsby returns with enormous property and wants Daisy in his life. Tom has an extramarital affair; Daisy knows but doesn't care. With the help of Daisy's cousin Nick, Gatsby rekindles his love.

Now there are unnecessary details, out-of-the-line characters who are self-centered and egoistic. Everyone is dying, and no one cares.

This book is only 200 pages long, but it gave me a severe headache. I will never recommend this book to anyone in my life. This book is horrible, annoying, and forces you to smash your head on the wall.

Read more here - https://www.bookschharming.com/

There was one thing I really liked about The Great Gatsby.

It was short.

Jay Gatsby, you poor doomed bastard. You were ahead of your time. If you would have pulled your scam after the invention of reality TV, you would have been a huge star on a show like The Bachelor and a dozen shameless Daisy-types would have thrown themselves at you.

Mass media and modern fame would have embraced the way you tried to push your way into a social circle you didn’t belong to in an effort to fulfill a fool’s dream as your entire existence became a lie and you desperately sought to rewrite history to an ending you wanted. You had a talent for it, Jay, but a modern PR expert would have made you bigger than Kate Gosselin. Your knack for self-promotion and over the top displays of wealth to try and buy respectability would have fit right in these days. I can just about see you on a red carpet with Paris Hilton.

And the ending would have been different. No aftermath for rich folks these days. Lawyers and pay-off money would have quietly settled the matter. No harm, no foul. But then you’d have realized how worthless Daisy really was at some point. I’m sure you couldn’t have dealt with that. So maybe it is better that your story happened in the Jazz Age where you could keep your illusions intact to the bitter end.

The greatest American novel? I don’t know if there is such an animal. But I think you'd have to include this one in the conversation.