The exemplary novel of the Jazz Age, F. Scott Fitzgeralds’ third book, The Great Gatsby (1925), stands as the supreme achievement of his career. T. S. Eliot read it three times and saw it as the “first step” American fiction had taken since Henry James; H. L. Mencken praised “the charm and beauty of the writing,” as well as Fitzgerald’s sharp social sense; and Thomas Wolfe hailed it as … Fitzgerald’s “best work” thus far. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when, The New York Times remarked, “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s that resonates with the power of myth. A novel of lyrical beauty yet brutal realism, of magic, romance, and mysticism, The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.
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Yes, the rich are different. Also, a society after a devastating World War and then an even more devastating pandemic has a very different attitude.
An intriguing story given the point of view taken.
One of the classics that stands up to time, not the required canon.
This weekend I reread Gatsby for the dozenth time. It never fails to please! I love everything about it — the glamorous setting, the absolutely despicable characters, the beautiful prose… I mean, how could you not love symbolism like this?! “Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruiterer in New York — every Monday these …
One of my all time favorite books, about the materialistic American nature and how one man thought he could buy love. Such a fantastic plot. Thought provoking.
One of my favorites.
a masterpiece. i watched the redford movie first. as i read, i noticed how ingenious a novel it was with hints/comments the reader would use to put the puzzle together. draw a Venn diagram mentally and you will see how little of reality gatsby and daisy share. it takes reading the whole book to put together each character’s viewpoint so that …
Like a lot of people, I don’t read many classics. Classics are books we remember fondly (or maybe not so fondly) from high school — not ones we actually take time to read as adults. Of the more than four hundred novels I’ve read in the past twenty years, only six were drawn from the Modern Library’s celebrated Top 100.
Prompted by my community’s …
One of the greatest of all time
One of the best books of all time. The story starts out slow but then takes off like a rollercoaster ride. The metaphors and messages are phenomenal.
One of the best novels in American literature. Written in the 1920s, but the themes of greed, lost love, social class, and revenge are timeless.
It is a great book, very well written. Today the impact of teh story is not so big, because the world is filled with similar stories, but I imagine that in the 1920’s this book was a great story. But above it all, it is very well written.
This is an exceptional period piece.
Are you kidding? Perhaps the actual Great American novel. Incredibly well-written and not ponderously long. A book that deserves re-reading every few years.
F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the great fiction writers of the early 20th century. The Europeans are traditionally snobbish about American authors, but “Gatsby” is taught in most British high schools as an example of the pursuit of the American dream.
Come on, it’s Fitzgerald, this book got the GI`s through WWII. Read it!
Boring white male narrative.
Slow paced but full of historical detail. Character portrayal is some of the best I’ve ever read. Tonnes better than the films!
I read this because it is a famous book. But it was not really my cup of tea. Characters are all kind of depressing.
I am sure I would have been in love with if I had read it in high school.
Captivating book, so well written with elegant prose and deep characters. It not surprising this is regarded as a classic, you’ll love how the words make the characters so deep and engaging. I will read Gatsby again and again, this is probably the fifth time.
There’s a reason why it is considered a classic.