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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Sorry! Never liked this book.
This book deserves its status as an American classic.
beautiful
This is my favorite novel of all time. Tragic, romantic, timeless. It’s a haunting my story told by one of America’s greatest story tellers.
I read this in high school and didn’t care for it. Then read it again for book club I really didn’t like it any better I thought the characters were selfcentered and shallow. Maybe this story of the American dream is no longer relevant
Absolutely overhyped. The ending is rushed and very unsatisfactory, not in a “oh i wanted a fairy tale ending” kind of way but a “wow that came out of nowhere and made little to no sense” way. If you want a story full of character and whimsy with a solum overlay then you can definitely find something, anything, better than The “Great” Gatsby. …
This book is how and where you learn about symbolism. I simply adore it. F Scott Fitzgerald is a master of symbolism and the eyes of Dr T J Eckleburg still haunt me to this very day.
A classic everyone should read.
Great book!
Good insight into the times and characters of the 1920’s.
I KNOW it’s a better book than 3 stars and that scholars would beat me for it, but I dislike Gatsby. Such shallow characters.
A real classic and a must read for everyone !
A book everyone should read. Truly a classic
A fantastic book. A character study of the wish for re-invention. And a mirror to the dark underbelly of the very rich – their sense of entitlement, their sense of being above the rules. Heartbreaking.
A classic must read
As an English teacher in the International Baccalaureate Programme, we teach this book at the junior level. Student love the characters and oddly make connections to them and their excesses. This text is a Fitzgerald classic.
Great American novel – one of the best.
I don’t often read a book cover-to-cover twice, but I’ve read this one three times. I can’t get enough of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writing. While I do not like wordy setting or character descriptions, I read Fitzgerald’s descripts over and over. Why? I have no idea. Maybe because of the symbolism and meanings he swirls into them?
Regardless, this is …
Did not appreciate the characters
The movie and the opera have been so wonderful because of the great writing