elbhamlin's review against another edition
4.0
At first, I did not understand the hype of the "great American novel," but I was quickly captivated by such an amazing book. The writing style is different than I am used to, but was easy to follow. I completely fell in love with Gatsby and could not put it down!
shaykeretz's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eli_tries_their_best's review against another edition
2.0
*Deep sigh*
I read this book for my brother, not for me. He loves Fitzgerald and sings the praises of The Great Gatsby whenever he can. I, however... couldn't bring myself to love it, or even like it. There are so many stories out there about self-made men, so many stories about the American Dream. So many of them bring the perspective of those rarely listened to. So many of them incorporate stories of triumph over true hardship.
This book is not one of those. The Great Gatsby describes the lives of the privileged in overly poetic terms, glossing over racism and antisemitism and sexism. To be fair, I couldn't have expected much given the publishing date, but still. I wanted more.
The Plot:
Nick watches from the sidelines as a man named Gatsby throws himself at a woman he's loved for years. That's it. That's the plot. Nick is just A Dude with homoerotic tendencies who is the audience to the soapy drama between Very Rich People who make fortunes out of dust in order to impress each other. If you're into that kind of stuff, read this book. It's good for what it is. If you're not, like me, stay away from it. It, in my opinion, was not worth my time.
The Characters:
I don't even... Look, Gatsby and Daisy and Tom and Jordan are eccentric in not very entertaining ways. The most I got from Gatsby was that he was polite and said "Old Sport" a lot. Nick was fine. He was sweet and plain and reminded me of some of my favorite characters if he were to have been fleshed out more.
The Prose and Pacing:
The writing danced around poetry at times, all told from the perspective of an observer. Still, I found myself skimming. Too many names dropped, too much pointless information slammed into the reader. I didn't like it.
Final Thoughts/Ratings:
2/5 stars
2/5 recommendability (I'd recommend to white men who liked the idea of being self made but wanted to also say they had emotional depth.)
***My next classic will be Picture of Dorian Gray. Hopefully I like it better.***
I read this book for my brother, not for me. He loves Fitzgerald and sings the praises of The Great Gatsby whenever he can. I, however... couldn't bring myself to love it, or even like it. There are so many stories out there about self-made men, so many stories about the American Dream. So many of them bring the perspective of those rarely listened to. So many of them incorporate stories of triumph over true hardship.
This book is not one of those. The Great Gatsby describes the lives of the privileged in overly poetic terms, glossing over racism and antisemitism and sexism. To be fair, I couldn't have expected much given the publishing date, but still. I wanted more.
The Plot:
Nick watches from the sidelines as a man named Gatsby throws himself at a woman he's loved for years. That's it. That's the plot. Nick is just A Dude with homoerotic tendencies who is the audience to the soapy drama between Very Rich People who make fortunes out of dust in order to impress each other. If you're into that kind of stuff, read this book. It's good for what it is. If you're not, like me, stay away from it. It, in my opinion, was not worth my time.
The Characters:
I don't even... Look, Gatsby and Daisy and Tom and Jordan are eccentric in not very entertaining ways. The most I got from Gatsby was that he was polite and said "Old Sport" a lot. Nick was fine. He was sweet and plain and reminded me of some of my favorite characters if he were to have been fleshed out more.
The Prose and Pacing:
The writing danced around poetry at times, all told from the perspective of an observer. Still, I found myself skimming. Too many names dropped, too much pointless information slammed into the reader. I didn't like it.
Final Thoughts/Ratings:
2/5 stars
2/5 recommendability (I'd recommend to white men who liked the idea of being self made but wanted to also say they had emotional depth.)
***My next classic will be Picture of Dorian Gray. Hopefully I like it better.***
mhuberty03's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
books_through_these_eyes's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emilylouisereads's review against another edition
5.0
This is my second time reading The Great Gatsby after studying it at college and I really did love it a whole lot more this time. I was excited to get back into it as part of the 'Let's Get Classical' bookclub's read for June. It was such an amazing read.
Plot:
The story is narrated by Nick Carraway - a bonds man from the Middle West who moved to the West Egg in the 1920's. His cousin, Daisy Buchanan, lives nearby and he discovers the two different societies of the East Egg and the West egg - one being old money and the other being new. There's talk around the town of a man named 'Gatsby' who lives next door to Nick, who hosts lavish parties in his lavish house. Nick meets Gatsby at a party and is instantly intrigued. Their friendship grows from there and Nick learns that all the gossip that follows Gatsby is caused by his never ending mystery. He learns as much as he can about this 'Great Gatsby' that everyone talks about and they eventually become really close friends.
Themes:
This is a story of class but also represents the mystery in society. Despite all of Gatsby's money and success, he is lonely in his home alone and hosts lavish parties to feel 'great' and to feel like less of a loner. The title is quite ironic in that sense as Gatsby isn't really as great as he is made out to be. In the 1920's prohibition was coming to an end and people loved to celebrate and party as much as the wanted. Many men would have affairs and become unfaithful to their wives and Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, did exactly that.
The American Dream is also a big theme that is common in the book but is also used in an ironic way. It seems that when the characters feel some sense of happiness or that they are one step closer to achieving that American Dream, something comes crashing down and ruins it.
Summary
This book really took me back to when I was at college and reading it for the second time brought up many feelings that I didn't experience the first time. The story really comes full circle towards the end and you begin to feel sorry for this big shot character of Jay Gatsby. I got really emotional towards the end as the narrative really hit on some deep notes of loneliness and isolation. I 100% enjoyed reading this book from the get go and I will always recommend this as one of my favourite classics. A noteworthy read.
☆☆☆☆/5
Plot:
The story is narrated by Nick Carraway - a bonds man from the Middle West who moved to the West Egg in the 1920's. His cousin, Daisy Buchanan, lives nearby and he discovers the two different societies of the East Egg and the West egg - one being old money and the other being new. There's talk around the town of a man named 'Gatsby' who lives next door to Nick, who hosts lavish parties in his lavish house. Nick meets Gatsby at a party and is instantly intrigued. Their friendship grows from there and Nick learns that all the gossip that follows Gatsby is caused by his never ending mystery. He learns as much as he can about this 'Great Gatsby' that everyone talks about and they eventually become really close friends.
Themes:
This is a story of class but also represents the mystery in society. Despite all of Gatsby's money and success, he is lonely in his home alone and hosts lavish parties to feel 'great' and to feel like less of a loner. The title is quite ironic in that sense as Gatsby isn't really as great as he is made out to be. In the 1920's prohibition was coming to an end and people loved to celebrate and party as much as the wanted. Many men would have affairs and become unfaithful to their wives and Tom Buchanan, Daisy's husband, did exactly that.
The American Dream is also a big theme that is common in the book but is also used in an ironic way. It seems that when the characters feel some sense of happiness or that they are one step closer to achieving that American Dream, something comes crashing down and ruins it.
Spoiler
For example; Tom's affair with Myrtle - ends in the sudden demise of his mistress, Gatsby's happiness - ends in his death and Nick's friendship with Gatsby - ends with loss.Summary
This book really took me back to when I was at college and reading it for the second time brought up many feelings that I didn't experience the first time. The story really comes full circle towards the end and you begin to feel sorry for this big shot character of Jay Gatsby. I got really emotional towards the end as the narrative really hit on some deep notes of loneliness and isolation. I 100% enjoyed reading this book from the get go and I will always recommend this as one of my favourite classics. A noteworthy read.
☆☆☆☆/5
maja4204's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
cella19's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5