A review by ed_moore
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald was such an easy book to get into and also finish, not being too long. It is the story of Jay Gatsby, a bachelor of the upper class in New York City renowned for his lavish parties, and his desperate longing for a brief wartime romance he had with Daisy Buchanan, a girl he spent the last five years of his life making every effort to pursue. It is a story of capitalist critique, hopeless romance and unlikely loneliness, and a perfect literary rendition of the idea of being alone among a crowd, a mental crisis that haunts many inhabitants of the 21st centuries cities. Fitzgerald’s descriptions were sublime and the foreshadowing interwoven frequently throughout the book was a highlight, though this was more glaringly obvious to me as I borrowed Ella’s A-level copy where each occasion of such is highlighted in neon pink! The ending is also largely unexplained, though I was unusually content with this and don’t regard it as any such drawback to the story. I will however criticise the often racist and sexist remarks of the novel, whilst a product of the context at time of writing and often such ideas being voiced through the character of Tom Buchanan, who Fitzgerald presents as full of himself, incorrect and dislikable from the start, there are still occasional racist and sexist remarks inserted within ‘The Great Gatsby’s’ prose and descriptions. It does however make a theme out of capitalist critique, and in the same lens the sexist and patriarchal attitudes of the male characters to objectify and commodify women, therefore is mostly a social critique that falters in just a couple of exclamations. Overall ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a highly enjoyable and commendable text; and Nick and Gatsby were absolutely a missed romantic opportunity.