Rating: 
Summary: The Great Gatsby
Review: The Great Gatsby was a very good book that I'd heard quite a bit about,but I never had the chance to read it for whatever reason. Now that I've read it, I'm glad I did. The book did disappoint me a little; I wanted to know more about Mr. Gatsby. It was explained a little about how he got his money, but I wanted to know exactly how he got it. I guess it really doesn't matter, I was just curious.
I found the beginning of the book a little slow, and I had a hard time staying interested. Once Mr. Gatsby was introduced I couldn't wait to continue reading. I don't really know why; I guess it`s because he's the title character. He brought an excitement to the book that wasn't there before.
I didn't really care for Daisy and Tom. They made me fairly angry, especially Daisy. It's like she doesn't care about anyone but herself, I can't stand that. Tom, on the other hand, is just a bully. He does what he wants to and doesn't care about the consequences or who is effected by his actions. I would have to say my favorite character is Mr. Wilson. I kind of feel sorry for him. His wife doesn't respect him and he loves her anyway. He shouldn't, and he probably wouldn't, love her if he knew everything about her. I like Mr. Wilson because he just does his thing at the station, and he lives his simple life. Meanwhile, his wife is out living like they're millionaires, which they are not.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book quite a bit. It wasn't extremely exciting, but at the same time I couldn't put it down. I guess I just enjoyed the story even though I would have liked it to go more in depth in certain areas. I would definitely recommend it to someone else.
Rating: 
Summary: To be fair....
Review: If I was a high school student forced to read this and have to answer test questions on it, I would not think so highly of this book. However, now thirty and coming to this on my own I found a book that has righfully earned it's place among our few American classics. At first, Fitzgerald's poetic and economic prose takes some time getting used to. I found myself rereading certain passages. It did win me over though, after the first page where the narrator defines personality as "an unbroken series of successfull gestures." He has other witty observations throughout and I was surprised to see how funny the book could be at times.
Symbolism aside the story is a decent, readable one. The premise is a young man starting out in 1920's New York after the end of Worls War I whose next door nieghbor is the self-assured but mysterious Jay Gatsby. This may seem boring to some, but I hesitate to say more at the risk of giving anything away. Trust me, there more to it. At first it meanders, seeming to string a series of almost random but interesting vignettes depicting the jazz age. For those who may want to give up on the book at that point, I say don't. Fitzgerald has been setting the reader up. The other shoe drops halfway through the novel. Also a note on the characters. Even though you may not agree what the characters are doing, at least it invokes a reaction. Which is more than I can say of the "classics" that I was forced to read in high school.
The themes in Gatsby are very poignant. Showing us how fragile dreams and perceptions, both self and outside, can be. And that sincere intentions do not always come from honest sources. Is this the "Great American Novel"? I don't know, I have a few more books to go before I make that assumption. What I can tell you is that I has a pleasant time reading this one and see why many people think so.
Rating:
Summary: Deadly sins? You be the judge!
Review: The Great Gatsby is an interesting novel which brings the "Roaring Twenties" to life. The author of this book certainly knows how to maintain the reader's interest. The main scheme consists of a cast of colorful characters seemingly stuck in what modern day society would call "a mild soap opera type of lifestyle." At least each and every one of these characters that the writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald has come up with; either has already or attempts to commit at least one or more of the seven deadly sins. These sins include pride, envy, greed, anger, lust as the main occurrences, with, sloth and gluttony ranking more at the lower end of the events that take place throughout the book.
The narrator, Nick Carraway, irreverently states his thoughts and opinions about nearly each and every one of the vibrant characters more than once as the story goes on. Should we as reader's value Nick's opinion is something that you will have to find out for yourself. Nick says, "Gatsby turns out alright in the end." I beg to differ with that statement but again, once the reader gets into the story he or she will realize this is a suspenseful plot which leads up to the main idea of who Jay Gatsby really was and what his intentions were as he shared the same social circle as Nick's cousin, Daisy. The "cast" includes the infamous Jay Gatsby, who the book revolves around and his former lover, Daisy Buchannan, who decided to marry Tom, who was richer and readily available while Gatsby was away at war. Also worthy of mention is Tom's mistress, Myrtle Wilson who will eventually share the same fate as Jay Gatsby as the story evolves closer to the end of the tremendous fiction.
The bottom line being that The Great Gatsby is a great catch and a worthwhile read for any of us. We as readers should and could benefit from the literature and historical aspects in which F. Scott Fitzgerald has so terrifically written.
Rating: 
Summary: A timeless classic
Review: While in high school, a number of people prodded me to read The Great Gatsby and I never took their advice. Now that I'm in my freshman year of college, I've started taking a greater interest in reading and decided to finally pick up a copy to read and, I must say, I've been greatly satisfied. The Great Gatsby is an amazing book with a tragic character (Gatsby). F. Scott Fitzgerald has created a masterpiece by building up Gatsby as an incredibly successful man with one tragic flaw...his wealth and ambition is fueled by his love for Daisy. This is truly a great book and one that can definitely be read in just one sitting. I highly recommend you read it, if you haven't done so already.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest American Novel? Perhaps...
Review: If we define the greatest American novel as that which most completely captures the American ideology of a certain place and time in our history, then "The Great Gatsby" might very well be the greatest American novel in existence. However, is "The Great Gatsby" the most enjoyable book I've ever read, or even the best written? No. This falls pretty low on my list of favorites, but I can't deny Fitzgerald's wonderful talent in putting it together. In a way, this novel is the literary equivalent of "Casablanca" for me---I can acknowledge how well made it is, but distanced from the unique set of social circumstances in which it was first experienced, I can't quite understand the effect it seems to have on so many people.
Rating:
Summary: The Great Gatsby or The Great Let Down?
Review: Great American novelists such as Francis Fitzgerald himself are known world wide for their intelligent works. I decided to read his book, The Great Gatsby to find that it was a mistake. I usually enjoy reading challenging books, however, this book was far from challenging. I moaned and whined when it was time to read it, yet I kept reading to see if it got better. Reading The Great Gatsby was a great waste of my time.
This novel has a handful of very complex characters. Many who disguise themselves until the very end. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are mainly a spoiled rich couple who need nothing but money to live. They ruin lives and do not think of the consequences of their actions because of their social status of where they live. Nick who is the narrator and that is hard to see until 40 or so pages into the book is good at contradicting himself. He makes several remarks that he is the most honest man he has ever known yet, he lies about a web of rumors about an engagement to everyone except Jordan Baker. The "great" Gatsby turns out to be a great let down. The readers find out that Gatsby and Daisy had a relationship going until the war calls Gatsby out. Daisy then finds "untrue" love with Tom, this makes Gatsby's life miserable even though he is rich and powerful. His power leads to the unbelievable ending of this book. The book has a basic plot which the world lives on and society thrives on everyday. It puts the status versus happiness cliché into a realistic perspective. The affair between Tom and Myrtle also is realistic in the main events between those two characters also. Even though Myrtle plays a minor role in this book she is the main reason for the ending.
I did not enjoy this book very much, however, people who like to compare social status and power should enjoy this book a great deal. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks money, power and fame is everything.
Rating:
Summary: Illuminating tour de force
Review: Just like the bright, yet bright, green light veering at Gatsby across the water from Daisy's West Egg abode, The Great Gatsby emits an amazingly translucent spark that galvanizes the reader from page 1 until the tumultuous end. F. Scott Fitzgerald has given us a timeless treasure to read and enjoy time and time again. The illusion of grandeur & the disillusion of marriage coupled with the search for love, happiness, The American Dream, as well as the imperceptibly foreboding desire to rekindle the past all make The Great Gatsby an incredibly entertaining, yet highly enigmatic, masterpiece of a novel. No one can deny the greatness of F. Scott Fitzgerald. No author since has had the unique gift of such masterful and captivating use of the English language - combined with unparalleled social insight into his age and time. The excessively lavish and glitzy, yet highly impersonal, fetes of Gatsby, make one feel as if one is in attendance partaking in the debauchery - thanks to the effortless and fluid prose of Fitzgerald. The classic American tragic figure, Gatsby symbolizes all that we want to be, and not be, at the same time. Exemplary masterpiece. "And I like large parties. They're so intimate. At small parties there isn't any privacy." - Jordan Baker
Rating:
Summary: Fitzgerald's best work.
Review: It is my opinion that 'The Great Gatsby' is Fitzgerald's best
work. The novel brings the glitter of the jazz age back full
force. The devil-may-care freewheeling lifestyle carries
the reader along with the young man Jay Gatsby (the main
character of the novel) in his sad search for love and riches.
The story is also narrated in the third person which I really
thought gave the novel more perspective. Also a great
touch was the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg looking down
from the billboard; it is a classical symbol. The book is a
great read.
Rating:
Summary: Perspective makes the difference
Review: The first time I read this book I was a sophomore in highschool and I had no choice about it. I read the book and didn't enjoy it and felt many of the same emotions as the other kid who read it and said it was predictible and annoying. I breezed throught the book, often skimming, and was done, and dissapointed. Fast forward to the present day. I had been thinking about how The Great Gatsby is considered a classic, and how i didnt enjoy it at all. I decicded to read it again, carefully trying to asorb some meaning.
And I found it.
This book is really profound, a great work. The characters all fit together so well, and the story just takes you back to another time. If you are 14-18 years old, and just read this book to read it you wil not enjoy it. I think I just wans't mature enough to appreciate this work before. Don't judge this book by the first time you read it. Take the time to read it again and think about it; you will love it.
A good analogy is how a diamond in the rough just looks like glass on the beach, sanded and hidden in a fog. Only when the diamond has been processed is its value apparent, and only when you take the time to process a book of this magnitude is it's value appreciable.
Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: This book was one of the most adorable books ever. It amazed me that Fitzgerald made so many references to transient yet important moments in life which we usually take for granted in life. It evoked feelings in me that made me think of the emotions behind a first kiss or the ones evoked when watching a couple bloom and fall apart. Simply Amazing.
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