Rating: 
Summary: This is America
Review: Even a jealous Ernest Hemingway had to concede that "The Great Gatsby" is a gem. Re-reading this book nearly 100 years after it was written, I realize that no one else has better captured the essence of 20th Century America, nor described it as eloquently. Not a single word is wasted in this work. The last lines are an amazing summation of not just this novel, but of human existence (they are engraved on Fitzgerald's tombstone). "Huckleberry Finn" and "The Invisible Man" are the only books about America that are even in the same league as "Gatsby," but they are not as brilliantly conceived and executed.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring, Boring, Boring
Review: I hated this book with a passion. I am a sophmore in high school and was made to read this book for class and I despised every minute of it. Maybe it's a book for an older crowd, I don't know, but it was a complete waste of my time. The love story was predictable and the characters were obnoxious. I like books when I can fall in love with at least one character. That was not the case with this book. My advice- don't waste your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Ugh, Gatsby anything but Great
Review: As a much praised literary work of art, I must say, this book leaves much to be desired. While it does depict a historically accurate and believable account of the 1920s, not one of the characters seems to be anything more that a superficial comsumer or partygoer. Through the entire novel, Nick Carraway, our straighfoward, if not boring, narrator is a shadow of a real man, showing no courage or brain for himself. In the end, just when he could stand up and change the entire point of view for the characters, he chooses to stay comfortable in his little corner of his unimpressionable life. Unless you are being forced to read this for a class, or are drawn to incredibly dull and lifeless books, I would advise you to skip this and do something like wash your hair or watch paint dry, instead.
Rating:
Summary: The Best book of the Twentieth Century
Review: The search for the mythical "Great American Novel" still continues only because the idea of such a thing is so abstract and open to interprutation that it cannot be given a clear definition; but Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" has come as close to defining that ideal thus far. In every way it has come to embody American culture and the loss of our innocence in the latter half of the twentieth century. Aside from it's symbolic nature, "Gatsby" has stood the test of time as one of the most perfectly written and costructed novels. The amount of similar praise written about this book as accumulated over the years to such a level that anything else I could say about this literary gem would be old hat. The Modern Library hailed Joyce's "Ulysses" as the greatest novel of the century, leaving "Gatsby" in second place. I must strongly disagree, the tables should be turned. If someone were to say to me that he could only read one book in his life and for me to reccomend him a title, I'd say: "The Great Gatsby, my friend. It is surely the best novel written, even to this day."
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational
Review: The Great Gatsby has been one of the most inspirational books to me. I have actually found it easier to find things fascinating after reading it. This is a great American novel about the "American Dream" and is one of the most real and thought provoking readings I've ever done. It ranges from romance to even some action that keeps you turning the page. This book is already considered a classic and though it may be slow moving in the beginning, you'll appreciate it once you get through the book and understand that the points that the author has made definitely provokes your mind to think about things in real life. To say the least, this book was inspirational to me and I see it more than a good read. It creates a fascination that not many authors can create. If you're looking for an inspiring book about the American Dream... look no further than "The Great Gatsby."
Rating:
Summary: Fitzgeralds great "The Great Gatsby"
Review: Written in the 1920's, F. Scott Fitzgerald's 240 page novel, "The Great Gatsby," tells of a love story gone wrong caused by the desire for material objects. The story describes Mr. Gatsby's life as he tries to regain his past love, Daisy, who left him because he was not wealthy enough. She, as well as many of the characters in the book, was only concerned with wealth, so she married another man for his riches. Mr. Gatsby tries to do everything to regain her love. He spends his whole life becoming wealthy so that he may sweep her off of her feet and get the past back. Mr. Gatsby is a foolish man trying to repeat the past, who does not realize how superficial and shallow Daisy is. He is only concerned with her beauty. The storyline of this book is shaped similar to a believable soap opera because of all the lying and cheating that is going on between many of the characters. This book is full if symbolism, which cleverly reveals many different aspects of the story and characters. Several of the examples of symbolism are so subtle that they require a second or third reading to even notice them. This great love tragedy is smoothly written with a storyline that leaves you desiring to read further. This story is thought provoking and simply amazing. This is a brilliant novel and I recommend it to everyone. "The Great Gatsby" is a timeless classic written by an incredible writer.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST Read
Review: I just finished reading this book for my AP English class (I'm a junior in high school) and I absolutely fell in love with it and Fitzgerald. This book is so well written and so masterful that I found myself sitting up late at night just to finish the chapter--and going into the next chapters as well. I am now a lifetime fan of Fitzgerald. In The Great Gatsby, one sees a different side of the wealthy class of 1920's New York, and embarks on a bittersweet journey with Gatsby to regain the inobtainable past. This book is what partly inspired me and a few of my friends to start a school wide book club---I don't think I'll have any trouble getting them to choose another Fitzgerald book as our first read: we all loved it.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderfully Scripted Read
Review: I absolutely loved the Great Gatsby. This may be due in part to the fact that the 20's is my favorite time period, but I think its mainly because I love the way Fitzgerald writes. His work is full of gems and wonderfully sad quotes. He successfully reflects the essence of the 'Lost Generation' more than any other author I have read, that 'party-hard' attitude punctuated by melancholy. His characters are rich and successful, but unable to escape the weight of their pasts. They subsist on the American Dream gone wrong, finding happiness only in their fantasy versions of others. The main character, Jay Gatsby, lives for the hope of a relationship with his lost love, Daisy Buchanan, but he finds out that the real person can never live up to the ideal he has set for her. In essence, this novel conveys the melancholy and loss of missed opportunities. Gatsby is unable to accept that he cannot live his life with Daisy the way he once envisioned, so he retreats to a fantasy in which he convinces himself that if he just tries hard enough, he can win Daisy back and make everything right again. But he can't. He is living in a dream world, and when it is shattered, he is unable to really come back to reality again. Basically, the whole book can be summed up by Fitzgerald touching last line, "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Rating:
Summary: Fitzgerald at his best
Review: The first time I read "The Great Gatsby," I found it superficial and trite. It took a much more careful read to realize what a masterpiece this book is. Fitgerald uses the quick and flowing style of writing born in the Jazz Age, making this an easy read as well as a very satisfying one. I'm tempted to say that the basic storyline of Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, who pursues his fickle sweetheart to a tragic end, is outweighed by the synesthetic descriptions and intimate character studies. Fitzgerald has a skill for highlighting the dark, tragic moments in the book by contrasting them with beautiful and carefree lifestyle of its characters. This can make the book seem too light and at times arrogant; however, look deeper at the dialogue and actions of the character to find the disquieting sense of melancholy that make this book so sadly lovely.
Rating:
Summary: A Drama of America
Review: You'll get your fill of fatcats and flappers in this period piece.
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