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Rating: 
Summary: Equivocal Re-working of "Gatsby"
Review: I'm still trying to make up my mind about this book, but it fascinated me to the point that I'll certainly read it again. The book covers the post -college years of the set depicted in Whit Stillman's movie "Metropolitan," and like that movie it seems to be a deliberate anachronism. My impression is that it consciously attempts to depict a world that doesn't really exist any more--or, in Stillman's words, "not so very long ago." (But what do I really know? I'm from the Left Coast and went to public schools.)The book examines the apparently fascinating Kate and four men who care about her, each in their own way. I say "apparently" because it seems that Ms. Macy intends to make Kate's attraction difficult for outsiders to understand. Her allure is inexplicable to those who--unlike the narrator and his three potential rivals--are not captivated by her. "The Great Gatsby" is the overarching influence here: the rich girl, the upstart, the poor man from a good family, the effete snob--all these could come straight from Gatsby, but to Ms. Macy's credit, she largely succeeds in making these characters her own. As is mentioned by an earlier reviewer, there are some jarring aspects to the book that one thinks a better editor would have weeded out, particularly the dim social view of Catholicism. The narrator is vicious not only in his description of the the working-class lobsterman's daughter, but even the aspiring middle class Harry, and I think this weakens the book. Still, the scene in which Harry "confesses" to George that he was admitted to Dartmouth on brains alone relies on this implicit bias, and is perhaps the more telling because of it. If you liked "Brideshead Revisited," "Metropolitan," "The Secret History," and, of course, "Gatsby," I think you will be intrigued by this book. Finally, if you buy "Fundamentals," be sure to pick up some limes, tonic, and Mount Gay rum. The book's vivid depiction of cocktail parties is sure to leave you craving a drink.
Rating: 
Summary: jaunty? please.
Review: I've read Gatsby. In fact, I've read everything of Fitzgerald's, the letters the short stories. I don't think Ms. Macy necessary has, but she has read Gatsby. Reading this book reminds me of those Star Wars ripoffs that spread out like a virtual diaspora after the initial trilogy was completed, where there seemed a desparate need to continue the legacy of a great story that alas, had come to an end. They were all plagued with these italicized voiceovers, which paraphrased lines from the movies. "The Force is strong within my family. I have it, my father has it. My sister has it." And so on. Macy, sadly, despite her Yale/Columbia lineage seems content to do the same with TFOP. Her use of the word jaunty, along with the word chin, recur with the sad frequency of someone who read the description of Jordan Baker a time too many. And the plot is practically ganked straight from Gatsby. The descriptions of how lousy it is to be poor, educated and a manhattanite are straight out of the soliloquy that Nick delivers as he is contemplating Broadway at dusk. Even worse, the dialogue that comes out of these characters is sad, uninspired, and even if accurate, virtually unreadable. If you want to read a book that does gatsby justice, I suggest picking up The Catcher in the Rye, instead.
Rating:
Summary: stick with the original
Review: This book attempted an ambitious feat - to transport "The Great Gatsby" to the present day, but the author's reach was higher than her grasp. The characters behaved more like thirtysomethings - and yes, I do know people of the same class in real life, and they definitely do not behave like these characters. Anyway, the characters were for the most part, tissue thin, dull, and/or unlikeable, especially the woman for whom we were supposed to believe most of the males had been carrying a torch for since prep school. Yet, other reviewers have raved over this book, and its "fine writing" so maybe it's worth a shot.
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