Rating: 
Summary: One-dimensional man
Review: With a singular obsession, Jay Gatsby manoeuvers every dollar of his vast fortune to cradle a woman he thinks he loves. Throwing elaborate parties with a guest list that includes anyone who wants to show up, Gatsby builds a mansion just across the way from Daisy, the object of his obsession.Circumstance thwarts all of his goals, the futility of his quest never completely realized. Gatsby is as tragic a character as the inevitability of his failure. Gatsby, "pa[ys] a high price for living too long with a single dream." The story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a somewhat solemn and restrained fellow who never really expresses what he wants to say. His virtue, however, is his silence and profound honesty. He says so himself: "Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." The Great Gatsby is a stunning tale of remarkable poise and literary quality. Fitzgerald is the epitome of the highschool English teachers dream--he appreciates the English language, and takes the standard approach to literature very seriously. The book is a tour de force of depth and contrast, and an exploration of the King's English. The author has taken pains to diversify his word choice, and the texture and depth of his language. Here's a passage that demonstrates Fitzgerald's quality as a writer: "There was a faint, barely perceptible movement of the water as the fresh flow from one end urged its way toward teh drain at the other. With little ripples that were hardly the shadows of waves, the laden mattress moved irregularly down the pool. A small gust of wind that scarcely corrugated teh surface was enough to disturb its accidental course with its accidental burden. The touch of a cluster of leaves revolved it slowly, tracing, like the leg of transit, a thin red circle in the water." Yikes. Enough to give you goosebumps, isn't it? Highly recommended, and worth the praise.
Rating: 
Summary: Sensational
Review: With "The Great Gatsby", F. Scott Fitzgerald takes us into the life of Nick Carraway, who - at the height of 1920's glitz and excess - has just moved to the East Coast with the hopes of getting in bonds sales. Detached but forever present and trusted by the characters, Nick tells the story of Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic neighbour who throws lavish parties, and Daisy, with whom Gatsby is infatuated. As the story evolves, we are slowly given insight into an odd love triangle, the penalties of excess, and who Jay Gatsby really is. The Great Gatsby is a smooth read which maintains its capacity to be called a classic throughout the ages, despite having been written 80 years ago. The themes it investigates (infidelity, greed, class struggles, etc.) are as timeless as Fitzgerald's wonderful prose, and the carefully interwoven and surprising storyline makes for an exceptionally entertaining read as well. Although I would struggle to call this a "love story", as some have, I would certainly concede that it is a story about love. More than just a love story, though, it deals with the ramifications of infidelity, the consequences of infatuation, and the effect wealth and security has on it. Fitzgerald's statement can be found in simply considering where everyone is at the end, and what they have done to be there. Is that justice? A welcome read for everyone. True classic. Matty J
Rating:
Summary: This is how the big boys write.
Review: As Hunter Thompson said about this book, read it and see "how the big boys write." Fitzgerald had a tragic sense of the world that is always there behind the money and bright surfaces of his characters. His ability to convey this melancholy is nearly supernatural. What more can be said about this book? This is the writing of one of the greatest writers that ever lived. His talent was so great, not even his self-destructive nature could dim the light. His Jay Gatsby is still so classically American, and this novel is one for the space capsule.
Rating:
Summary: The Great Fitzgerald!
Review: This novel is useful to those teenagers who wish to seek the American dream of becoming successful and make a great deal of money. Reading The Great Gatsby gave me a look into what the High Society of the early 1920's was like. To many, this era was not really that important because World War 1 had ended years before and the world was just trying to get back on its feet. I thought this time to be dark and mysterious.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrayal of a young businessman from the Mid- West, living in one of the many posh neighborhoods along the coast of Long Island, was brilliant. The main character, Nick Carraway, who is also the narrator, brings a sarcastic, yet genuine truth to the secret life of the rich and powerful. After waiting for a while, Nick finally meets the man named Gatsby. Despite all the rumors about the way he acquired his money and all the illegal actions that he might have taken part in, they become very good friends. The storyline continues and blossoms into a few love triangles, adultery, and murder. Reading this book will be an advantage to those students in high school who wish to do well and succeed in life.
Some say that this Fitzgerald's novels should not be required reading for high school students. However, I believe that reading them can be life altering. The Great Gatsby allows you to take a glimpse into the lives of the rich and powerful. Within the walls of this aristocratic society there is great despair as well as great success. Fitzgerald is trying to send the message to those young enough to realize that money and power are not everything. Also, when power is obtained, work hard to keep it and do not let other things distract you. This novel is exceptional and should definitely be used in the classroom.
Rating:
Summary: a real masterpeice
Review: i have read this book about a month ago, and it simply follows me around since, i find myself thinking of both charecters and plot but most of all the unique way in which scott fitzgerald see and describe the world. the man's simply a words wisard, with simple methapors and discription he spreads befor my eyes a complete world of glamore and coraption. i just love the way he melt down imagery with actuall descriptions to make the views and people in his books apear as a monsturose vertions of themself. and twist the scenery in his book into somthing that's both extreamly realistic but also fantastic. sort of like seeing things through glasses of a dream. it's a wonderfull book and i have enjoied it deeply.
Rating:
Summary: Really good..............
Review: I know most of us have read this book in school but I would suggest it's worth a second look. It really is very good. If you take the time to look beyond the surface into the symbolism you will be happily surprised at the new dimensions that open up! It's a fantastic testament and example of the roaring 20s.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I was hoping
Review: I decided to read The Great Gatsby knowing what a classic it's considered to be, but I have to say I didn't personally think it was great. I'll tell the basic plot to the story and then elaborate on my feelings. The story is told by Nick Carraway, a man living on Long Island next to the very wealthy Jay Gatsby. On first sight it appears Jay Gatsby has a wonderful live with his wealth and the extravagant parties he throws every week, but he's missing something. He's missing Daisy Buchanan's love. Daisy Buchanan is a woman he knew 5 years ago and fell in love with, but circumstances kept them apart. Coincidentally, Nick Carraway happens to be the 2nd cousin of Daisy whom lives only across a lake(which Gatsby knows). So, Gatsby befriends Carraway in an attempt to get back the love he lost. In retrospect, Carraway, as the narrator, relates the events of the period of his life in which he knew Gatsby and what happened. Reading this book, I just found trouble getting really into it. The characters are described well enough and a pretty clear picture of them is painted of them(except maybe for Gatsby who is always surrounded by some mystery) and the writing was pretty good(the book isn't bogged down with very sophisticated language or anything like that), but for about the first half of the book I just found things to be kind of boring. The 2nd half gets a little more interesting when things start to pick up between Daisy and Jay. Also, there's an interesting cast of characters which seem very real and make the book more interesting. Overall, I'd say that I would recommend reading this book since it is considered to be a classic and I know that others which read The Great Gatsby would probably have completely different opinions about the book and think it's great. Also, it's only about 197 pages, so it's really not too long. It's a book that I wouldn't be surprised that if I read again, like in a few years, perhaps maybe I'd have a different view of things. I do sort of get the feeling that maybe this is a book I'd appreciate a little more after another reading.
Rating:
Summary: Review of The Great Gatsby
Review: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a well written novel that portrays life in the 1920s in America. It reveals many of the dishonest motivators present in that time period and also present in today's society. Some of these motivators are lust, greed, money, and love. Fitzgerald causes the readed to reflect on how ethical these influencers are. This is a very worth while book to read. It caused me to question what motivates me in my own life. I would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A Litlle Less Than Great
Review: The Great Gatsby is one of the top classic novels of all time. It is fairly familiar to most people and instantly recognizable when its title is said. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, was very detailed in his writings and used a lot of imagery and emotion in this novel. It takes place in the early 1920's in the heart of New York. Near Long Island, Nick Carraway (the main character) rents a house here and lives for the summer of 1922. In his time of living here, he has heard about the wealthiest, most popular, and most luxurious man in all of Long Island, Jay Gatsby. This man is known for his lavish parties, extreme amount of money, and a bad past. Come to find out, these two are connected in some way from their past, and will be reunited through different meetings. Jay turns out to be Nick's next-door neighbor, and through a series of events, both bond strongly. This all sounds like a good plot, and a good read for anyone, including high school students (like myself) on up. This however is not necessarily the case. Although I am in an AP English class that is more of a college level class, I found this book to be hard at times to get through. There is too much that goes on that strays away from the main plot and main point of the story. I just simply found this book to be boring. It is not a book that young adults should read. It is very drawn out, long, and detailed. It uses very sophisticated language and is written with very much detail. The only reason I found this book difficult to read was possibly because I had to keep myself from nodding off. Respectfully, yes it is a classic and should be read, but maybe for college students or adults instead of teenagers.
Rating:
Summary: shouldnt be read in high school.
Review: I apologize for many of the close-minded high school students who decided to vent the fact that they hate everything they read in school on this website. I am sorry to say that I am a high school student, who had the pleasure to read this book last year. It is truely amazing how one book can get a kid my age so engulfed in the concept of reading. Everything about this book is wonderful to me. The symbolism throughout the whole book just adds to the tragic story of Jay Gatsby and his inability to let go of a past life that has haunted him for years. In short, this book deconstructs the basic American dream and reveals it as a desperate attempt to cling to memories of a love that is, and always had been out of Gatsby's league. The superficiality of his new social status is made extremely lucid by symbolism as simple of Gatsby's pool. The pool had never been used by gatsby himself, it just sat in it's place to be used for nothing other than show, much like Gatbsy himself. The money he acquired(through illegal ventures) had never been about himself, but only about the hope that somehow he could prove to Daisy that he had become an upscale man. The hope that somehow the past would could be not forgotten, but re-lived ultimately led to Gatbsy's destruction, as he failed to realize his own desperate and hopeless quest for wealth soon enough to save his soul. The way Gatsby is depicted paints two portraits of one man, a man who has everything; a fabulous mansion, money, cars and all of the other worldly possessions one can hope for, and the other; a man who has everything but what he desires most, the love he would give everything up for. In the end, Daisy and friends are revealed as nothing more than snobbish drunks, and Gatsby remains the shattered man who always strived to do better for the ones he cared about, the ones he loved. How any person who reads this book and does not appreciate it for the wonderful story it tells is beyond me. Kids these days seem to automatically hate any book they are forced to read in a school environment, and it is a shame. Perhaps if high schoolers could look past their own superficialities and accept a book for what it is, than many would be better off.
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