Rating: 
Summary: Good Book
Review: The Great Gatsby is a complex novel to fully understand. While many view it as a wonderful novel of romance, it is actually a tale of a man, Gatsby, who is wealthy and has every thing he desires except for the love of one person, Daisey. Daisey, however is portrayed as such a shallow minded person. Gatsby trusts her, and she takes his heart only to butcher it. Tom is an arrogant pompous man who is just as careless as Daisey, his wife. The story ends in such a tragic way, eventhough the event is foreshadowed throughout the entire book.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid.
Review: I'm really not sure what the definition of an "American Classic" is, but I know good literature when I read it, and Gatsby is just that. It's not the most action-packed, event-filled book ever written, but it's an incredible study of human behavior and chocked to the brim with excellent mood, symbolism, and atmosphere. It's the type of book a person can really sink their teeth into. The plot and meaning isn't just laid out for you, but nor does it take a rocket scientist to find. Fitzgerald writes in an excellent style that is both intelligent and enjoyable, an oft rare combination that few authors have truly mastered.
Rating:
Summary: Gatsby Transcends Time or Culture
Review: It is superficial to dismiss the Great Gatsby as a 'period piece', a perfect description of the roaring twenties - but holding little value to the modern reader. Yet, the Great Gatsby is harbor to themes and concepts that transcend its setting, and still can be meaningful to a reader today. The Great Gatsby analyzes the destructive impacts of society and wealth on people - certainly, society today has not changed so much that is no longer damages the psyches of people would get dragged beneath its current. And today, we must still be believe in the potential for life and dreams - like Gatsby, a poor boy turned rich because he believed in the orgastic future.
Rating:
Summary: Not too impressive
Review: For a great American classic, The Great Gatsby isn't too impressive. While perfect reading for an english class, this book just doesn't have too much going for it for most contemporary readers. Fitzgerald stuffed as much symbolism as possible into such a short book, and gave us a pretty good picture of "the roaring twenties," but it was overall pretty boring and pointless. I think that this, like The Catcher in the Rye, is one of those books where either you love it or you hate it.The ending to Gatsby was amazing, and really worked to fit the whole thing together, but for me the book itself was just a dreadful waste of time to read. I'd recommend skipping this one.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: The Great Gatsby was a really good book. I thought the best part of the book though, wasn't the plot, even though that was interesting. I thought the best part of the book was the feel, the atmosphere. You could almost imagine the parties. This book seemed to sum up every thing great about the 20's and put an interesting plot with it. I loved what Daisy said about big parties being more personal than small ones. I thought it was really interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Required Reading
Review: If one is asking oneself why they should read this book, I think I can help explain why. Fitzgerald has created a novel that is indicative of what happened to the "American Dream" during the 1920's (1922 to be exact). The main character, Jay Gatsby, is a millionaire who acquired his wealth by corrupt means. This wealth allows Gatsby to exhibit a fake exterior - namely a glittering one. Beneath this surface, however, lies a man who is broken. Why? Because in order to obtain his dream, he needs to get back together with Daisy. Why Daisy? Because she physically represents everything that Gatsby wants to become - she gave herself to him five years before the novel takes place. He cares not for his wealth, for he does not participate in his parties. He only cares for his dream... the dream of being able to make oneself into "somebody," when given nothing at birth. The narrator, Nick, notices this and that is why Nick holds him in esteem: hence the name "The Great Gatsby." The rest of the characters are torn and broken - they have given up on the dream. The highlight of the book is Fitzgerald's ability to create a broken world, but disguise it so well with money that only little pieces (ashes) are ostensible to the reader and the characters. I urge everyone to read this masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: The Great Gatsby
Review: This book is a waste of time. My suggestion is to find a site that has the cliff notes and read that instead! What a waste of time! :) If you're a person that is in American Studies at Shorewood High School.... we feel ya. :(
Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorite books!
Review: As a teacher of American literature, I have read many of the American classics, and since to teach is to learn something twice, I've had to read them often and closely. Without a doubt, The Great Gatsby is my favorite American novel to teach. Fitzgerald's prose verges on the poetic. The thematic and symbolic issues in the book heighten the reader's enjoyment of the story, but even the basic story is enough. I simply love this book. I couldn't put it down when I first read it. It is a flawless comment on the Jazz Age and the death of the American Dream.
Rating:
Summary: This is literature's glorious pinnacle...
Review: ...of course, that's just my opinion, and I obviously haven't read everything that's been written (or even a minute fraction of it!). However, I've never come across anything that so captured the profound wonder and sadness of the human condition. There are passages in The Great Gatsby which took my breath away, passages so perfect I couldn't believe that someone was capable of writing them. Hunter S. Thompson once said something to the effect that he couldn't imagine one word being added or taken away from this novel. Surely that's one of the highest compliments one writer could give another (it also gave me a newfound respect for Hunter S. Thompson, but that's beside the point...). Like most of Fitzgerald's work, The Great Gatsby holds up well as a period piece on young America in the Jazz Age. More importantly, it is a timeless metaphor of mythical proportion. The green light on Daisy's dock is the longing that drives us all; our dreams dissolve in the moment of fulfillment, leaving us with the bittersweet realization that it was only the dreams themselves that gave our lives beauty and meaning.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Period Book
Review: Fitzgerald proves why he is one of the biggest names of the Roaring '20's. He perfectly captures the elegance and hedonism of the period between World War I and the Great Depression. While it is my belief that his characters are not especially memorable, the situations are immortal. This would make an excellent resource for anyone wishing to get a better grip on the 1920's.
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