Rating: Summary: I Could Weep... Review: This novel, with it's perfect evocation of the American Dream gone hollow, unrequited love, useless wealth and the desperate importance of dreams, is one of the finest books ever written in English. That so many negative, misunderstanding, unsympathetic, even hateful reviews appear here is more than I can grasp.
Rating: Summary: A Crystalline look into the Nature of Man. Review: Many feel that Fitzgerald's best, and in some cases only, quality is his beautifully written prose. While this is indeed one of his amazing features the hope and optimism he touches upon in his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, is even greater. In this case the master author uses a society, his society, steeped in cynicism and hedonism, full of careless people who break things; yet shows us true flawless beauty and hope. To this reader's eyes The Great Gatsby is no tragedy at all, but instead a treatise on the nature of hope. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--" And after experiencing such a wonderous work, this humbled reader also sees his green light.
Rating: Summary: A true American classic. Review: I first read the book when it was assigned my junior year in high school. At that time I was amazed by the absolute simplicity, yet the brilliance, of this novel. Fitzgerald weaves a tale of two worlds into a compelling story. There is much to discover in this book, much to compare. Since high school I have read this novel at least a dozen more times and every time I discover something new about it. I love the symbolism, it is so complex. From the contrast between East Egg to West Egg, to the colors used throughout, even to their names, the symbolism runs deep and true. Readers who do not like this book have not given it a chance. They need to go back and read it again, and pay attention to each and every detail.
Rating: Summary: An overrated author. Review: Fitzgerald did not create a masterpiece with this horrifying wonder of modern literature. In the story his over use of meaningless description and verbosity indicates to the reader that he was trying too hard, and it would be unrealistic to believe that this is a natural voice. As an example of writing style, I would expect it from someone in grade 6, with a dictionary. The sentences are basic and blunt, and interspersed with horrendously redundant words that were probably put there to make the author look smart, since they were more than 5 letters long of course!. If the author was alive, I would suggest he re-write the story without the blatant attempt at Dickens verbosity and write it in an actual voice that is readable and consistent.
Rating: Summary: Shallow Review: First of all I will say that I wanted to give it 3.5 stars, and rounded down instead of up because this book simply does not deserve four stars. Now, I consider myself an intelligent person, a fan of literature and an avid reader. There are many classics that I love, but this is not one of them. When I picked this book up, I wondered how a novel (more of a novella, really) of only 150 pages could possibly be deep enough to be considered a classic by so many. I usually prefer books over 500 pages, but I can go as low as 250-300. But in 150 pages you simply cannot develop complex characters, an interesting plot, and still leave room for some kind of profound message. I prefer literature that has a profound message, as well as beautiful prose and complex human characters. It seems to me that too many of the books considered to be classics have beautiful prose, but nothing else. I admit, the prose in The Great Gatsby is flawless, and that's why I gave it three stars, but the characters are shallow and undeveloped, the plot is simple and uncreative, and there is no profound message whatsoever. I wonder why anyone would want to read a book with beautiful prose but shallow, simple characters, plots, and ideas, when there are so many great books out there that have beautiful prose as well as fascinating characters and profound ideas.
Rating: Summary: THIS IS STILL MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME Review: I love this book. Initially, it can be somewhat hard to follow because of the narration, but Fitzgerald is such a master storyteller that it doesn't matter; you just can't put the book down. I love this story not only for the brilliant pictures that it paints in my head, and the compelling storyline, but the language . . . My god, the language is so beautiful. To the unsure buyer, "If you have ever gone out of your way to impress someone only to have them treat you like dirt, this book is for you." READ THIS BOOK!
Rating: Summary: It's Only My Opinion Review: To me, this book was a little on the dull side. The life of Jay Gatsby was less than fascinating and his obsession with Daisy Buchanan was pathetic. This doesn't mean that the book isn't well-written or that it isn't a "classic"- that's why I give it three stars. Its slow moving plot and lack of action is the reason why I only give it three stars.
Rating: Summary: okay story, very long Review: The book was okay, it had a good plot, but could have been shorter. It was a little bit too political for my taste. It seemed to take a long time forthings to happen. The book is very descriptive when it comes to setting. Every little detail is described, along with thoughts and feelings. I had a hard time keeping my attention focused. There was a lot of confusion as to what was going on with who, and where. Many parts of the book I had to go back and re-read to get a full understanding of it. The plot was decent, aimed more towards romantics than others. At times it seemed like one big soap. Overall if you have to read it, it is readable, if you are interested in life and the times, you'll like it, if your more into action and adventure, you won't find it here, however it's not a total waiste of time to read. The Great Gatsby is a very drematic book, and it holds a lot of truth. Many of the things discussed in it reflect on even todays society.
Rating: Summary: Great Scott's... Review: Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby was absolutely wonderful. The book takes you back to the post-World War I era where you find the narrator, Nick Carraway, a young midwesterner moved to New york to find a home in West Egg working as a stock broker. The book journeys through Nick's experiences in high society at West Egg. When the narrator first arrives to West Egg he meets up with his cousin Daisy Buchannan, and her quite wealthy husband Tom. Shortly after coming to New York he attends the party of Jay Gatstby, a racketeer of the 1920's. He then becomes fast friends with Gatsby, and finds himself everly more intwined in Gatsby's life. Overall the book was very good. I enjoyed the many themes at hand, especially those about high society during the 20's. Such as the idea that Gatsby's own constant reinvention of himself is what inevitably destroys him. A fantasic book for those who enjoy books about people.
Rating: Summary: Hard to follow but good.... Review: While reading this book, I felt that it was very hard to follow. And it wasn't so much the actual story, but the dialect of the characters. But once you overcome that, the story gets very interesting. I suggest reading this book if you like tragic stories. It has an unhappy ending but it makes you keep thinking.
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