Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction, Romance
My Review Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Description:
Jay Gatsby is the man who has everything. But one thing will always be out of his reach … Everybody who is anybody is seen at his glittering parties. Day and night his Long Island mansion buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby – young, handsome, fabulously rich – always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, though no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.
I try to participate in book clubs as much as possible, but I needed to quit some becuase of busy schedule at work and mom duties. So I stick to my TBR and one international bookclub (at least I don’t have to join discussions huhu) but I have my bookclub reading tracker in my physical notebook. Yeah old school. So that’s my alibi for not being able to double check (cos I was 100% sure) if The Great Gatsby was one of them. Why the H was I lookign for a copy of the book for weeks huh?
Well apparently, I like wasting time, except I did not. (ok gulo ko) When I read The Great Gatsby, I realized how much I was missing out back when I wasn’t thinkign of reading the book.
The Great Gatsby is set in 1922 in Long Island and is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man who has moved to New York to pursue a career in the bond business. Because of many things from throwing parties at his house, and his friends mentioning the name multiple times, Nick becomes intrigued by his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Nick eventually learns about Gatsby’s obsession with his former lover and Nick’s cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who is now married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby apparently did everything, got everything he has now just to be near Daisy. Isn’t sweet? (and creepy?) And when Gatsby (and Daisy) tried to go back to where they left off, things got more complicated and tragic events happened. #welivefordrama
Before reading The Great Gatsby, I knew the book explores themes around love, wealth and privileges, poverty, whatever they call the “American Dream” (I say it can be discussed for a lot more than each person’s dream, in general).
But after my reading experiences, I learned a lot more. The book talks about love and things you do and cannot do for love. It talks about wealth and how much we crave for it, poverty and how much we try to get out of it. It discusses more than your big dreams, but also how little these things are for other people.
Some readers say The Great Gatsby is kind of boring to read. I agree. It’s a shame that books this rich feels boring to people. It takes effort to really get through it. And here’s a tip: watch the film along the book. You’ll appreciate it better. You’ll be more intrigued than before. Plus who doesn’t like looking (or staring) at Dicaprio’s face, diba?
It’s a short read, go ahead and try it. It will be worth it.
view my vlog the great gatsby!
I am using the CAWPILE rating system, though please remember a reader’s taste may change from time to time, so I’m not sure if you can trust me here unless this was a recent read. Leaving my ratings anyways because this was totally how I felt the time I read this book. *winks*
The week/s I read the Great Catsby and The Great Gatsby I was in a food rush lol and to I brought along me my family so they can also get fat like meself. Check of my food blogs here!
here are other reads if you liked The Great Catsby:
Watch what you wish for… Some inheritances are literally death.
My life has been turned upside down by my inheritance, but my only complaint is the cat that came along with the new house.
I swear he’s judging me as I settle in and try to make new friends in my new small-town Louisiana neighborhood.
And just when I start to settle into my new job and get back to reading my classic novels, I’m pulled chapters deep into a mystery.
The Beauty Queen in the town has been offed. Someone has killed the darling.
Wouldn’t you know it? An innocent man has been framed.
I shouldn’t get involved, but somehow, my cat seems to have a way with finding clues in some of my favorite stories. Not that any of that makes sense.
Why would it?
The cat is the sleuth, I’m the amateur, and we have alligators in the backyard.
Throw in a dead body, a book club that’s filled with suspicious characters, and you have my new life.
And I thought being a librarian in Louisiana was going to be dull. Read my review | Read more on Goodreads
First published in 1922, The Beautiful and the Damned followed Fitzgerald’s impeccable debut, This Side of Paradise, thus securing his place in the tradition of great American novelists. Embellished with the author’s lyrical prose, here is the story of Harvard-educated, aspiring aesthete Anthony Patch and his beautiful wife, Gloria. As they await the inheritance of his grandfather’s fortune, their reckless marriage sways under the influence of alcohol and avarice. A devastating look at the nouveau riche and New York nightlife, as well as the ruinous effects of wild ambition, The Beautiful and the Damned achieved stature as one of Fitzgerald’s most accomplished novels. Its distinction as a classic endures to this day. Pocket Book’s Enriched Classics present the great works of world literature enhanced for the contemporary reader. Special features include critical perspectives, suggestions for further read, and a unique visual essay composed of period photographs that help bring every word to life. Read more on Goodreads