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kmg365's review
1.0
Like many people, I was assigned this book in high school. I remember literally nothing about that reading, except that I hated the book. I can’t even remember the name of the teacher who assigned it, so thoroughly have I expunged the experience from my memory. It’s a foregone conclusion that I was too young to appreciate the book at the time. I was probably 13 or 14, and had led a pretty sheltered life.
So I thought it was time to give it another chance. Evidently at 52, I’m still too young to appreciate the novel.
The entire novel, apart from a few brief flashes of action, felt moribund. People sat. People talked. People drank. Occasionally, the people would drive from point A to point B to do more sitting, talking, and drinking. Even the car accident is described after the fact, and thus is presented as a static scene. The same technique is used for the shooting. We couldn’t be so lucky as to witness it-- we had to hear about it later after things had been cleaned up.
I was intrigued by Tom’s white supremacist ravings, but nothing came of them. He strides off muscularly and wealthily into the sunset with his wife, presumably to hone his assholeness to a fine edge.
The only part of the novel I found emotionally engaging was the end, when Nick was trying to convince people to come to Jay’s funeral. I actually did muster up some sadness for Gatsby then (for having the bad luck to fall for a selfish, empty-headed nothing like Daisy), and for Nick, but not really for anyone else. I would have preferred it if the entire novel had been condensed into 50 pages and presented as the backstory to a novel about the rest of Nick’s life back in the Midwest, where people are generally more sensible than the characters in this book.
So I thought it was time to give it another chance. Evidently at 52, I’m still too young to appreciate the novel.
The entire novel, apart from a few brief flashes of action, felt moribund. People sat. People talked. People drank. Occasionally, the people would drive from point A to point B to do more sitting, talking, and drinking. Even the car accident is described after the fact, and thus is presented as a static scene. The same technique is used for the shooting. We couldn’t be so lucky as to witness it-- we had to hear about it later after things had been cleaned up.
I was intrigued by Tom’s white supremacist ravings, but nothing came of them. He strides off muscularly and wealthily into the sunset with his wife, presumably to hone his assholeness to a fine edge.
The only part of the novel I found emotionally engaging was the end, when Nick was trying to convince people to come to Jay’s funeral. I actually did muster up some sadness for Gatsby then (for having the bad luck to fall for a selfish, empty-headed nothing like Daisy), and for Nick, but not really for anyone else. I would have preferred it if the entire novel had been condensed into 50 pages and presented as the backstory to a novel about the rest of Nick’s life back in the Midwest, where people are generally more sensible than the characters in this book.
ameliamorris's review
2.0
I can understand why this considered a classic, but I just didn't enjoy it.
brendisrocks's review
The Great Gatsby? more like the gay and privileged Gatsby. still fun to reread and talk about
bla1ree's review
2.0
did not at all live up to the hype, it felt like nothing happened the whole book???
livyyy's review
4.0
Okay I’m on the fence between 4.5 and 5 stars for this one
This book just screams English class. It’s expertly crafted with plenty of foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and metaphors. This is definitely a book where the curtains aren’t just blue because the curtains are just blue (or in this case green).
It’s just such a well written book. The dialogue was perfect, the descriptions were beautiful, the characters’ actions revealed much more beyond their words.
Also, maybe I’m going crazy but this book is surprisingly funny. It’s full of irony and reads like Nick is a schoolgirl writing in his diary about Gatsby’s smile and the events around him. I loved it.
This book just screams English class. It’s expertly crafted with plenty of foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and metaphors. This is definitely a book where the curtains aren’t just blue because the curtains are just blue (or in this case green).
It’s just such a well written book. The dialogue was perfect, the descriptions were beautiful, the characters’ actions revealed much more beyond their words.
Also, maybe I’m going crazy but this book is surprisingly funny. It’s full of irony and reads like Nick is a schoolgirl writing in his diary about Gatsby’s smile and the events around him. I loved it.
st3phsey's review
3.0
pretty average book i think it’s super overrated but probably one of the better books i had to read for school
hannahlee12's review
3.0
I have read this book a few times and it is just such a classic. I think many people should read this book as it is just so interesting to see how life was back in that time era. Not everyone lived like that but I think it is still cool to think about.