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reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked up The Great Gatsby for the second time in my life and found it a lot more pleasant and beautiful than I remember it was when I read it in high school. Daisy and Gatsby were much more rounded characters than I remember them being and the writing is beautiful in many places.
This story is a tragedy and beautiful because of that. Gatsby is a very good cautionary tale about even when you get everything you want, you can still have an empty life. He had an idea of who he wanted to be both with his riches and with having a relationship with Daisy, but while he managed to get both those things at least fleetingly, it didn't mean anything in the end. Nick ended up being his only true friend and everything else was just a mirage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Car accident
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Racism, Antisemitism
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I like the writing style - there was some really beautiful, poetic phrases, but it was mostly descriptive passages that was relatively easy to read (unlike some classics that I simply cannot get through). I somehow missed this in my high school English classes and I’m glad I made the effort to read it now. Yes, relevant themes on capitalism, consumption and class, yes lots of symbolism. Just honestly wasn’t all that invested, didn’t find myself wanting to pick it up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Car accident, Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Gun violence
Minor: Blood
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Blood, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, War, Classism
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, Car accident
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Racism, Classism
Minor: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, War
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Didn't expect this to feel so plain? Lukewarm? Clearly something was there, but it felt like it was kept away at an arm's length and eventually my arm got tired of reaching. The Roaring 1920's vibes were definitely there, but not as vividly as I had hoped. A world of careless partying and glorious riches, but also one where beating up your wife and being racist is the norm. There was quite a lot of deep stuff between the lines, like how rich people can get away with anything yet money can't buy you love, but the stuff felt very surface-level and I don't quite get why this is such a hyped book.
I didn't really like Gatsby at all, so the ending pleasantly surprised me :') I was also kinda rooting for Nick and Jordan, but then again I didn't really like Nick either and I'm glad Jordan knew her self worth.
As a Finnish person I was pleasantly surprised to hear of Carraway's housemaid being a Finn, but oh, the hypocrisy of these American upper-class people! Being blatantly racist, they speak about the superiority of the white Nordic race which they deem themselves a member of, but the only person from an actual Nordic country, the Finnish housemaid, is repeatedly described as demonic, just a nameless creature muttering incomprehensible nonsense.
As a Finnish person I was pleasantly surprised to hear of Carraway's housemaid being a Finn, but oh, the hypocrisy of these American upper-class people! Being blatantly racist, they speak about the superiority of the white Nordic race which they deem themselves a member of, but the only person from an actual Nordic country, the Finnish housemaid, is repeatedly described as demonic, just a nameless creature muttering incomprehensible nonsense.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Car accident, Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Murder, War
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The writing is just so poetic and holds up to this day and I just freaking love reading this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Car accident
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Antisemitism, War
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this book is overrated. I think it is weird how people romanticize Daisy and Gatsby. I don’t think they should be an example of a good relationship, or that they were intended to be. She never knew who he really was, and left him to die and be blamed for a crime she committed without even giving him a clue. he was in love with an idea of Daisy that never really existed. he was obsessed and creepy. The plot was decently exciting, but it took more than half the book to get there, then ended. I can say that the writing was good. But I think some of the things the book was centered on were not good, like false love, “reinventing” yourself by lying about your past, etc. And I know it was an old book but it was certainly misogynistic. Overall not really a fan but I’m glad I read it and know what people are talking about now. I would recommend to people interested in classics as a sort of you should read it just to know what it is thing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, War
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Alcohol
Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, Classism
Minor: Grief