Reviews with content warning for Classism - The Great Gatsby

I will preface my review with the fact I read The Great Gatsby in a classroom setting, with a chapter-per-week pacing, as it was for an English assignment, and very little out of class reading; which I feel should be noted, as the way I interacted with and read the book was slightly different than how I would in a recreational/normal environment.
I liked The Great Gatsby quite a bit, and while I found my feelings for most of the characters to be on a spectrum of apathy to (just barely not) hatred as people, they are interesting characters, and you could find a lot of depth through speculation over them. There are a few lines and descriptions that I found quite revealing regarding the underlying feelings and motivations of some of the characters, especially

Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby (aka James Gatz), and Tom Buchanan

, but that you might normally ignore or look past.
While I did enjoy it, there were some areas that felt slightly dull or dragged out, to the point I felt I had to skip though a bit my first read through, then re-read after finishing the chapter for additional context in the later scenes.
Nick Carroway, the narrator, skips through the summer while telling the story. He keeps the timeline linear, so it could feel a bit off-putting in the moment when he would mention seemingly random events between parties and dinners with acquaintances, but the events do all have actual meaning for being there, biggest reason being to build characterization and foreshadow future reveals or events.

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makiba's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

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lovelikethiswillendintragedy's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

The themesssssss

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dannymonty's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I first read this book when I was 14. I didn't get it. Like no shot. I was just trying to look smart by reading classic novels. I think I get it now though. Fitzgerald writes as impressionists paint. His conjured images are fuzzy, flowing, and full of feelings. Everything is enveloped with a faded glow of melancholy that is wholly immersive and dreamlike. This writing style fits the hedonistic party lifestyle that the novel deals with perfectly while supporting the reflective tone as well. I love the novel's conclusion about how money causes people to be childishly apathetic and put their blinders up to the problems that they cause with their recklessness. If you read this book in class and hated it, I encourage you to give it a second look with fresh, more mature eyes. Maybe you'll still hate it idk.

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