Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Great Gatsby

None of the characters were in any way redeemable, the plot was really boring until chapter 7, and chapters 7-8 were the only reasons this book got a 2 rather than a 1. Characters were also really boring and honestly kinda stupid. Also they were all really racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic. I know it reflects the times, but the fact that none of them were in any way good kinda screwed that up.

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charlotteih's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-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? Yes

4.75

a classic- one definitive of a specific culture during a specific time. it was compelling, critical, and extremely poetic, a very pleasant read if you're like me and like to over-analyze :) read this for school and was glad that i did, because otherwise i probably would have never gotten around to reading my copy.

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paigeinabook's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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kaiden511's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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lizzye33's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

At first, I wanted to read this because I had lost the opportunity to read this with the other students in my school when I moved. I have always looked forward to what is to come, especially in education, looking forward to when I would learn and create what others would ahead of me but in my own way. When we read Romeo and Juliet, though it was painful for all the others, I fell in love with literature far more deeply than I already had begun; especially set in a time when romanticism seemed more tangible than most can perceive in everyday life in the present. Though I had been warned it was not a story for me with some content less than charming, I have been left with a feeling I can only compare to leaving the theater feeling hope as if given to you by the character and the author themselves in their stead with hope for your own story. You walk in bliss and deep thought and see the world a little brighter, not as it is, but as it could be.

Though there were moments it was harder to understand or feel moved in the right ways, a writer has left me with their poet's heart that has moved mine so brilliantly that fireworks try to meet it but fool themselves that they can. I have always had a great appreciation for Fitzgerald, and though this is his first novel, I am certain I will continue enjoying his work. I love when I find a novel that moves so brilliantly with twists you may see coming but still move in a more powerful way that you can predict and even still surprise you. I love that it is told from Nick's perspective about a man written so perfectly that I wanted to meet him in person.

I am happy that I am older. I can overlook some of the content that would have been harder for me when I was younger, the first two chapters involving the characters getting drunk and smoking and other less-than-Christian activities that would have made me close the book never to pick up again, but I would have missed a story, unlike any novel I have yet to read.

It angers me a bit that the reason why students are to read it is to dissect the culture of the time, the perceptions like Tom had, the races, and monetary discipline, to contrast with greed, which, yes in the end, plays a part, but they miss the whole point when they look at it that way. The love story is a side angle to that regard, and I feel saddened for people who only would remember it as such because this story has a very beautiful tragic undertone which can only be enjoyed by the happy few that come about this on their own who wish to enjoy great literature as it should be.

I recommend this book, but only to those who will acknowledge the preface, do not take it too seriously, and can be prepared to see the world differently than they know now and even quite different than anyone might otherwise be prepared for.

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jakeaboi's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

This book is gorgeous, and the writing style is absolutely phenomenal. There is something incredibly enchanting about every paragraph in this book, that carries the mystery and marvel of the emotional story. The twists and turns of this book are brutal, and the characters are believable and at times beyond relatable. However, the ending does leave a lot to be desired for me, as it didn't feel quite as impactful as the rest of the book. The ending also felt weirdly worded and structured as compared to the rest of the book as well. Obviously this does not drag the book down by much, but it does keep it from being absolutely perfect.

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