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wildelwrcase's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
I really enjoyed the setting and the character dynamics. Nick absorbs absurd conversations like a sponge and it can be quite hilarious to hear him explain ridiculous situations completely seriously. I think Daisy is so interesting and I'm a little disappointed we didn't get more of her. The prose is generally metaphorical and interesting, yet pretty accessible which I enjoyed a lot. Though there are a lot of cultural subtleties hidden in it that are understood far better when you have a better understanding of the 1920s as a whole.
I honestly didn't love the last few chapters. I think thematically it's extremely interesting how they almost mirror their own characters. Grandiose images and buildups that mostly fall flat do to how hollow they truly were. But I think it could have been done better. The book sticks so strongly to Nick as a narrator, which is not inherently a bad thing, but I feel like stretching him more could have made a more interesting climax.
Overall a very enjoyable read, there is a lot of extremely interesting imagery and metaphor throughout this book, and I'm pretty sure that is why it's held the test of time so long. Desire, wealth, and decent into madness are always going to be topics we want to dig our teeth into.
Moderate: Antisemitism and Alcohol
Minor: Racism and Car accident
bookiemadi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Car accident
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, and Antisemitism
meganpbennett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism
iinasomnia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Antisemitism
_caeruleum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Car accident
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, and Antisemitism
Minor: Racism
eagleshouse's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
I have heard nothing but praise for this book, and having no information except for this, I was excited to finally give it a go. However, whilst the prose is decent, the storyline and characters leaves much to be desired.
I found it difficult to empathise with any characters except the protagonist, Nick Carraway. They weren't even a type of character where it is fun to dislike them; they just seemed boring and uninteresting, even Gatsby himself.
The story as well left much to be desired. Oftentimes I felt as though there was no story at all, but rather that the book was just a collection of regular days for the boring elite of the American 1920s. It wasn't until the very last chapter where I felt as though there was a story worthy of being considered a classic - I could've very easily skipped all the way to the penultimate chapter and still experienced the storyline. However, even during these final chapters did I struggle. It might be due to the fact that I have not read a dated novel in quite some time, but I hadn't even realised Gatsby had died until Carraway states it directly on the phone, and I had to reread the entire chapter trying to figure out how and when he had died. The way Fitzgerald had written it, I had thought it had been the other way around and that Wilson had been shot by Gatsby.
In summary, I think that as far as classics go, this is one of the most confusing and lackluster ones I have read. I might try and reread it soon to try and understand the hype behind it, but overall I feel as though there are many other classical novels that deserve much more appreciation than this one.
Graphic: Death, Car accident, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Antisemitism
jessiiiru's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Racism and Antisemitism
mengzhenreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death and Car accident
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Antisemitism
calamityin's review against another edition
- 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
1.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction, Incest, Antisemitism, and Grief
carolinalopezwatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Moderate: Racism and Antisemitism