Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Generally considered to be F. Scott Fitzgerald’s finest novel, The Great Gatsby is a consummate summary of the ‘roaring twenties’ and a devastating exposé of the ‘Jazz Age’. Through the narration of Nick Carraway, the reader is taken into the superficially glittering world of the mansions which lined the Long Island shore of the American seaboard in the 1920s, to encounter Nick’s cousin Daisy, her brash but wealthy husband Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and the dark mystery which surrounds him.
The Great Gatsby is the undisputed classic of American literature from the period following the First World War and is one of the great novels of the twentieth century. (from the blurb)
I'd read this book many years ago, for English in my second year of high school, but picked it up again recently to remind myself of the plot in order to be ready for the Baz Luhrmann movie.
I'm glad I did. I don't know how much I did or didn't like it earlier, but I did enjoy it on this reread. It really gets better in the later chapters, once we learn a little bit more about the characters and their motivations. I think that's also when the plot picks up a bit in terms of pace, which is another thing that makes it enjoyable.
I like Nick Carraway, both as a narrator and as a character. Sometimes I wonder why he does the things he does, but ultimately he just wants to be a good friend to Gatsby - and we're glad he does.
The Great Gatsby is the undisputed classic of American literature from the period following the First World War and is one of the great novels of the twentieth century. (from the blurb)
I'd read this book many years ago, for English in my second year of high school, but picked it up again recently to remind myself of the plot in order to be ready for the Baz Luhrmann movie.
I'm glad I did. I don't know how much I did or didn't like it earlier, but I did enjoy it on this reread. It really gets better in the later chapters, once we learn a little bit more about the characters and their motivations. I think that's also when the plot picks up a bit in terms of pace, which is another thing that makes it enjoyable.
I like Nick Carraway, both as a narrator and as a character. Sometimes I wonder why he does the things he does, but ultimately he just wants to be a good friend to Gatsby - and we're glad he does.