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The Great Gatsby
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The Great Gatsby
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Catherine
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rated it 3 stars
Apr 15, 2013 11:35AM
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The book wasn't quite what I expected and although I really enjoyed it I'm not really sure it lived up to it's fame. It's well written and I can see the appeal however I just didn't really engage with it. I wanted to get more of a sense of the era, but to me the connection just wasn't there.
I found myself not really caring about the characters until the end.
I also don't like the way the women were written it really felt like a man writing the book and therefor I found the female characters unrealistic.
I would still give the book a 3/10 as it is well written and clever but it's just not as good as I wanted it to be.
What are your thoughts?
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I am sure with Leo Di Caprio as the star of the movie the script will sparkle but im sure the novelty will wear off sooner rather than later!
The Beautiful and The Damned I am sure would be much more of a thought provoker - sorry F Scott!!!
This book is the first in this book club to get 5 stars from me! I'm sorry Faye and Catherine that you didn't like it.I first read 'The Great Gatsby' at university, over a decade ago, and scenes and descriptions from the book have stayed with me throughout the years. It's rare that a book has such a lasting impression on me.
I was very excited to read it again. I tried to make myself read it slowly to savour it, as I tend to gallop through books.
Quality of writing - 5/5
I am in awe of Fitzgerald's style of writing. Not a word is wasted, each sentence crafted with care. The descriptions stick with you afterwards - the yellow-framed eyes of the Eckleberg sign, the circle of blood traced in the water of the pool, Daisy's voice.
I love the humour in it too, and how a few lines really stand out e.g. "I've been drunk for about a week, so I thought I'd sit in the library to sober me up."
Plot - 5/5
You know from the beginning that it's all going to end horribly. This isn't a romance, or a nostalgic look back at a time and place. It's a factual description of the events leading up to a tragedy. The characters aren't particularly likeable but they're all strongly drawn, and their motivations are crystal clear. I'd far rather read about these flawed characters than some of the two dimensional characters that pop up in chick-lit all too often.
Satisfaction - 5/5
I will read this book again and again. The satisfaction for me isn't really about the plot, but it's about the words on each page. Sometimes I pause after a sentence and repeat it a few times, because I like it so much!
OVERALL SCORE - 5/5
A perfect work of fiction.
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I agree with you completely about the beautiful style of writing. It was just the characters And era I couldn't engage with.
I only read this book for the first time this month and I really, really enjoyed it! I feel like it's one of those books that deserves a second (and third, and fourth...) visit to truly appreciate it though.Anyway -- as this is a vintage fashion group I was wondering if anyone was interested in a screening of the 1974 adaptation that a vintage boutique is holding in London? It's at The May Fair on the 16th and looks like a big glamorous event that people might be able to dress up for: www.vintagescreenings.com
If anyone would like to join me send me a PM, there's free tickets to give away on their Facebook group but the draw is sometime today so you'd have to be quick.
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It was a really good night! Half the cast of Game of Thrones showed up :D :DI'm still yet to see the new adaptation though. What does everyone make of it?
I'm about halfway through GATSBY, and this is my first reading of the novel ever. I never had to read it in high school. I'm surprised at how quickly I'm running through the pages. I thought it would be a book I would really have to concentrate on in order to absorb it all, but it's really easy to follow. So far I'm kind of wondering why this book is a classic read. Other than the colorful descriptions and beautiful language Fitzgerald uses to tell his story, the characters are a bunch of idiots and rarely likable at all! Granted - I'm just getting to the part where "Gatsby" is more revealed to the reader, so I'm not sure about him yet.... I'll let you know my final opinions upon finishing the book.
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I ended up rather enjoying this book. I didn't think it was anything ground-breaking as far as storyline goes because it was just your average everybody-is-cheating-on-everybody in a world of decadence story. However, I really did love the language that Fitzgerald used to create the illusions of the people, places and scenery in my head. I felt like I could clearly see what images he was thinking of when he wrote the story because his descriptive use of adjectives was so well done. I felt like I could slip back into the 1920s easily with little effort made on my part to have to keep reminding myself that this story wasn't set in modern-day life. I also really loved the way Fitzgerald told the story through the eyes of "Carraway" and revealed pieces of "Gatsby's" personality and history through glimpses of his memory. I thought this was a really interesting choice to make, and it kept me as the reader engaged enough to be excited to see what would be revealed next. I thought it was a very clever choice to write the novel in this way. I didn't particularly like any of the characters in the book as people because they were all so faulted and just let everyone they associated with go on being faulted without any objections. Some people may say that this is the very reason why so many readers connect with this novel because everyone is not perfect and everyone makes mistakes, but I didn't find a single redeeming person in this story. Some may say that "Carraway" was the redeeming character because he didn't like "Tom" or "Gatsby" but I don't think so. He still hung out with them and went to their social events, so it was kind of like condoning their 'bad' deeds or overlooking them at the very least. It was respectable that "Carraway" took care of the funeral arrangements after "Gatsby" died when there was no one else willing to help. The fact that no one was around in the sad time of "Gatsby's" death speaks volumes to his true loneliness as a man. I can imagine "Gatsby's" lonesome life after having pined for "Daisy" for so many years with no real return of affections. It is such a sad, sad situation. It was almost a relief that he was killed. Even if it was accidental and a case of mistaken identity, you could almost see his murder as a mercy killing from "Gatsby's" point of view. He was never going to be happy without "Daisy", and she had made it clear that she was never going to be with him exclusively. It's a languid, beautiful world that Fitzgerald creates, and it keeps me fascinated. I would recommend the book to lovers of the Jazz Age and to hopeless romantics. I believe this story speaks to them the most.
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Me too, she was SO selfish and flighty! And, no, I haven't seen the film yet. I plan to, but I'm waiting until I can rent it on DVD. I have a feeling I will not enjoy the new music they've added for the soundtrack (with Jay-Z at the helm - ick!), so I didn't want to waste my money paying more for theatre viewing. :)Catherine wrote: "A brilliant summary of the book! You felt very similarly to me. There are definitely moments of brilliance and beauty and the writing and description is simply wonderful. But I hated Daisy so much!!!"
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