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I've read the Great Gatsby a few times and it always surprises me how much I like it. The approach is very simple, but the language dips into a poetic, introspective space- perhaps that is what makes the surprise. Perhaps it surprises me more after reading about Fitzgerald and his chaotic, disaster of a life. You would think someone so indulgent in passions and so enamored of the rich would not have the perspicacity to create the characters in this novel. Yet, there it is.
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I know that 3 stars is rather low. And I did enjoy this novel. The prose was lyrical and flowed and the world of the story was so well-defined. But I can't get over that this book is #2 on the Modern Library top 100. Number 2? I don't know. The #2 spot should be reserved for characters who at least garner sympathy, or respect. I guess I don't see what all the hype is about.
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This book is really sad, almost about a wasted life as well as Fitzgerald's specialty which is admiring but condemning the excess of the 1920s. The whole story was a lot quicker than I remember it being in high school. Basically a man that lived to please others had no one in the end.
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I just reread this for a bookclub, and maybe would change my rating to a 2.5 if that were an option. I think I really need a classroom discussion to appreciate what is so great about this book, because apparently I don't get it.
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