From the Bookshelf of Should have read classics…

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Start date: February 1, 2014

Finish date: February 28, 2014

Discussion: Group Book Discussions

Why we're reading this: This is the group read for February.
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What Members Thought

Dec 23, 2009 Michael Canoeist rated it liked it

Picked only three stars, to my own surprise. I enjoyed rereading Gatsby at least a couple decades since my last prior reading. In particular, I noticed Fitzgerald's emphasis at the end that this was a book about Westerners. And his moody evocation of taking the train back into the Midwest, and from Chicago into his own home state of Minnesota. The personal, and affectionate, claimed more of my attention this time than the more well-known aspects of the story. To me, Gatsby is a self-absorbed gan ...more

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Jun 22, 2009 Danielle rated it really liked it

I had a very hard time with this book because I found almost all the characters contained in it, including the narrator to be completely worthless human beings. They're lazy, self indulgent and useless. I was well aware that was the point that Fitzgerald was making but I couldn't get over that fact that I didn't really care what happened to them. The characters offended me. My interest in the bon viovant lifestyle was the only reason I kept turning the pages.

At least that's how I felt until the ...more

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Feb 25, 2010 Lucy rated it really liked it

I loved the length of this book... it was perfect for the plot; nothing extraneous at all. All in all, I enjoyed this novel. The characters, the description Fitzgerald conjures of the so-called 'Roaring Twenties' and the protagonist were all things I enjoyed.

But...
I felt the author could have done so much better at a few points. Occasionally you felt the plot turn, thought "this is gonna be good"... and then were let down. Or things happened in a way that could have been done so much better. Als ...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Chaundra rated it liked it

Shelves: kindle

I read this in preparation for seeing Gatz on 14 July with atticus_frog. I hadn't read it since High School and remembered not really liking it much, but couldn't remember exactly why.

And now I do - the characters leave me totally cold. I feel absolutely nothing for them and really can't care less about their privilege-induced ennui. The only reason this got three stars was because the writing is totally lush and it was those moments that kept me going.

So to break it down:
writing & style - 5 s ...more

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