The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Reviewed By: Jacob Roberts, Reference Assistant
Genre: Classic fiction
Suggested Age: Adult
What is this Book About?: Nick Carraway, a young man from the West during the rolling twenties, ventures over to the east coast to try his hand at the bond business. He soon reconnects with his lost cousin, Daisy. After a short time, he is invited to a party at the extravagant neighboring mansion owned by the one-and-only Jay Gatsby. As the story develops he finds himself in the middle of not one, but two love-triangles and begins to realize New York may not be all that it is cracked up to be.
My Review: I continue to be amazed by Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby. I have read through this short work at least three times by now, and each time I take away something different—something more. Initially I enjoyed the plot and twists Fitzgerald employs within the work. On my second read through, I began to appreciate the beautiful language displayed in each description of the story’s settings, characters, and the characters’ contradictory emotional states. However, by my third read I came to appreciate how Fitzgerald comments on the problems within our society and the ideology of the “self-made man.” He not only shows the reader what took place, but also immerses them within the story and allows them to participate in the same fashion Nick Carraway, the narrator does—both as an admirer and an appalled bystander.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Fast-paced, contemplative, beautiful
Give this a try if you like… Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey
Rating: 5/5
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
