The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald, F. S. (2004). The great gatsby.  New York: Scribner.

Originally published in 1925.

ISBN: 9780743273565 | paperback | 180p. | $14.00 USD

Cover image courtesy of goodreads.com

Annotation:  All the bright and young attend Jay Gatsby’s Long Island parties. Yet Gatsby himself is reserved and mysterious, waiting for something or someone. When he finally draws the beautiful Daisy Buchanan back into his orbit, he sets in motion a series of tragedies.

Book Talk:  Known for throwing extravagant parties but never attending himself, Jay Gatsby is a recluse who is bored and unfilled by his success and affluence. Yet when his new neighbor, Nick Carraway, helps him rekindle an affair with a former lover named Daisy, he comes back to life. Gatsby is willing to put everything on the line to be with her. But is the married and rich Daisy willing to do the same? Unhappy yet comfortable, Daisy is faced with a choice between her husband and the Great Gatsby.

My favorite thing about the book:

Fitzgerald captures the desperate restlessness of people in the Roaring Twenties. Despite having it all, they are bored and unfulfilled.

First Sentence:

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.”

Favorite character:

Nick Carraway as the Narrator.  Nick’s narration in The Great Gatsby captures both the tone of the story, as well as Fitzgerald’s ability to convey complex feelings and ideas in clear simple language.

Awards/Honors:

None to date, though it is a highly celebrated American novel

Learn More:

Catch Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy in the 2013 movie version of The Great Gatsby!  Below is a movie trailer, but be sure to also check out the movie’s official website and like it on Facebook.