F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby: Essays, Articles, Reviews (Columbia Critical Guides)

Anthony Lipmann

Rating: really liked it
'They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made...'

Published three years before The Great Crash, uppermost in the mind of any modern reader would be the parallel decadence of today's unaccountable overpaid bankers, hedge fund managers and chief executives with the 1920s boot-leggers of which Gatsby was one. Fitzgerald does not need to use satire or pamphleteering to hit the target - but just tells the story of one set of cheque-crossed lovers.

The early fastidiousness of Gatsby reminded me of one ex-Goldman Sachs banker to whose enormous house I had been invited in Hampstead, whom I witnessed insisting that his slovenly British builders, with dirtied jeans dropping below their buttocks, remove their shoes and wear slippers in his house before attending to the brickwork or plumbing.

The high gothic library described in the early pages 'probably transported from some ruin overseas',reminded me of Pierpont Morgan's Library in New York - an overpaid banker of a previous era.

Some people say we have, with the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, seen our crash, but literature tells us that there is much much worse to come.

Gatsby is one of the most compelling and satisfying books not because of the come-uppance of the subject but for the intricately woven construction, narrated by the ambition-less Nick, that plays out the Shakespearean tragedy of the lovers to its bitter end. Shakespearean for the important use to which minor characters, such as Wilson, Wolfshiem, Myrtle and the dog are put in service of the plot.

Todays' Gatsby has yet to be written.

Kate

Rating: really liked it
A brilliantly written novel! Need I say more?

Annie

Rating: really liked it
Gorgeous. An important book for all book lovers.

Jill

Rating: really liked it
I have always heard that this was a great classic, well I guess it is a classic to people who don't like happy endings. hmmm Not one I would read again, sorry to all of you great intellectuals.

James

Rating: really liked it
Very good stuff. I know I'm not the first to say it but Fitzgerald is an awesome writer. He has a way of capturing moments that we're all familiar with in a perfect and amazing way. I loved the book.

Eli

Rating: really liked it
I enjoyed it very much, it is a wonderful story waiting and ready to unfold as the reader deepens into the literature of the book. Very fun to read.

Susan

Rating: really liked it
I read this in high school and re-read it since I'm going to see the Pittsburgh Ballet version soon. This book is written from the viewpoint of Nick Carraway largely regarding his neighbor, Mr. Gatsby, and his cousin Daisy and her husband. I found this book to be more depressing than I remembered, particularly since I found it hard to feel much sympathy for the characters. I found myself identifying most with Nick, as he too appeared to have shifting loyalties along with a sense of discontent. I know this book is a classic, but I did not enjoy it much. It is a really good essay on why being shallow is a bad thing, however, and I think it captures the spirit of change in the era it was written very well.

Francis

Rating: really liked it
I rather enjoyed this which I was surprises by as I dis not enjoy the catcher in the rye so much which is in a similar vein. Also I know Chalmers wasn't to fond I'd this book and we normally agree on these things. I actually found it very endearing and very easy to read I judge a book in whether I leave it at times for days on end between breaks and with gatsby I found it so simple to read. There is no great complexity to the characters which I would normally look for and a very simple story line some would say boring but I found it a very relaxing read if that makes sense. Would I says read this book yes it's perfect after reading a complex tense or book that you struggled with as it's the perfect break before attempting your next George Martin book which you put your whole self on to.

Elaine

Rating: really liked it
One of those books you read in high school but should read again every decade or so with older eyes. The last paragraphs are almost poetry and reminds the reader that life can be all at once beautiful and hopeful and desperate and desolate.

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning—

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Shirley

Rating: really liked it
I thought I had read this book years ago, but my memory failed me. I realized that I had not read it, but am I glad I did just now. It's really a great book, and I was really moved by Gatsby's death.

I was inspired to read the book after reading about how Perkins worked with Fitgerald to shape the novel. What a great editor and what a great writer. If you want to read about his this relationship worked, read The Artful Edit by Susan Bell.

Keri

Rating: really liked it
there are many jewels to be discovered in this reading. When I first read it in high school I thought it was an ok read but when I read it again 10 years later the real story unfolded and nothing but life experience could have made the difference. There is great depth of charachter to be found within the pages and life issues to ponder. If you did not care for the book in high school or early college years I suggest you read it a gain...

Ivar

Rating: really liked it
I...don't quite see what all the fuzz is about... A mediocre book.
As Oscar Wilde said - "If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all."
I was forced to read this for my English class, and I think that pretty much says it all. Maybe if I would have read it some other time, because I wanted to, I would have seen it for the masterpiece it's supposed to be.

Jose Espinoza

Rating: really liked it
Drumroll....

This is my all time favorite book.
It was the fact that my girlfriend Nancy, was in love with this book as much as I was that made me fall for her. The characters and the storyline Is just amazing, it's so full of hope and optimism. I ended up giving my copy to my girlfriend as a gift, it was filled with notes and drawings.

umang

Rating: really liked it
A cursory read in high school was not memorable, so I was really surprised at how good this book is. The writing is beautiful, and the social critique is among the best I can remember. The characters are deeply flawed, but tragic and unforgettable. The closing line is one of my favorites of all time.

Erica

Rating: really liked it
I did enjoy this book even though I have a lot of problems with the characters. You really can see the American dream of higher classes and the ignorance of most. My absolute favorite part about this novel was Fitzgerald's writing. He is such a talented writer with the ability to put you in any scene.