The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is about a young man named Nick Carraway who gets a job as a
bond salesmen in New York. While living there, Nick rents a house next to Jay
Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who throws lavish and extravagant parties,
though he seems to never be present at them. Nick attends one such party and
subsequently meets Gatsby, who takes an interest toward him and the two become
friends. It is revealed that Gatsby is deeply in love with Nick's cousin Daisy,
who lives across from Gatsby with her husband Tom Buchanan. The rest of the
story is about Gatsby's attempt to get Daisy to leave her husband and to be with
him insteadI enjoyed The Great Gatsby because of its poetic and emotional language and the way it tells a story of despair and disillusionment against the backdrop of the "Gilded Era"; 1920's America. I liked the way the book portrayed the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy as passionate and endearing, while at the same time being futile and tragic. While the Great Gatsby may seem like a soap opera to some, its themes and ideals, ( a cautionary tale of the American dream, human aspirations and social politics) still hold a truth even in the modern age. I would recommend this book to anyone
Reviewed by Alex, Grade 12
Montrose Library
12 comments:
The Great Gatsby is a novel full of corruption but at the same time rich with beauty and the spirit of the “roaring” 20's. It is told through the eyes of Nick , a middle class gentleman of sorts who moves in next to Gatsby’s grandiose mansion in West Egg. Nick attends one of Gatsby’s glamorous parties by invitation, and is surprised by both the surplus of extravagance and the surplus of people who don’t know Gatsby personally. After he meets the man, Nick senses something strange about his story and his connection to his cousin, Daisy. From there, in the sweltering heat of summertime in New York, matters get even more strange and complicated. This novel is Fitzgerald’s masterful depiction of the American spirit and the American dream in a time where the country was oblivious to it’s downward plunge.
I enjoyed this novel thoroughly, even when presented academically. It is woven deep with Fitzgerald’s wit and seems impossible to have been written so masterfully. I could not point out one unnecessary sentence- not even an unnecessary word- in that book. What made it so delightful and at the same time despairing was it’s briefness. Most of the action seemed to happen in one day, no matter how long that day seemed to both the reader and doubtless to the characters themselves. I would recommend this and any other book by Fitzgerald to anyone interested in the classics.
Reviewed by Nelli, grade 9
Pacific Park Library
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is novel about a young man, Nick Carraway and his adventures when he moves to New York. Nick moves to West Egg, Long Island, next to the mysterious yet famous Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is known for extremely large, spectacular parties at his mansion that he throws every weekend. West Egg is known, and looked down upon by East Egg, as the area of the newly rich and unestablished. Nick has a cousin, Daisy, out in East Egg and visits her and her cheating husband one evening for dinner. He meets Daisy's friend, Jordan Baker, and discovers much about Daisy's husband through that visit and several after. One summer day, he receives an invitation to Gatsby's parties and decides to go. He meets Jordan Baker there and they both end up meeting Mr. Gatsby who asks to speak to Jordan alone. Later on, Nick is told exactly what they spoke about, and asked to help. We then follow Nick into what turns into a secret love affair, two murders, and a suicide.
Before reading The Great Gatsby, I had heard much hype around it. I had seen the movie and was absolutely in love with it, however that may be because I simple adore both the time period and Leonardo DiCaprio. I was disappointed with the book itself. It was still good, no doubt about that, but the hype and movie made me expect a much different book. I applaud F. Scott Fitzgerald for the masterpiece he has created, but I do think the movie was quite different when discussing themes and such. All in all, I did love the book and definitely recommend it to anyone who is already aware that people are despicable.
Reviewed by Kristine K., Grade 11
Casa Verdugo Library
The Great Gatsby is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald about the American Dream. It is told from Nick Carraway's point of view as he experiences the lavish and hypocritical lifestyles of his friends and neighbors at West Egg. His cousin Daisy Buchanan invites him to dinner with her husband Tom Buchanan and Jordan Baker, where he finds out that his neighbor Jay Gatsby is a big deal. Gatsby throws famous luxurious parties and eventually invites Nick to one. Soon Nick and Gatsby become friends and Gatsby confides in Nick that he has loved Daisy for the past 5 years and wants to be with her. The rest of the novel is about the love triangle between Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby... who will Daisy choose?
I had been waiting to read The Great Gatsby for years and I'm so happy it didn't disappoint. I was hooked from the beginning. The book is filled with symbolism and double entendre making analyzing the book very interesting. All of the characters are extremely interesting and you can't help but sympathize with most of them which makes the love interest conflict very controversial. Gatsby is without a doubt my favorite character and I can't help but feel bad for him. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, I feel like this is a book that everybody has to read at one point of their lives.
Reviewed by Nayri T., Grade 11
Casa Verdugo Library
Nick moves to New York from Minnesota to a rich area of Long Island. He has moved next to a mysterious man by the name of Jay Gatsby. The only thing Nick knows about Gatsby is that he lives in a huge mansion and throws expansive parties every Saturday night. Nick goes to visit his cousin, Daisy,and her husband Tom who was his former classmate at Yale for dinner to catch up. Nick meets up with a woman named Jordan at Tom's house, Where she tells Nick that Tom is having an affair with a women named Myrtle Wilson. Nick begins to have a romantic feelings with Jordan . After living in New York for a few months, Nick finally gets invited to Gatsby's party and at the party he finds out who Gatsby really is?
I did not like the book because the subject was too heavy, and it had a lot going on so it was hard to know what was going and keep track of everything. I would recommend this book for people who like history and like to know how people lived there lives in 1920's. I think back then their lives were so different than ours, and it was so much simpler and that there was not a lot to worry about. Also how they partied so much and how expensive the parties where back then.
Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 12
Pacific Park Library
Nick is the narrator of the book. Gatsby was his neighbor in West Egg who wanted to meet Daisy. Daisy lived in East Egg with Tom, her husband, and her daughter. Gatsby was poor before and had big dreams. He was gained a lot of money through out the years that he was away from Daisy by Wolfsheim’s help. He got a very big house. Jordan, Daisy’s friend, helped Nick to arrange a meeting for Gatsby with Daisy. Nick and Gatsby became friends together. Gatsby wanted daisy back, so he can bring the past back. He wanted to be the same person he was in the past. Many events happened; such as, the car accident, happened during the story in order to show the inability of Gatsby to move forward and forget the past. Nick tried to convince him that the past can never be repeated again, but Gatsby believed that he can bring everything back. He saw a green light across the bay, and he tried to reach it every day. That green light was Daisy. Daisy got in an accident, and Myrtle died. Gatsby announced that he was driving the car not Daisy, so he can save her life. Nick listed many people’s names in the party and said that he is honest to show the reader that he is credible, and the reader can trust his words. Gatsby had parties that many people went there. He hoped that Daisy would come to his party one day. Tom did not like Gatsby throughout the book. He told Myrtle’s wife, Wilson, that Gatsby killed his wife because the yellow car was Gatsby’s car. Many people in Gatsby’s parties were saying that Gatsby was a German, or he killed man. Gatsby served in the army, and he had received many awards for his great work. When Gatsby was alone and needed help, no one came to help him except Nick who was his true friend. Nick believed that something which is not approached yet looks valuable, but when you approach it, it is not valuable anymore. Gatsby never reached the green light, but he never gave up in believing that he can be the person that he was in the past. Gatsby’s real name was Jay Gatz which shows that Gatsby was a fictional character made by himself; he wanted to go back to bring back Jay Gatz. Nick wrote this book in order to prove that Gatsby was not guilty.
The novel takes place in New York during the roaring twenties. The main character Nick Caraway recently moved next to Jay Gatsby, a rich man that throws parties every night. After becoming acquainted with Gatsby, he learns that Gatsby is in love with a married woman who lives across the bay. Over time Nick learns of Gatsby’s past, and helps him introduce himself to the woman he loves. Over the course of the novel, the story takes dark twists and turns to make the American dream to seem like an American tragedy.
I loved this book, but I hated the characters. I believe Fitzgerald did this in order to show the audience that people with money can be unlikable. The novel was written flawlessly and the use of language was beautiful. Fitzgerald's use of symbolism wasn’t too vague and the meaning of the book was easy to understand. The imagery was wonderful, and the flow of the story was smooth. To understand fully, I recommend people to read this with an instructor.
Reviewed by Stacy, Grade 12
Pacific Park Library
The Great Gatsby takes place in 1922, which was almost four years after the great war. Things were not very ideal for many people. There was a socioeconomic divide between individuals during this period in time. There was the low class people who worked from day to night and the rich who lived in East Egg. The novel introduces us with the character named, Nick Carraway who moves to New York in pursuit of becoming an aspiring writer. He surprisingly ends up moving in next door, to the one and only Jay Gatsby and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy Buchanan is a charming lady who is married to Tom Buchanan. They both reside in East egg, in their enormous mansion with their kids. Nick gets captivated by the life in New York as he sees through the life of wealth, love, and tragedy. This novel expresses the unfortunate life of Jay Gatsby, who was a self- made millionaire that dedicated his life for Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby's journey in pursuit of Daisy Buchanan causes him to undergo the various stages of his life, such as becoming wealthy and reuniting with his one and only love years later. It was all great for Jay and many wonderful memories were created to look back to, unfortunately it all ended in a blink of an eye.
In my opinion, I really liked this book because of the many life lessons it has to teach. This includes, money is not the answer to everything, you can't forget your past, etc. I think teens and adults would really like this book and enjoy reading it because of its interesting plot and the surprising ending it has to offer. This book made me realize that you shouldn't dedicate everything for someone especially since you don't know if they will do the same for you. It also made me feel sorrow for Jay Gatsby by the way his life turned out. I would highly recommend this book as it gives a great description of how life was life back then and the struggles someone went through to be with someone they really liked.
Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 9
Glendale Central Library
The novel begins by introducing the main character Nick Carraway. Nick is a Yale alumni and World War I veteran. He travels to New York in search of a job as a bond salesman. He rents out a small house in West Egg next to large mansions one of which is his neighbor's, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is a wealthy multi-millionaire who hosts large parties at his estate. One day, Nick's relative, Daisy Buchanan, invites him over for dinner. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, a former Yale football star, and both live in East Egg which is on the other side of the bay from West Egg. There, Nick also meets Jordan Baker, a golf champion and childhood friend of Daisy's. While at dinner when Tom steps away on the phone, Jordan explains to Nick that Tom has a mistress, Myrtle WIlson, who live in the "Valley Of Ashes", a waste dump. A few days later, Tom takes Nick into town. On the way, they stop by a garage owned by George Wilson, Myrtle's husband. Tom talks to Myrtle and they all have a party later that night which ends in Tom breaking Myrtle's nose after she mentioned Daisy. Later, Nick receives a formal invitation from Gatsby to one of his parties. Upon arrival, Nick sees Jordan and while chatting with her is approached by a man. He introduces himself as Gatsby and insists he knows Nick from the war explaining that they both served in the 3rd Infantry Division. Later in the year, Gatsby invites Nick to have lunch at a speakeasy located in town. There he talks about himself trying to impress Nick with stories from the war and talking about his days at Oxford. Nick meets Jordan at the Plaza Hotel later that day and Jordan explains to Nick that Gatsby and Daisy know each other as they fell in love when Gatsby was an officer however it was short-lived as Gatsby was later deployed. Gatsby hopes to win her love back and succeeds. In September, Tom discovers the affair. At a Plaza Hotel Suite, Gatsby and Tom argue. Gatsby says that Daisy never loved Tom. Tom reveals that Gatsby is a fraud as his money comes from bootlegging alcohol. After hearing this, Daisy chooses to stay with Tom. Tom tells Gatsby to drive home with Daisy and the others take his car. While driving back, Gatsby and Daisy pass by George's garage and accidentally crash into and kill Myrtle. Gatsby tells Nick that it was Daisy who was driving the car but insists he will talk the blame. Later, Tom tells George that Gatsby was the one who owned the car that hit Myrtle. Angered with revenge, George fatally shoots Gatsby and turns the gun on himself.
As someone who doesn't love reading, I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is quite short and to the point. The plot flows well and makes sense. Each character is described very well with a lot of detail and in some ways can be relatable. The book is also historic in a way as it describes what life was like in New York City before the Depression struck. Each chapter ends with some sort of cliffhanger that makes you want to keep reading. It is a mysterious love story so for those that like love stories with a turn, this book is for you.
Reviewed by Jake S., Grade 11
Montrose Library
Nick is a man of the middle class who lives on the west egg of Long Island. The west egg is known to be the home of the newly rich, a manifestation of the American Dream. Of these many people who have achieved this American Dream a man Jay Gatsby, who lives right next to Nick. Every weekend he hosts a large party in which many people find themselves attending. Nick's encounters with this mysterious figure causes him to become fascinated with Gatsby and his uncertain past.
As far as the plot goes, the Great Gatsby is nothing short of a masterpiece. There are reveals and dramatic scenes that will have you gasping, and I did find myself enjoying this read quite a bit, even though it was a school assignment for me. A large issue I found with the book is F. Scott Fitzgerald's heavily descriptive nature. He relies very much on imagery to fill up the pages, and when you have a thrilling plot with an entire page describing the way a room looked instead of developing the story itself, it becomes very easy to get bored. If you are a book worm and enjoy symbolism and meanings behind little details, and enjoy having a very clear image of the scene, then I would heavily recommend this book. If you are a casual reader, however, I would recommend just watching one of the film adaptations to enjoy the plot and maybe finding something else to read.
Reviewed by RW, Grade 12
Glendale Central Library
The Great Gatsby is set in the world of post World War 1 economic growth and new wealth. This spurred the area of materialism and the idea of an American Dream. However, there is a perpetual conflict between old money and new money societies and values. These conflicting values propose an internal character conflict of superficiality vs reality. Jay Gatsby portrays this conflict as Nick Carraway, the narrator, recounts the story.
This book was eye opening in the aspect that it showed the reality of wealth in America. The prototype version of the United States is a land of abundance in which anyone can make it. That’s the idea of the American Dream and people were living it! However, one overlooked side of this story is the social and individual aspect in regards to personal values and character. I enjoyed Fitzgerald’s exposure of the brutal reality that is the American Dream. When we get into the plot and start seeing the stark contrasts between the old money world vs the new money world and the middle/lower class, we see a repetition of emphasis on morals and self image. Tom, Daisy, and Jordan represented the old money world whereas Gatsby represented the new money world. Fitzgerald uses these characters to represent a bigger image- society as a whole.
Overall, the author teaches that the perpetual chasing of material wealth in order to tap in to the American Dream is a never ending chase for happiness that simply will not be found there. Fitzgerald does a phenomenal job of drawing parallels to his message connecting characters, settings, and repeating colors. For example, The East Egg, West Egg, and Valley of Ashes are the three main settings in the book, and they are repeatedly used to illustrate the contrasting lives and personal values held between different class individuals.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to other young adults. Fitzgerald embeds themes and motifs throughout this novel in order to teach us many valuable lessons. “The Great Gatsby” is a brilliant novel that exposes aspects of American society that are overlooked and Fitzgerald’s messages are definitely worth noting and allows you to reevaluate American society in retrospect.
Reviewed by Emma C., Grade 11
Glendale Central Library
The Great Gatsby is about a man named Nick Carraway and his relations with his millionaire neighbor. He eventually receives an invitation to Mr. Gatsby's party and attends it. Mr. Gatsby throws parties to impress an old love he had with another woman who was now married. However, her husband finds out about the little history between them and dislikes Gatsby. Gatsby runs over somebody's husband and then ends up getting shot because of this.
This story was very boring at first but as I read more of the book I began to realize just how good the book really was. Once I began to understand how Gatsby was trying to impress another girl and her husband found out the story became action packed as the main character and the narrator sits down and witnesses the whole situation unpack along with you. From start to finish this story is worth the read although slow at first it becomes an interesting book to read.
Reviewed by E.N., Grade 12
Casa Verdugo Library
The Great Gatsby is a great tragedy that has a bitter ending. The main character, Nick, is a bit stuck-up and fake, but his heart is in a moral place. Nick is the main character, but the protagonist and star of the show has to go to Jay Gatsby, who's basically the protagonist. Gatsby's humor, personality, and most of all eventful actions are what trigger every scene of the novel, and Nick is really just there to spectate and tell the readers. The main plot of the story goes as is: Gatsby is a rich young man who's wealth actually comes from illegal activity such as bootlegging. The conflict is stirred up when Gatsby attempts to start an affair with Daisy, a young woman married to a man named Tom. Tom himself has his own affair with the woman Myrtle, who also has a husband. What follows is the interactions and results that come from this sort of situation.
Personally, this book isn't for me. It's simply not relatable, since I'm just in high school, have never fallen in love, least of all cheated or been cheated on. Since I've never been in such a situation, the most I can say is that I think that all of the characters in the story are extremely flawed, yet those flaws give them realism and character. It makes me dislike/be annoyed at them, and you can tell that there is good writing if you can feel feelings from the character. I can't really recall all my thoughts of the book, since I read it a while ago, but I can recommend to an older audience. I think the drama is really intense and at times the emotions of the characters really flow out through the pages.
Reviewed by Abraham, Grade 9
Montrose Library
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