Book info

• Title The Great Gatsby
• Author F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Year 1925
• Genre Romance

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted 'gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,' it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

Thoughts

I wasn’t particularly aware of this book before I started reading it, but I was gratified to see that it was relatively short and delightfully written. In fact, the writing was the best part of it - expert prose, really well crafted and thought out. Not a word appeared to be out of place or without reason. Descriptions were great and it painted a nice picture of the time and place.

However, I found the story itself quite dull. It took a long time to get started, with some scenes of parties with characters who weren’t well-rounded and didn’t capture my imagination. The only person I was slightly intrigued by was Jordan Baker, and as it turns out, she was only a bit part player in the entire thing.

There were some twists and turns along the way, but with no likeable characters and far too much dishonesty throughout, it was hard to get fully engaged.

Rating: 2 / 5