The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Page Count: 180

Published in: 1925

Published by: multiple publishers

Genre(s): Classics, Fiction, Literature, Historical Fiction
Source: Print: Paperback: Provided by my school

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

      A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, The Great Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "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--"Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream.

      It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. 

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Hey guys!

      Honestly, I had to read this for my English class and I didn't like it as much as I thought it would. The beginning was dry but the end was fantastic! I honestly had to force myself to read the first 4 chapters, but once it hit chapter 5 it was amazing! The first four chapters were so descriptive and just all around boring. Also, the way F. Scott Fitzgerald writes isn't my favorite writing style. Oh! 

       I'm not sure what to think of Daisy yet...did she truly love Gatsby or was she just using him? Comment down below what you think! I also found that Gatsby was overly hopeful that Daisy would dump her husband for himself even after she said "rich girls don't marry poor boys"...which honestly is such a petty and awful thing to say...if someone ever said that to me I'd be bawling my eyes out...and Gatsby didn't cry...Daisy did...which gave me the inclination that she either was regretting not waiting for Gatsby or she was completely and utterly insane...I'm thinking a mix of the two...I keep wondering what Fitzgerald was thinking when he wrote his novel and what he was trying to express when writing this love polygon in the 1920's... Daisy is such a petty little rich girl who used lonely boys and broke their hearts...I'm not positive that that Daisy loves Gatsby, but I kind of hate Tom and wanted Daisy and Gatsby to be together but....the ending happened.

Here's the polygon...

Gatsby ----> Daisy = Tom

                                 /

                                /

                              Myrtle = George

It's kind of a lightening shape haha...

      Over all this book wasn't the worst thing that I've read for school, and I recommend that you read it if you enjoy reading the classics. If you also enjoy the 1920's culture with flappers and the Golden Age, you will love this book.

Until next time guys!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~