The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

It took me a while to get through this one. I’ve been super busy in University but I’m glad I kept on reading. I’m sure most people had to read this book at some stage in school. But having gone to an all girls' school we stuck to Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice.

Synopsis: 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.

The story is told from Nick Caraway’s point of view. Nick lives on the tip of West Egg and knows only what he sees or is told about Gatsby. It doesn’t take long for him to finally meet the mysterious Gatsby and the story unfolds beautifully from there. Fitzgerald presents us with the American Dream and how it does not become reality for all. His excellently crafted characters put their faith and their trust in unstable things such as wealth, social superiority, commercialism, the power of culture and their typical American idealism.  Essentially The Great Gatsby is a tale of a man endeavoring to win back a lost love.  Nick, unlike the other characters, is the only person to show human compassion and to grieve the tragedies that befall others.  Each character is believable and distinct and the writing is beautiful. 3/5

Describe it in two words: Tragic and Beautiful