REVIEW: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

I first read this book in high school, and again in college. But, I didn't fully understand it. I read it in-depth and thought I knew what it was all about. But, I had to re-read it at age 50 to really get it. There are just some nuances a younger me didn't comprehend.....how a person can surround themselves with friends, yet have no real friends...how a person can sit in a room filled with others and be lonely....how some live behind a facade hiding their real selves....the line between the phenomenally rich and normal people just can't be easily crossed....and the huge price some people will pay for obsessive love. I got a lot more out of this book re-reading it in middle age. It made Gatsby a much more tragic character. He had everything.....and nothing at the same time. And lost it all. Over a woman who didn't deserve his feelings for her. Much more powerful experience reading this book when I understand the underlying emotion better.

Gatsby lives on Long Island. He has a huge mansion, expensive cars, expensive friends.....hell, expensive everything. He is lavish. He is larger than life. He is the life of the party. But it's all fake. Inside he is lonely, desperate and empty. The story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, who watches as the man disintegrates. All the glitz and glamor of the 1920s colors this novel. Fitzgerald lifts the veil off the upper class, showing the darker underside of the golden age.

I listened to an audio version of this book. William Hope narrated. His reading pace was perfect and his voice is easy to understand. I have partial hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand the entire story.

The Great Gatsby is one of the 100 books chosen for The Great American Read. I enjoyed re-visiting this story. Jay Gatsby is a memorable and tragic hero. Fitzgerald really was a master of his craft. This book is truly a classic. This is the 14th book I have read on my quest to read the entire list of books chosen for The Great American Read. A listing of the books is here: http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/books/#/   86 to go! :)