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Great Gatsby
208 pages
A glittering, champagne-soaked tragedy about the hollow pursuit of an impossible past.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like attending a dazzling, champagne-fueled party where you slowly realize everyone is deeply unhappy. The prose is famously exquisite, wrapping sharp, cynical observations of the ultra-rich in lyrical, almost dreamlike imagery that lingers long after the final page. It moves at a brisk, feverish clip through a sweltering New York summer, building an atmosphere that is simultaneously opulent and profoundly hollow. The emotional journey shifts from intoxicating glamour to a heavy, lingering melancholy as the illusions of its characters inevitably shatter. It is a perfect read for those who love gorgeous, atmospheric writing and tragic, character-driven stories about the destructive nature of obsession, nostalgia, and the dark underbelly of the American Dream.
- Mood
- glamorous
- melancholic
- feverish
- hollow
- opulent
- Tone
- cynical
- elegiac
- wistful
- observational
- lyrical
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the illusion of the American Dream · corrupting power of wealth · unrequited obsession · nostalgia and the past · social stratification
- The writing
- Lyrical, highly polished, and deeply evocative, blending sharp social observation with poetic, almost dreamlike imagery.
- The arc
- Begins with glittering, intoxicating promise and slowly unravels into profound disillusionment and tragic inevitability.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate gorgeous, atmospheric prose and tragic character studies wrapped in the glittering excess of the Jazz Age.
Content notes
- infidelity
- domestic abuse
- vehicular manslaughter
- murder
- suicide
- alcoholism
About the book
Poignantly and with subtle finesse, Fitzgerald tells the story of the dazzling upstart Jay Gatsby, who celebrates lavish parties on his estate in order to win back his lost love – a story about the power of great feelings and the painful failure of a romantic dream.
Description from Open Library.
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