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Danielle The Book Huntress 's Reviews > The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
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Danielle The Book Huntress 's review
bookshelves: did-not-like, classic, early-to-mid-twentieth-century, required-reading
Nov 03, 2008
bookshelves: did-not-like, classic, early-to-mid-twentieth-century, required-reading
The best thing about his book was its use of Nick as the narrator. Otherwise, I felt the people in this book were shallow and lived empty, tragic lives of no meaning. Gatsby was a man who could have been about more, but he chose a path that led to tragedy. I would have liked this book more, were it not for Daisy. I hated that woman with a fiery burning passion. So while I applaud the writing, I didn't like the story and most of the characters left me cold, except Daisy, who left me afire with disgust.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
November 3, 2008
– Shelved
November 15, 2008
– Shelved as:
did-not-like
March 25, 2009
– Shelved as:
classic
March 25, 2009
– Shelved as:
early-to-mid-twentieth-century
March 25, 2009
– Shelved as:
required-reading
Comments Showing 1-13 of 13 (13 new)
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message 1:
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BJ Rose
(new)
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rated it 2 stars
Mar 26, 2009 03:09PM
This is exactly how I felt about this book. The writing was commendable, and the topic could have been noteworthy, but sadly I didn't find anything great in this. I kept waiting for Nick to realize that he was being used and leave. I would feel better about it if I felt that Fitzgerald meant this as a cautionary tale.
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If you felt that way, Danielle, then you took away the message that the author intended. It wasn't intended as a cautionary tale so much as a reflection on the shallowness and materialism of his times. It was a critique. Generations later, now, we can look back and see it as a cautionary tale but it was his reality.To be fair, though, I found it depressing too, LOL.
message 3:
by
Danielle The Book Huntress
(last edited Mar 27, 2009 03:23AM)
(new)
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rated it 2 stars
I can see that he is showing the empty and jaded, but I've never been a fan of that. I am one of those people who stubbornly insists on trying to look for meaning in life, lol. :)
I'm just going to say that I see what you mean and I too look for meaning in life but I still accept that books like this show why we need meaning in life. Because otherwise we end up morally bankrupt like Nick's surrounding friends...
I can see its relevance as a cautionary tale, Jonathan.
The characters were horrible and their selfish and shallow lifestyle awful, but that doesn't make it a bad or unenjoyable book. It may have been reality for Fitzgerald, but I think it's cautionary too: it's about the power and danger of following dreams, without thought to consequences.
I also loathe shallow rich people who do nothing to help the poor. They are evil to me. I don't care how great the writing is as it makes me SICK. I feel a sense of outrage.
I don't think it's a bad book, Cecily. I just don't like it. Sometimes, your visceral reaction to a book is how you rate it (maybe not in your case). I can't like a book when I don't like most of the characters or what the book has to say to me.
~� Alice☆~ wrote: "I also loathe shallow rich people who do nothing to help the poor. They are evil to me. I don't care how great the writing is as it makes me SICK. I feel a sense of outrage."Yeah, that's pretty much the visceral reaction I was mentioning to Cecily. I think that some books require divorcing feelings from the reading, which is very difficult for me, since I am an emotional reader.
Now, if it's a veterinary textbook, I can probably do that. :)
I am also a very emotional reader. I had to read this book long ago and I hated it then but I just watched the movie and some of it came back. I had to quit watching as it upset me so much. Your reviews almost always express my feelings.
I was just reading some of your comments at the group forum and I had no idea all this was going on as I tend just to focus on the quiz. I have been harassed by some writers which was one reason that I deleted my first account.
I was just reading some of your comments at the group forum and I had no idea all this was going on as I tend just to focus on the quiz. I have been harassed by some writers which was one reason that I deleted my first account.
I read this a long time ago. I thought about reading it again, but I don't really have the time and I'm not sure I feel strongly enough to revisit it. I do want to see the movie with DiCaprio and Maguire though.ŷ has kept it very quiet, which is a huge part of the problem, considering what they have done to several members on the site.
Danielle The Book Huntress wrote: "I don't think it's a bad book, Cecily. I just don't like it. Sometimes, your visceral reaction to a book is how you rate it (maybe not in your case). I can't like a book when I don't like most of the characters or what the book has to say to me."Ah, thanks. That makes more sense (though personally, I can enjoy books where I don't like the protagonists, but I know that's not true of everyone).
ABSOLUTELY ! Love how u put this ! i see no reason as to why this is so widely revelled and loved . it impacted me in no way other than to annoy or infuriate me and wasnt even entertaining ! atleast it was short tho
