Book 8: The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Start Date: November 18, 2011
Finish Date: December 6, 2011

This is another book I read back in high school, but had no memory of what it was about. I might have read more of the Cliffsnotes and less of the book back then.

Guy, Nick, moves to Long Island. Nick meets his neighbor, the Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is a mysterious man who throws lavish parties every weekend. Nick finds out the reason Gatsby is throwing all these parties is so he can reconnect with his long lost girlfriend Daisy, who so happens to be married to Nick's cousin, Tom. Daisy and Gatsby finally reconnect, create a plan to run away together, but not before Tom can interfere. The night everything was laid on the table, Daisy ends up running over and killing Tom's mistress. Tom ends up taking Daisy and getting out of Long Island, Gatsby gets shot and killed by the man who was married to Tom's mistress, who thought his wife was having an affair with Gatsby. Gatsby dies, no one shows up for his funeral, Nick moves back to the West. The End

So.. This book was interesting. I felt a little let down at the end. Also, I felt like the ending drew out a little too long. I understand the writer wanted the impact of the fact that no one showed up to the funeral. But then again, I didn't feel so attached to Gatsby that I cared. It took half the book before he showed up. Then once he did, he was killed. I was hoping Daisy and Gatsby would end up together. That was kind of the plot of the book. It is ironic that both Daisy and Tom had a sidepiece. Both of their mistress were killed for something that wasn't really their fault, and then Tom and Daisy run away and they're lives are just as they were. I feel bad for the Gatsby. All he wanted was to be with the love of his life. I wouldn't have felt bed for Tom if Daisy left him, since he was already cheating.

I thought there would be more depth to the characters. It felt like the author was trying to develop them move, but I guess since they were all so shallow you could only go so deep. I wished the book was longer maybe, so we could know each character a little more. Not just their 'past', but their 'present.'

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. It left me feeling a little puzzled and unsatisfied, but it was an easy read so I wasn't too disappointed. (ahem, Wuthering Heights, ahem)