The Synopsis:
THE GREAT GATSBY, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. 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 s*x the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.
The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.
Review:
When groups of bookish fans and members of book clubs get together and the topic of “favorite classics” comes up; very, very rarely will The Great Gatsby not be mentioned as someone’s favorite. And if the groups are large, there will most certainly be multiple people claiming it as their favorite.
And its no wonder, it’s captivating characters, extravagant writing style, and beautiful descriptions leave it well deserving of so many fans. It is truly a classic tale.
Though the story has a tendency to jump around between characters and their backstories, it follows the particular summer of our narrator, Nick, as he uncovers the mysteries of his extraordinary neighbor, Jay Gatsby. This novel can be classified easily as an emotional tale, and the writing in some places almost works as poetry in bringing to life the feelings that the author has felt as he writes.
The specific content that needs to be mentioned for younger audiences can be quoted from the synopsis; “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession“. Though there are no actual scenes of which “show” characters enjoying this “national obsession”, there are, however, plenty of illustrations that reveal the abuse of the “national drink”. In regards to the sexual content, there is in fact many things that show a lack of morals, such as the disrespect for marriage amongst characters and derogatory comments. There is also a lot of cursing ranging from the simpler curse words to some very “offensive” ones.
So even though The Great Gatsby is a beloved classic, and will remain one of my personal favorites, I can only recommend it to an older audience of juniors and seniors in Highschool or maybe even college aged students, and based on morals from a Christian standpoint, I can only give it 3 out of 5 stars.
Rated:
Rayleigh is a Sophomore in college with a major in Accounting and long-term goal of being a CPA. She is an avid reader of all genres, and just as much of her time is spent writing as it is reading. She is the Associate Editor and Web Manager for PURSUE Magazine, in addition to posting her monthly articles on their blog. Rayleigh interns for Hartline Literary Agency where she advises authors in the best way to market their books. She is also a Social Media Manager for various businesses.
Her writing pseudonym is Rae Leigh and she is in the process of seeking publication for her Dystopian novella, Program MIRA.