The Great Gatsby Book Review (Spoiler-free)

 A Review for The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ / 5 stars

The Blurb

The Great Gatsby, third novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925 by Charles Scribner's Sons. Set in Jazz Age New York, the novel tells the tragic story of Jay Gatsby, a self-made millionaire, and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman whom he loved in his youth.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this and I think that the atmosphere was really good and the writing was also very accessible for something written about 100 years ago. It was a lot of fun to see the drama and affairs of the rich. Nearing the end it gets really exciting and compelling, I mean, it's really good before that point but it just gets better.

It is also very sad and depressing, and the ending made me cry. I mean I guessed it was going to happen somehow but just that last page had no right. the world is unfair.

Now I'll get on to the negative. Sometimes it was a bit too dramatic, for example Daisy literally crying  because she'd never seen such beautiful shirts before. There was lots of people crying out things instead of  just saying them. 

I was buddy reading this with Noor and we laughed a bit about some things, like the use of the word gay. I know it probably had a different meaning back then but still there were things like this: ... A promise that she had done gay, exciting things and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour. I wonder what those things were.

The Characters

Nick Carraway

Nick just seems like a sweet guy. In relation to the other characters in the story he didn't do much but telling what happened. I still loved him however.

Jay Gatsby

I feel like there was some lost potential to make him super mysterious because before I read the book I thought he was an anonymous guy who wore multiple faces and no-one knew who he was. But in the book he was more your awkward neighbour.

Daisy Buchanan

Daisy is the alluring and cool centre of the love triangle with Gatsby and Tom. I enjoyed reading about her character although it got a bit incest-y when she offered to kiss Nick even though they are second cousins but that might have been a joke that I just didn't catch.

Tom Buchanan

Tom is a real asshole. He's like that person who pretends to be smart by saying that things are science. You know what I mean. When I read some reviews of the book I heard that he was perfect for Daisy but he's a terrible, racist cheater so I'm sad that they stayed together. 

Who I Would Recommend This To

I would recommend this to readers wanting to get into classics or looking for a sad one.

Content/Trigger Warnings

Alchohol, character death, cheating, class discrimination, murder, misogynistic violence, racism (brief), wealth hoarding

My Rating System:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = I would literally die for this
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ = Love
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Really Like
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ = A Bit Better Than Like
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Like
⭐️⭐️✨ = Meh
⭐️⭐️ = Don't really like

⭐️ = Hate with a burning, raging passion