Synopsis: "The Great Gatsby lives in a luxurious Long Island mansion, playing lavish host to hundreds of people, and yet no-one seems to know him or how he became so rich. He is rumoured to be everything from a German spy to a war hero. Jay Gatsby doesn't need them. He cares for one person alone - Daisy Buchanan, the woman he was waited for all his life. Little does he know how his infatuation will end.."
I think it's safe to say that The Great Gatbsy was a classic that was doomed from the start for me as I was forced to read it as part of my AS English Literature course. Although I'm an avid reader, I'm genuinely not fond of being forced to read. I much prefer to read a book of my own choice, and in my own time as opposed to having one thrust upon me with the expectancy to read it as quickly as possible without much thought or thoroughness.
What particularly bugged me about this novel is the fact that it was narrated by Nick Carraway, who is Daisy's cousin. While it was at times interesting to get an outsider's perspective on life in the 1920s, I found it annoying when trying to connect with the other characters because I felt as if Fitzgerald concentrated on developing Nick over the others, suggesting he is the protagonist of the story when in reality it's actually Gatsby.
Although I understand that it is a short book and therefore there isn't necessarily enough room for detail, I thought so many aspects of this story lacked depth and emotion, such as the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy. There was so much opportunity for Fitzgerald to do something wonderful and loving with it but instead I found myself reading a relationship that appeared nothing more than a page-filler.
Furthermore, I just found the characters of the novel as a whole tiresome and pathetic to read. Never have I loathed a character more than Daisy Buchanan. I found her shallow, dim witted and down right oblivious to the world around her. Daisy initially left Gatsby because he didn't have any money whereas her fiance, Tom Buchanan, did. Then when Gatsby returned with his lavish parties, stunning manor house and expensive clothes she went running back to him, only to then return to Tom again once she lost Gatsby for the final time. I despised her for that and wanted nothing more than for her character to meet a painful ending, that however didn't happen. Also, in some aspects, Gatsby bothered as I perceived him as a somewhat childish character. In the lead up to reuniting with Daisy and trying to get her attention I felt as if I was reading a romance between two 7-year-old's in a school playground where they had to get their friends running back and forth between the two to see how they felt about each other.
Conclusively, I found the overall story lacked empathy and thought and found myself struggling to connect with it. I did however enjoy Fitzgerald's descriptive techniques and ability to make you imagine a scene as clear as a picture.
I give F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby ★★
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