The Great Gatsby

Good

I want to start of by stating that I purchased the paperback edition (Official Film Edition) published by Picador USA / Pan Macmillan. The poster of the 2013 movie adaptation serves as the cover design. This is a great edition with a bold and large typeface which makes reading an absolute delight. This is an often overlooked feature when people select books and I believe more reviewers should make a mention of it for the benefit of future buyers. The review: It goes without saying that this is one of the great American novels of the twentieth century - and it's reputation is not without reason. The prose is elegant and poetic and incomparable to anything else from the period during which it was written - America of the roaring 1920's. I have never read a book twice, and this is the only one. This, in my mind, is testament to the sheer quality and timelessness of the great work of art. I would like to end this review on a note of caution: do not get into this book expecting to find a great plot because there isn't one. This is one of those rare gems (and the only one I know of, in my very limited experience) which carries the reader through solely on the strength of it's prose. For readers who are interested in watching the film adaptation, I recommend the 2013 - Baz Luhrman version, which by the way, is a pretty nifty piece of entertainment by itself.

I read this novel in high school English. I liked it a lot, especially the fact it's a short read. I liked it very much and my teacher explained all the symbolism. Green and gold for money but also for love, longing. I've seen several versions of the movie, Robert Redford and Leonardo Decaprio as the mysterious Gatsby. But the source, the book, came first and is the best!

I am sure there are some people that dislike this book. They were probably made to read it in high school. In grade 12, yes, it was on the reading list but I had read it the year before and I have read it numerous times since. It is a classic but it is one of those economical classics where the prose feels like poetry and the dialogue like good theatre. Meanwhile, the movies will never do Gatsby justice. The tone of the book doesn't suit cinema. The movies focus too much on the trappings of Gatsby. The glamour clouds the human soul, the pained character behind the mask. From the opening lines about being aware of criticizing someone to the closing scenes describing the greenery of Manhattan being discovered by Dutch sailors, this novel never fails to feel smooth-going and perfect and it simply cannot be captured on celluloid. Harold Bloom described Shakespeare's Hamlet as a 'poem unlimitted'. For me, The Great Gatsby is the novel unlimitted. Five stars times a hundred.

Davvero un bel libro, spedito in maniera impeccabile. Neanche una piega!

selon les gouts de chacun