Review by Newton Ooi for The Great Gatsby
Rating:
This book is part of a four-volume series of books by F. S. Fitzgerald produced by this publisher; the other three being The Last Tycoon, This Side of Paradise, and Tender is the Night. The Great Gatsby is of course, the most famous of them all, and probably one of the most famous novels of American literature. Written before the economic growth post WWII brought riches to everyone, this book provided the American masses an in-depth glimpse of the lives and loves of the rich and famous. The book here revolves around Nick, his friend Jay Gatsby, the love of Gatsby’s life, Daisy, and her shallow husband Tom. Gatsby rose from poverty to become incredibly rich thru means both scrupolous and not, and then spends his thoughts and energies pining after the beautiful Daisy. Every aspect of his life is devoted to enriching himself and/or his stature in the Long Island community he has transplanted himself into. All for naught are his efforts as the book ends.

This book did not begin that American literary genre of books that critique the rich, but coming out at a similar time as Veblein’s “Theory of the Leisure Class” this book is the perfect fictional complement to Veblein’s nonfiction account of the rich and their vices. Here, in these pages we see the sins of alcoholism, adultery, pride, arrogance, jealousy, shallowness, and irresponsibility that are allowed by a wealthy lifestyle where much idle time allows for many dishonest thoughts. At first unpopular, this book eventually became the mainstay of classrooms that it now is. Hollywood and modern American literature has mimicked the themes and often storylines of this novel; think soap operas, the Kennedys, and Danielle Steele novels. Overall, the book is a classic, worth reading and having, though it does not get this reviewer’s vote as the best book of American literature.