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The Great Gatsby is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a bond salesman who moved to the west egg of Long Island. His cousin, Daisy lives in the east egg with her racist husband, Tom. In the mansion next door to Nick lives the enigmatic Jay Gatsby, who has enormous parties and an air of mystery. Nick becomes embroiled in a life of heavy drinking, luxurious living and scandalous secrets. The rich are seen as selfish, arrogant, self-obsessed and ruthless people.
Although the prose was very endearing and absorbing I found it very difficult to like any of the characters. This is a short book, but it took me a while to finish because I simply couldn't bring myself to care about Gatsby (even the narrator didn't particularly seem to like him). I found Nick to be wishy-washy, as my Mum would say, and all the other characters were so egocentric that I couldn't give a fig about what happened to them.
That being said, the moral of the story is a powerful one, and I was left thinking about the story for a long time after I had finished it. The narrative circles around strong themes of the selfishness of the rich, the repercussions for every action, and 'what goes around, comes around'.
As I mentioned earlier, the prose was expertly crafted.The parties, the wealth and the splendour really come to life from the pages, as does the hot, arid, unpleasant climate of the era. I also feel that, through reading 'The Great Gatsby', I have been given an interesting glimpse into the past, warts and all, and I really enjoyed that aspect of this story.
It is my belief that, if you read this book because you want to read a 'classic' you will be making a mistake. It will most likely bore you, and I am not sure you would finish it. It will probably leave you disappointed. However, if you are after a short read that will give you a glimpse into history, the ugly side as well as the glitter, I would recommend you give this book a go.
