(Book Review) The Great Gatsby

I'm a little uncertain how one even begins to review such a classic. So I've decided my approach: to speak to those of you who've never read it.  Because surely, surely, there are people like me that have always planned to read it but never gotten around to it.

To those of you who think it might be a tough read: It's not. Really.  I'll admit the first few pages had me a little confused, but I forged through and once the plot got underway I sailed right through it.

They're currently making a film adaptation of the book, set to open in 2012. Leonard DiCaprio stars as Jay Gatsby, and the star power expands with Isla Fisher and Tobey Maguire. From what I've read, everyone involved is taking great care since this is such a classic. From a writer's point of view, I understand why it's a classic. In fact, we studied one passage in my creative prose class last year. Fitzgerald has a way with description that makes the reader really see what he's talking about. For example, the passage we studied:

We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-colored space, fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end.  The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house.  A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding cake of the ceiling -- and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea.

 The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored ballon.  They were both in white and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.

Can't you picture the room? The house? The girls?

Leo will star as Jay Gatsby

But the story? Yes, it was captivating. I stayed up two hours past my normal bedtime just to finish the book. So it did captivate me. But it didn't give me that "aaahhh" feeling I talked about in this week's earlier post. The story started out a bit slow. I should note here, though, that I never read the blurbs on the back or inside covers of the book.  They usually give too much away. And that was the case with this book. Maybe it would've moved more quickly had I known beforehand what to anticipate -- but because I didn't, I was surprised when I found the connection between seemingly random circumstances that the main character, Nick, finds himself in.

Overall, I give the The Great Gatsby 3 out of 5 stars.  Which translates to, "I enjoyed the book." I didn't really like it, or love it, but it was a good book. For those of you wanting to add more classics to your "read" column, I suggest picking this up. It's an easy check mark. Plus, then you can be one of "those people" who compare the book and the movie once it comes out.

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