Buchrezensionen: „The Great Gatsby“
Buch statt Netflix: der Klassiker „The Great Gatsby“ wird vorgestellt.
Boredom is what plagues us all at the moment. Why not read a book once in a while, instead of watching Netflix? The book I am going to present to you, is one of my favorite ones and a classic, that I am sure you have heard about before: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The story is told by Nick Carraway, a young man who recently moved to West Egg, a district of Long Island for the newly rich. His neighbor is a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, who is known for his extravagant parties, that take place at his luxury mansion every Saturday night. Being desperately in love with Nick’s cousin Daisy, who lives across the bay with her husband Tom Buchanan in East Egg, Gatsby plans on winning back the love of his life. In effort of fulfilling this goal, he builds himself an illusion of a life, while ignoring the reality around him. The consequences that follow are fatal.
A philosophical masterpiece
“It eluded us then, but that’s no matter – tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further… and one fine morning – so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” This quote shows one of the major reasons, why I think, everyone should read this masterpiece of a book: Fitzgerald succeeded in combining an interesting love story with a philosophical depth. He perfectly depicts materialism and idealism, which are major characteristics of the Roaring Twenties. The Book delves into the utopian nature of the American Dream, represented by the character Jay Gatsby, and reveals the truth: We neglect the true reality of our aspirations, not realizing we may already strive for an unapproachable illusion.
Only some will enjoy reading it
In order to deliver this message, the author uses a very vivid description and language. Through many personifications, metaphors and comparisons such as “at his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete”, you can exactly portrait a picture in your mind.
There’s only one aspect, I would criticize. None of the characters are likable or persons you can identify with – at least I couldn’t. But the confusing thing is: You can’t dislike them either.
Now, if you’re someone that loses the overall enjoyment for a book, if the characters aren’t likeable, this book may not be the book for you. However, if you are someone who likes books that approach the topic love from a completely different perspective, I would definitely recommend to you reading this book.
Bild: © Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH, Muenchen
