The Great Gatsby (Wordsworth Classics)

I'm working my way through studying some classics i wished we'd studied at school and needed a paperback for notes, having already read the book on my tablet, and this suited my needs. Plenty of room to write in the sides without the text too scrunched in the middle :) I'd had wordsworth classics as a little girl and had always skipped any introductions and headed straight for the 'story' but with the 'look inside' feature i was able to have a gander and that's what swung it for me. The introduction and footnotes are really quite useful and insightful rather than too academic. They add a colour and context that anyone might find interesting. There are enough reviews of the story itself that i needn't wax lyrical about its virtues, suffice to say, i found it a wonderfully erudite little book that let's us peek into the strange world of the roaring twenties in both a personal and broader context. Funny, surprising, sad and shocking, there's a reason this is seen as one of the great modern novels. Physically the book is beautiful, a little larger than some paperbacks, though slim, it feels like a students book. It reminded me of the script copys we used in theatre, easily bent and stuffed in a back pocket! I love and respect books but they've often been tools and very much used in my life so i appreciate one that is 'life resistant'. The beautifully feely, matte black cover and intensely seductive imagery mean it will look elegant on any bookshelf if you're more inclined to keeping your books pristine. I take mine everywhere now. The story and the book are that kinda thing, easy to pick up and lose yourself for an afternoon. For the price, a little gem i think I'll always keep to hand now.

Offers very good value for money.Print quality is perfectly decent and it feels well put together.As for the story, it’s easy to see why it’s considered a classic. The writing is engaging and atmospheric, and the characters and themes still feel relevant today. It’s a relatively short novel but manages to say a lot about ambition, wealth, relationships, and the illusion of the American Dream.Overall, a great affordable edition of a timeless classic and well worth picking up if you haven’t read it before.

This novel absorbs you into the jazz age; both in the flashy, gorgeous mansions of the 1920s, and into the dark, consumerist, ignorant side of the rich (and super rich.) Beyond that, the prose is incredible, while the story itself is hauntingly compelling. But most importantly The Great Gatsby shows us how painful love is.

I read `Tender is the Night' decades ago and, although I'd always intended to read `The Great Gatsby', it somehow never appealed so I have to admit that I've only just read it for the first time.Narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man in his first job who happens to be Gatsby's neighbour, it is set on an island within a short drive of New York. The story evokes the shallow extravagance of the wealthy in 1920s America. It's not always politically correct when viewed against current attitudes to what is and is not acceptable, but F. Scott Fitzgerald was from a different era and was writing about a different era. The novel reflects attitudes and mores as they were at the time.In contrast to Nick's modest home, Gatsby's neighbouring mansion is staffed by servants, and full of light and partygoers, many of whom have never even met `the great man'. But Gatsby's background is something of a mystery and, from early in the story, there are hints that he may not be all he seems.Gatsby befriends his young neighbour, who happens to be the cousin of Daisy, the girl Gatsby fell in love with five years earlier and has not seen since. In the context of the story this is utterly convincing and compelling, although it sounds contrived and coincidental. One of the book's themes is the futility of trying to recapture the past and relive it in the future. At times the pace meanders almost tediously, as languid as heat of a New York summer, but the book is so short that this detracts little from the quality of the writing. Indeed, so descriptive is the prose that you can feel the heat and sense the languor of the characters.The ending and the build up to it were unexpected and lifted the book from the ordinary to the special. I think it was only after finishing the story that I began to appreciate how meticulously plotted and beautifully written it is. An American classic - undoubtedly. Among the greatest American fiction - I couldn't say, as I haven't read enough American fiction to be able to compare. But at this price it's remarkably good value. If you haven't already read it, buy it and read it. It won't take you long and it's well worth the time and money.

This edition is perfectly readable but perhaps not so fine as the books in Mr Gatsby’s library.Reviews here that mention ‘shallow characters’ and so on are not quite getting the point. The characters are shallow; at least all are unfulfilled, and searching for the elusive American Dream. Considering symbolism and Fitzgerald’s careful use of particular words is important in appreciating this book. For example, there are two combinations of the colours red, white and blue in the description of the Buchanan’s house in Chapter 1. These are not obvious and yet are intentional. There is almost a code running through this book, the connections are so fine. In one description Nick suggests that Gatsby’s hopes were placed ‘as securely as a fairy’s wing’. Daisy Fay’s surname suggests a fairy or enchantress, as in Morgana la Fay. The enchanting power of wealth and the privileged lives of the rich are revealed by Fitzgerald to be an illusion in this book, but the reader must decide whether Gatsby is great because he is a showman or great because he (and vicariously Nick) represent whatever nobility there is in romantic belief.

The Great Gatsby is your neighbor you're best friends with until you find out he's a drug dealer. It charms you with some of the most elegant English prose ever published, making it difficult to discuss the novel without the urge to stammer awestruck about its beauty. It would be evidence enough to argue that F. Scott Fitzgerald was superhuman, if it wasn't for the fact that we know he also wrote This Side of Paradise.But despite its magic, the rhetoric is just that, and it is a cruel facade. Behind the stunning glitter lies a story with all the discontent and intensity of the early Metallica albums. At its heart, The Great Gatsby throws the very nature of our desires into a harsh, shocking light. There may never be a character who so epitomizes tragically misplaced devotion as Jay Gatsby, and Daisy, his devotee, plays her part with perfect, innocent malevolence. Gatsby's competition, Tom Buchanan, stands aside watching, taunting and provoking with piercing vocal jabs and the constant boast of his enviable physique. The three jostle for position in an epic love triangle that lays waste to countless innocent victims, as well as both Eggs of Long Island. Every jab, hook, and uppercut is relayed by the instantly likable narrator Nick Carraway, seemingly the only voice of reason amongst all the chaos. But when those boats are finally borne back ceaselessly by the current, no one is left afloat. It is an ethical massacre, and Fitzgerald spares no lives; there is perhaps not a single character of any significance worthy even of a Sportsmanship Award from the Boys and Girls Club.In a word, The Great Gatsby is about deception; Fitzgerald tints our glasses rosy with gorgeous prose and a narrator you want so much to trust, but leaves the lenses just translucent enough for us to see that Gatsby is getting the same treatment. And if Gatsby represents the truth of the American Dream, it means trouble for us all. Consider it the most pleasant insult you'll ever receive.

I started to read The Great Gatsby many year ago, when I was quite young, and abandoned the attempt. It seemed to be about irritating self absorbed people with whom I found it difficult to engage. I decided to try again having recently seen a trailer for the film. My response now was much the same as it was before. I really wanted to like it. I hoped that being more mature I would understand why it mattered, why I should be moved by the dilemma of these people. After all it is a great classic of American literature. I understand the context, and that it was written quite early in the twentieth century. I also see that it depicted an urban society in a way that was perhaps new at the time. In spit of this I am left with a sense of "So what?" There are tragedies, certainly, but for those tragedies to have an emotional impact, I, at any rate, need to care sufficiently about the people. I found I didn't. A group of self deceiving rich, "beautiful" messing up their lives, well it's what happens. For me it's just too much fuss about not very interesting peopleThe writing is crisp and, in parts, very visual. It is also quite short, so that one could read it in a day if determined, but for me it only a few days of normal bedtime reading.I did like the edition. I buy Wordsworth Classics quite regularly as I find the layout good, the introductions thoughtful, though I don't always agree with them, which is not a problem, it makes one think, and the notes for the most part are useful.I am left feeling that there is some deficit in me. Why don't I get it?

The book is of good quality and in clean condition. It’s worth the price.

Adoro questo romanzo e leggerlo in lingua originale è ancora più bello! Acquistato durante la settimana del libro a circa 3€, prezzo spaziale!! 😍

Ich wollte endlich einmal diesen Klassiker der Literatur lesen, das Standardwerk der amerikanischen Literaturgeschichte - und dass natürlich im Original und nicht in irgendwelchen verzerrenden Übersetzungen. Ende des Jahres wird der Gatsby auch verfilmt mit Leonardo di Caprio - ich wollte einfach vorher wissen, worum es geht und mitreden können.Nun, da ich es gelesne habe freue ich mich umso mehr auf die Veriflmung und bin gespannt, wie es umgestzt wurde. Dürfte allerdings bei diesem Regisseur und Schauspieler ein Spektakel geworden sein.Also: ein klasse Buch zu einem super Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis. Lohnt sich in jedem Fall, dann könnt auch ihr wieder mitreden.

Excelente! Chegou antes do esperado, bem embalado e o livro é ótimo, de leitura fácil.

The Great Gatsby est un délice à lire en langue anglaise, le livre est court mais si dense qu'il faut lire avec attention et relire encore certains paragraphes tant ils débordent d'informations. Idéale pour quelqu'un qui souhaite améliorer son niveau d'anglais, il vous donnera beaucoup de vocabulaire et surtout de plaisir, car le style de Fitzgerald, qui décrit énormément et laisse son lecteur deviner sa pensée est vraiment géniale. L'histoire est une critque très forte de l'Amérique des années 20, dans son opulence, mais aussi des rapports sociaux, de l'ascenseur social impossible, de la reconnaissance sociale, du rôle de l'argent dans les rapports de force mais aussi de la culture (l'opposition capital économique/ capital culturel est très présente dans le livre, la reconnaissance sociale par l'élite ne se faisant qu'avec le capital culturel, elle est donc hors de portée des nouveaux riches et parvenus, qui n'ont réussi qu'à amasser du capital économique). Bref, c'est une vraie désillusion de la vie, de l'amour, de la société, une histoire écrite toute en métaphores filées et non-dits qui lui donnent une force incroyable. Un très grand classique.

Although short, this book will captivate you and pull you into the world of Gatsby. Easy to read and just stellar.