Paperback, 208 pages

English language

Published Dec. 21, 2011 by Penguin Books.

ISBN:
978-0-241-95147-7
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OCLC Number:
743457130

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Everybody who is anybody is seen at the glittering parties held in millionaire Jay Gatsby's mansion in West Egg, east of New York. The riotous throng congregates in his sumptuous garden, coolly debating Gatsby's origins and mysterious past. None of the frivolous socialites understands him and among various rumours is the conviction that 'he killed a man'. A detached onlooker, Gatsby is oblivious to the speculation he creates, but always seems to be watching and waiting, though no one knows what for.

As the tragic story unfolds, Gatsby's destructive dreams and passions are revealed, leading to disturbing consequences. A brilliant evocation of 1920s high society, The Great Gatsby peels away the layers of this glamorous world to display the coldness and cruelty at its heart. (back cover)

25 editions

A gem and worth revisiting.

I was forced to read this book for school English class when I was 15, and I loathed it. I read it again recently because, ironically, I have a student who must study the book for school English class. The second reading was a superior experience. This time I could appreciate Fitzgerald's bag of writing tricks that really do make this novel an 'American Classic'. I have not watched either film version of this book, nor do I intend to. Fitzgerald's beautiful use of language to conjure images of the Jazz age and it's cynical hollowness is something that film will never capture. This book is a gem and worth revisiting.

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