50 books to read before you die discussion

So i actually just finished reading this one, and im excited to hear what you all thought.

Happy Reading!

I read it four years ago in high school and didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. I re-read it before going to see the new movie a few weeks ago.

I finushed it a few weeks ago and now it's one of my favourite books!

I started reading it and didnt really get it, i was like what is the big deal. Why do so many people like it. But then it got me hooked and overall i liked it.

I think it is a great read. I picked it up few months agio after a failed attempt in High School (a teenager never appreciates the good stuff). I think it is one of my favorite books. The themes of the death of the American dream and class struggles to me are as true now more than ever.

Not a huge fan of the book but decided to watch the old movie with Robert Redford. It helped to see it on screen which was pretty true to.the book. For such a short book it sure was a long movie.

I've read the book several times. The first time, while I enjoyed it, there was a lot of detail that I missed an I didn't really "get it". The second and third time I read it I enjoyed much more. I noticed a lot of details and symbolism that I had missed. I also thought it was interesting to read again from the beginning after you already knew the ending.

I just ordered this book online. And waiting for getting it. Hope it will make something with me. :)

One of the greatest books that I ever read.

I don't feel that I can give this book a fair judgment since I read it in

I didn't read it in my mother tongue and thought it was a difficult language. I did understand the mayor content though and enjoyed the story but couldn't really see the author's purpose with this book.

Louise wrote: "I didn't read it in my mother tongue and thought it was a difficult language. I did understand the mayor content though and enjoyed the story but couldn't really see the author's purpose with this ..."

I suspect that some books I've read were degraded by the translation. What language did you read it in, and which is your native language?

Buck wrote: "Louise wrote: "I didn't read it in my mother tongue and thought it was a difficult language. I did understand the mayor content though and enjoyed the story but couldn't really see the author's pur..."

I'm Swedish but read the book in English, even with good skills in English I thought the language sometimes was difficult to understand. The age of the book and also the language may be the reason for this?

The language is a little dated, I suppose. It's written the way the in-crowd spoke in the 1920s. I particularly dislike stilted prose (Pride and Prejudice, for example) but I don't remember having any problem with The Great Gatsby, perhaps because English is my native tongue. I thought it was a pretty good story, even though it did push coincidences to the limit.

Its one of my favorite books ever. It seriously was one of few books that changed my life.

GG is on my 2014 reading list.

I was another who was given this in high school and didn't even make it halfway through, I re-read it a couple of years later and fell completely and utterly in heartbreak with this novel and read it again before the film came out which brought back my love of this book!!
I find the parallels to Fitzgeralds own life to be not only interesting but so saddening, you can see exactly where he has found all his inspiration and ideas and it is so strangely tragic to read something which was such a deep inner pain to the author, I think Fitzgerald is one of my favourite authors simply for the reason that he pours all his own pain into his books which make them that much gut wrenching and captivating.

I read this one recently, it's a short story, flows easily and enjoyable. Good account of the behaviour of people when faced with their own personal dramas.

After much hype from my kids, I read this book. I wasn't impressed. I know, I know... Great American novel and all. Is it the fascination with the glam and glitz associated with the 20's? The themes that Fitzgerald addresses are not limited to the era. There are always Daisys, Toms, and Gatsbys. One of my very best friends is Daisy.

Anyway, at some point I may read Tender is the Night, which is supposed to be a better novel. Until then I stand by my choice of Steinbeck as the writer of the Great American Novels and purveyor of insight on the human condition. ;0).

Kim wrote: "After much hype from my kids, I read this book. I wasn't impressed. I know, I know... Great American novel and all. Is it the fascination with the glam and glitz associated with the 20's? The the..."

Fitzgerald was only 6 years older than Steinbeck, but his writing always seemed to me to be much more dated. Even now, when I read Steinbeck, he seems timely.

I read the Great Gatsby last year. I had tried to read it previously and got distracted. I'm not a fan of it mainly because there are not any characters that I liked or even cared about. Usually there needs to be someone I can root for. I probably liked Gatsby the most, but wanted him to realize he could do much better than Daisy.

Gatsby certainly handles his situation much better than Heathcliff does, with dignity and grace. The ending of The Great Gatsby would have been more welcomed in Wuthering Heights. Gatsby is certainly the more sympathetic character.

Read it in high school and last semester in high school. So at least 3 with the book. Then listened to the audiobook probably an additional 6 times. I love it. And although I love the style and point of view, I didn't truly appreciate until I took the college course and my extremely intelligent teacher definitely did not feel that Nick was a credible or honest narrator. I, however, convinced her otherwise. Such great discussion can be had on this and the symbolism is remarkable! Probably only rivaled in m opinion by Harry Potter in that area.

First time I know of The Great Gatsby being compared to Harry Potter, granted I've only read two of the Harry Potter books and I'm no aficionado of Gatsby. Care to elaborate?

Ha just that all seven books have great symbolism and I actually have an entire tattoo sleeve devoted to the symbolism and philosophy and morals from the novels. Gatsby has a great deal of symbolism and repeated imagery (as does Harry Potter). While I know plenty of novels have symbolism, good symbolism, and the expression of repeated imagery adds to many books, I think of all the books I have read these are the two best.