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    The Great Gatsby
    The Great Gatsby
    The Great Gatsby
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    The Great Gatsby

    Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Narrated by William Roberts

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    When The Great Gatsby was published, commercially it was a failure but critically it was a success. It is still the most admired and well read of all Scott Fitzgerald’s novels and it is considered a handbook of the 'Jazz Age'. Scott Fitzgerald put much of himself and his life into the book. He created the character of Jay Gatsby to illustrate his own experiences of the illusory and morally bankrupt aspects of 1920s' America, and the character of Nick Carraway to show his disapproval of its destructive effects.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThe Copyright Group
    Release dateJan 1, 2014
    ISBN9781780001814
    Author

    F. Scott Fitzgerald

    F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) is regarded as one of the greatest American authors of the 20th century. His short stories and novels are set in the American ‘Jazz Age’ of the Roaring Twenties and include This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender Is the Night, The Great Gatsby, The Last Tycoon, and Tales of the Jazz Age.

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    Reviews for The Great Gatsby

    4/5

    20,536 ratings571 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Not really up my alley. I just feel that it was filled with boring dialogue that didn't advance the story line much. Nothing more than a "classic" that I struggled to get through.
    • 4/5
      The Great Gatsby, for me, is like coffee or wine. Hated it the first two times I tried it but now that I've gotten used to it it wasn't all bad. I wish that I had been a better reader in High School because it's a very interesting, sad, and exciting novel.
    • 2/5
      I'm pretty glad The Great Gatsby was short, because I didn't really care for it. I didn't hate it, I just didn't fall madly in love with it or anything. It was okay. Nothing better. I know it's a classic and I should probably sit having deep thinky thoughts about it, but it didn't really inspire me to do so. I didn't like the characters, and while the writing is clear and easy to read and pretty good prose, there's nothing that set things on fire for me, either. It seems to be mostly about rich people wasting time and money for ridiculous reasons. I don't feel for the characters in it and I can't really understand why people give it five star reviews and insist it must be read.

      I just feel so... ambivalent about it.
    • 5/5
      Ein Werk voller Bedeutung. Fitzgeralds wohl bekanntestes Werk scheint fast schon die Wirtschaftskrise der 30er vorherzusehen. Das Buch liest sich schnell und angenehm, auch wenn die Charaktere nicht sympathisch sind, aber das müssen sie auch nicht sein, um in einer träumerischen Sprache den Horror der Achtlosigkeit zu beschreiben, die die Reichen dieser Welt befällt. Allerdings zieht sich das Werk, obwohl es recht kurz ist, an manchen Stellen.
    • 4/5
      I re-read this today after disliking it in high school. What a different experience! I highly encourage anyone who read this when they were young to revisit it later in life (and when you don't have a high school English teacher forcing it on you). Fitzgerald's insights into classism, narcissism, wealth, and the American dream are spot-on for today's culture, and his prose is just marvelous. I'm typically a very quick reader but this book is meant to be savored, scene by scene, line by line.
    • 5/5
      An American masterpiece!
    • 2/5
      My book club read this, or I wouldn't have finished. I kept thinking, "This is a classic?!" I just don't get it. The characters are uniformly unlikable. The reader cares nothing about them. I felt no sorrow at Jay's death. I did not see it as a great love story, either. I was just bored by the whole thing ... just as the rich were bored with their lives ... maybe that's his point.
    • 3/5
      Eh. It was okay. Not sure that I would read this one again though; maybe in a few years when I can look at it through the eyes of a non-student rather than as a student forced to read it and talk about how "wonderfully moving" it was.
    • 5/5
      I think a lot of people misunderstand this book. Many have been fascinated (as we still are) by this glimpse into the lives of the rich/famous. A classic if for no other reason than that it still speaks to us about obsession - whether it be about money or love. And that infernal light will always be blinking...
    • 3/5
      I just re-read this today. A great short novel. Captures the frivolity and decadence of post WW1 USA. Nick, the Buchanans and all the other fleeting characters create an engaging yet ultimately tragic picture of the jazz age.
      13/7/12
    • 2/5
      After reading this much acclaimed American classic, I was baffled. "What is so great about the Great Gatsby?" I've given this question much thought and I still don't have the answer.I honestly believe this short book lacks the bones and elements of a classic and even on the last page I was waiting for the 'light bulb' moment. In fact, this novel reminded me of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' for its simplicity and classification as an American classic that I failed to understand.I know my opinion isn't popular in the literary world, but if you read this book and believe it worthy to be called a classic, I'd love to hear your opinions, so leave me a comment.
    • 3/5
      The Great Gatsby, for all it's supposed to be about the American Dream, is really a good old-fashioned romance, with a Shakespearean pile of bodies at the end, a Great War, unsavory bootleggers, and several love affairs. Fitzgerald writes the characters so that you hate them all a little bit (Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment, and as she expanded the room grew smaller around her, until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air. "My dear," she told her sister in a high, mincing shot, "Most of these fellas will cheat you every time." [p. 31-32]) Writing a romance with characters that are not likable gives this book its tone - a sort of regretful, impersonal tragedy. I'm always sorry at the end, but I'm never quite sure who I'm sorry for.
    • 5/5
      This is a great daily devotional that will take you through the Bible in a year and provide gems of insight each day.
    • 3/5
      This is a book I would have liked to have read in high school like so many other students did. (My classes never required it.) I feel as I would appreciate the book more as a reread now that I'm older than the narrator, Nick Carraway.

      The story seems to be a commentary on the affluent culture of New York in the 1920's that at times feels disturbingly familiar. It's also a interwoven collection of tragic romances; or, in the case of the narrator and title character, of one-sided infatuation.

      Some descriptions I didn't understand, some are well out of date, and others are unaccountably awkward. That's what brings my rating down. The reason I'm looking forward to rereading The Great Gatsby later is its depth, spattering of wonderfully crafted phrases, and the general...honesty of it.
    • 3/5
      Couldn't get enthused about this one. Seemed a fairly shallow story about some pretty shallow people. Guess Fitzgerald is not my cup of tea.
    • 3/5
      Mediocre at best. Does Gatsby ever have an original thought or idea in his head? Not likely! This has always been touted as a classic. One must ask, WHY?
    • 3/5
      I feel like The Great Gatsby should be more of a play rather than a novel. Some of the emotions and dialogue could be confusing or a little bland, especially from the women characters (but even more so Daisy), I get that is their personality but while reading it it didn't seem like a character flaw, just odd writing. I enjoyed the plot surrounding Daisy, Tom, Gatsby and the Wilson's, what I liked even more was that it was told from a different persons point of view so you kind of felt the frustration Nick was going through while all of this was going on even though he wasn't a big part of it he was still around it and drawn in against his will. The book is fairly short but I felt it kind of moved slow and had parts that were just filler but it makes sense why they are in the story towards the end. Overall The Great Gatsby was a good read, I felt it is a bit overrated with how much hype it gets and would much rather of read it in a play format.
    • 3/5
      It was okay, a nice short story. The problem is that it is only engaging at some times, the rest of the time it was a bit boring. And it is pretty short, which is a bonus, since if it was too long it would've been annoying.
      I have to say this, I hated Tom soooooooooooo much! I felt sorry for Nick. Jordan is a cold-hearted snob, and Daisy is just very spoiled and selfish. Gatsby has a weird destiny, but somehow he chose it to be so. All in all, Fitzgerald offers a long list of characters without much depth into their persona. It isn't my cup of tea, and I think it's overrated as a book.
    • 5/5
      I always struggle to review classic literature. I am not naive or arrogant enough to imagine I will have any amazing incite based on a single reading and no real study.

      My first reaction, on finishing the book, was that I really didn't get what the fuss was about. I know this is a famous book, a top 100 book, a classic book that everyone should have read at some stage in their lives (I was first exposed to it in high school English, but I didn't really read it then). So when the book ended I felt like it lacked anything epic or grand or amazing, anything to make it worthy of this lofty position.

      But days later the book began to unpack itself. As the weeks went on I would think about the novel and my understanding grew. I began to notice things that were not clear while I was reading. I have spent a lot of time mulling of the characters in the book. Who they were and why they behaved the way they did.

      So spoiler alert. It is a book that saddened me the more I began to understand it. Here was a self-made man who had it all, but longed for a woman he had fallen in love with years ago. He gets her, he steals her away from a loveless marriage and they appear happy together. But the more I understand the characters the more I realise that she was not worthy of him. She was vapid, she loved being loved, but she did not love Gatsby with the same passion that he loved her. Very sad. This idea has played in my mind for weeks.
    • 3/5
      I spent a lot of effort over the years resisting doing what I was supposed to do, especially if everyone else appeared to be doing it. Which is how and why I've avoided reading The Great Gatsby over so many years. I do know from experience that what experience you bring to the reading of a book influences how you perceive and receive it. This is true with this book as there are parts of the story that seem to resonate with some of my own experiences and for me enhanced my appreciation for the novel. If I had read this back in high school and collegel when it seemed like everyone else was reading it (under the combined influence of the film and literature teachers and professors) I don't think I would have received it the same way. I did find it well and cleanly written, the prose never jarring but also propelling the story forward with nice touches of color and atmosphere in supporting roles - and I found it also remarkable just how much weight the moviemakers have compelled these 180 pages to bear when translated into a movie script.
    • 4/5
      Finishing this book, I had the exact same sentiment I had upon watching the 1980s animated classic film Heavy Metal: "Well, I guess it was OK, but I don't see what all the fuss is about."However, upon reading the history and criticisms of The Great Gatsby (Heavy Metal) I started to develop a newfound appreciation for the themes and everything that went into making the book (film). While it isn't a fantastic book (film), I find that my initial impression was far too harsh, and thinking back on it I can definitely say it was an enjoyable, fulfilling, and deep (OK, maybe moreso Gatsby) read (watch).
    • 4/5
      A book tailor-made for English classes, and I can't help but think of it on those terms. The language is lovely and interesting, there are any number of historical allusions to be unpacked, and the plot is both complex enough to offer many points of discussion and simple enough for everyone to participate. I enjoyed it, I'm very glad I finally read it, and it remains an important cultural reference.
    • 4/5
      I have been putting off writing about the book, as I am not sure I can articulate my feelings about it. In fact Im not sure what my feelings even are about it. I do know I enjoyed reading it and kept wanting to pick it up, and I was glad when a slightly exciting story line developed. The hoo-ha with the car accident finally brought out some interest in the characters for me.So, yes, they float about in their own little rich worlds. People have been critical of the novel for this reason alone, but that's life isnt it? Some people do have that luxury, and it doesnt make their feelings or experiences any less valid. It just limits who can relate to them. I liked reading about their petty worries and relationship dramas, it took me away from my life and into someone's completely different.And written in a very appealing way.The first time I read this book was half my life ago, so this was like the first time for me. And I think there'll be more readings in it yet.
    • 5/5
      After reading it again, I must say I appreciated this classic much much more with a second reading.It certainly helped that I could use the Robert Redford adaptation of the film as well as the upcoming Leo DiCaprio version to help me visualize the book.I have also recently read Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night", and in terms of plot at least, that is to me the better read; but in terms of poignancy, characterization and tragic romance "Great Gatsby' is without a doubt the winner. But needless to say, both books are absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to read more of Fitzgerald's works!!!
    • 4/5
      Nick Carraway, the first-person narrator of this novel, gets to know Jay Gatsby in the Roaring Twenties. The latter is very rich and throws glamorous parties on his grandiose estate to which he invites his neighbour Nick.The title drops already a hint: The Great Jay Gatsby is a magician and everything in his life is an illusion: Before he went to war Gatsby, then known as James Gatz, fell deeply in love with Daisy. But as he was away, she married another man and had a daughter. When Gatsby returned after the war, he still clanged to the dream of a married life with Daisy. Everything in his life is build up around that dream – he even seems to have accumulated his wealth only to make it real.Fitzgerald’s novel is about make-believe worlds and chimeras, about appearance and reality. A very interesting scene is when a guest notices in amazement that the books in Gatsby’s library are actually real. The novel disproves the American Dream and shows that money can neither buy love nor true friends. Money may talk, but not everybody listens.Unfortunately I got a quite bad translation. When I compared a part of the book with an English version online, the latter one was way easier and more enjoyable to read. Honestly, I was underwhelmed by the book when it comes to the story. And I don’t think that it will stick in my memory for long. But I’m glad that I can finally tick it off my to-read-list.
    • 5/5
      Perhaps the best book ever written.
    • 4/5
      I have been reading all of the Matthew Hervey books as they have been published, and this is one of the best yet. These are a slightly easier read than Patrick O'Brian, but no less evocative for it.
    • 2/5
      This audio book is not based exactly on the written text. Some words even sentences are excised from the original work.
    • 4/5
      The illusion of wealth is the central theme in "The Great Gatsby". We see the world through young men, who are coming of age in America when fortunes are being made and lifestyles are created around that wealth. Sadly, we see lives constructed of lies and dreams, which cannot be realized. Or once a life is constructed within the fragile framework of imagery, cannot withstand the truth which is desperate to reveal itself.
    • 5/5
      Terrific reading of this classic. The narrator totally captured the feel of the era. such a tragic story, but each sentence just oozes style. Lovely to hear read aloud. Highly recommended!