The Great Gatsby

I started this blog as a place to keep all of my reviews together. I have many comments on many books. Right now I am reading The Great Gatsby, as I feel I may not have given it a fair chance with all of my complaining about it. I am also reading a few other novels, but the focus of today's piece will be on the Fitzgerald classic.

The Great Gatsby is a book set in New York City and "West Egg," which appears to be somewhere on Long Island. It is set in the 1920's and Fitzgerald does a wonderful job with language. I almost felt like I was really living in the era. The narrator, Nick, moved to Long Island with his housekeeper and his dog, which promptly ran away. Through out this narrative, I could not but wonder, why? Why am I reading this? Is it supposed to illustrate how wealthy people are just bad people? Are we supposed to understand the the elite also have problems? These concepts have been drilled into my head from a very young age. Understand that everyone has problems.

The problem I saw with Gatsby is that it's a plot that's been done before. There was nothing too redeeming in my eyes. I simply read a book that was slightly dull, about an era I know nothing about, that was criticizing the upper class. It's trendy to do that, I suppose. And they are not above criticism. Look at Paris Hilton. Is that someone who seems to have a lot of integrity and morals? No, but that's just our perception. I don't know the situation, and I'm a bit tired of hearing about it. There are much more important things in the world, but yet we stop to watch when she goes to jail. But I digress.

The thing I can not understand about Gatsby is why it is supposed to be this great piece of literature. Sure, it's old and well written. But it's boring. Really, really boring. And it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.

For next time, I will be discussing The Baby-Sitter's Club: Baby-sitters' Summer Vacation. See you all then.