The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is, without a doubt, one of the greatest novels ever written and certainly one of the cornerstones of the American literary repertoire. The book is written in the first person limited from the point of view of a Nick Carraway who is a friend of a friend to Mr. Gatsby at the novel's opening. The story follows Nick through his exploits in the East coast near and in New York as Gatsby’s desires begin to take center stage in Nick’s, and many of Nick’s friends’, lives.
Fitzgerald truly captures the American dream and its pitfalls in this book. He demonstrates beautifully the gilded nature of wealth–a gold covering often hiding a darker truth underneath–and the unforgiving, eviscerating effect that obsession can have on an individual. This short novel of less than two-hundred pages is succinct and to-the-point while still beautifully orchestrating a riveting story with poetic wording that in itself can be considered art. I would recommend this book to anyone. No qualifications needed–this book is that good. For that reason, this book scores a well-earned rating of 4.9 stars out of 5.