by F Scott Fitzgerald
Scribner
The Great Gatsby was not read in any of my high school English classes. To be honest, even if it was, I probably would not have read it. I never read any of the assigned books; I just paid attention in class and got the gist of what I needed to know to pass the test. It is probably just as well we did not “read” Gatsby in high school, because I would have lied to myself and said I read it and never would have re-read it as an adult. I would have really missed out. There is a reason this book is a classic. This is how great novels should be written. I am not a novel reading type of gal. My general opinion is that authors of novels tend to throw in a lot of extra words to show you how smart they are and then the story is lost, if there was a story at all. In Gatsby, this simply is not the case. The story is told in a way that captivates you from the first page through the last. The characters are fascinating. Obviously, the rich have and always will be of particular interest and curiosity (hello, how else can we explain Paris Hilton?). It was just so beautifully written…I sound sappy, I know it. All aspiring novelists should read/ re-read The Great Gatsby, then read what they have written and start editing!! Less is truly more.
