The original cover…check out those eyes.
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
audio book narrated by Tim Robbins
first published 1925
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I’m not a big movie person, but I do love Shawshank Redemption. Which is a good thing, because Hamburger will watch it every time it comes on tv. Every. Single. Time. (We’ve watched it twice already this week.) I love listening to Morgan Freeman narrate the movie, and I think both he and Tim Robbins are amazing in their roles.
And what’s this have to do with The Great Gatsby, you ask? Well, Tim Robbins narrates the audio book that I listened to. And I gotta say…dude’s got voice. I just can’t decide if that’s good or bad. Because he pretty much channels whiny women when it comes to some of the characters. It’s quite frightening.
Anyhoosie, on to the book.
I first read this one in high school, mumble mumble years ago, which means I pretty much remembered squat about it. So I was quite surprised by the ending.
***SPOILER ALERT…MAJOR PLOT RUINATION AHEAD***
***READ AT YOUR OWN RISK***
(And I need to direct Pat Conroy’s attention to the spoiler alert…he needs to learn how to do that, because I just read My Reading Life, and he totally gives up the endings of quite a few major works of literature. But that’s a post for another day.)
Back to the ending. I had totally forgotten about the hit and run, and the pool, and Gatsby’s murder. For some reason, I had it in my head that the excesses of the Jazz Age did them all in. Which is what happened, in a way. But I was thinking more in the way of death by excessive partying, not bang, bang you’re dead. And now I’m wondering what else I don’t remember from high school English.
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” Chapter 9
The thing that really struck me about the novel was how unlikeable all of the characters were. The focus of the novel is Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man of immense wealth. No one is quite sure where he came from and what he does, but people are more than happy to talk about him behind his back and show up at his lavish parties.
Then there are Tom and Daisy Buchanan, old money snobs who think their money and class entitle them to a free pass when it comes to abominable behavior. Tom flaunts his mistress, and Daisy embarks on an affair with her first love, Gatsby. And then there’s the whole hit and run incident…Daisy kills Tom’s mistress, although Tom doesn’t know that Daisy did it, and I’m pretty sure it was an accident, although with Daisy, who knows. They’re also pretty blasé about Gatsby’s murder. The two are quite easily able to put all of the unpleasantness aside. They just go on their merry way. It’s like they’re all: Death and murder…la la la…I say, dear, where shall we vacation this summer?
There are lots of other players in the story, but I won’t get into their character defects. Except for Nick, our narrator,who sets himself up as morally superior to the others. And I’m not alone in thinking this. Here’s Nick with his girlfriend:
Gatsby cartoon by the talented K. Beaton. To see more awesome Gatsby cartoons, check out the website Hark! A Vagrant.
And even though you might not think I liked this, given that I’ve complained about Tim Robbins’ whiny female voices and the abundant lack of morals, I did. Like it, that is. I totally get why this is considered one of the great American novels. It captures an era (the Jazz Age), and it brings up all sorts of things that’ll make you go hmmm (personal responsibility, class differences, the American dream, old money vs. new money, reinventing yourself, eugenics, double standards, and on and on and on). I’m beginning to think this was totally wasted on the teenage me.
Now I’m thinking about what other high school reads I need to revisit. My current audio book is 1984. And I’m dating totally dating myself, but the first time I read that one it was very timely…1984 had just happened, so most of what I remember is getting a kick out of the fact that Orwell got it so wrong. We’ll see what else I got wrong.
The unlikeability of the characters is what really did me in. I only made it through 30 pages of this book when I tried it last summer. I’m one of those very rare specimens of people who didn’t have to read this in high school. I’m planning on trying it again with an audio version, though.
I really like 1984, though the end was very anticlimactic imo. Orwell tends to be anticlimactic in his endings in general, I’ve discovered.
I am so glad that you liked this one, as it is one of my favorites. It also has been a long time since I’ve read it, and I know I need to do so again really soon. Excellent review on this one, spoilers and all!
I finally read this book last year and I really loved it. BUT I HATE that cover for the book. To me such a beautifully written book deserves a far less ugly cover!
I really enjoyed this book when I read it in high school.
Nick is just hanging out with those peeps because they’re rich.
I haven’t read this since high school and that was even farther back in history for me. It sounds like I could do with a reread as well.
I loooove me some Gatsby (except that darned cover). I read it in high school, too. I did like it back then, but I’ve read it three more times since, and now I REALLY love it.
Your second to last paragraph says it all, really. Also, love the comic
I read this in college and didn’t like it. (Did anyone ever like what they read in school?) But I like Tim Robbins and him reading the audio book might urge me to “reread” this!
The unlikeability is one of the things I remember most about this book. I’ve been toying with the idea of re-reading it since it’s been yeeeaaaars since I first read it. You may have pushed me over the edge.
I am mad about The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald is the only one of those expat writers who doesn’t irritate the crap out of me. I think the writing is gorgeous and yes, it captures the hell out of that particular zeitgeist. I love it. You’re making me want to reread it! I have read those lines about Tom and Daisy being careless people like a hundred times, and I still am so blown away by them every time I read them again.
I remember loving THE GREAT GATSBY (100 years ago!). Can’t figure out what you thought of Tim Robbins as narrator – “dude’s got [whiny] voice” … good, bad, or indifferent?
I recently re-read this too via audiobook (different narrator though) and I agree, it really helped me appreciate way beyond what I did in high school. Everyone was detestable in this book, huh?
Great post, Jill! It sounds like ‘re-reading high school’ would be a great challenge ,read-along, project… whatever. I remember being surprised by the finer (ok, major) plot points when first reread Gatsby. And I’ve never read 1984. How did I get through high school without having that assigned??
I’ve read Gatsby 3 times and didn’t like it any of those times but for some reason your review of it is making me question it and think I should try for time number 4. Myabe I need Tim Robbins and the whiny voice? I first read 1984 in 1984 too and thought, hunh, wasn’t that interesting? But read it again while Bush Jr. was in office and that time around it totally creeped me out.
I read this back in high school too and didn’t “get it.” I didn’t get what was so great about it. I’d like to revisit it now just because I am older and much more worldly Ha.
That idea about re-reading high school requireds is a good one. I was just thinking I want to revisit Vonnegut because I lurved him in HS but don’t now remember why. And Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. (I always said I liked that one but was I only showing off?
And Steinbeck. sigh. I loath Steinbeck because of school. My better (older) self just might like him. He doesn’t deserve my loathing, most likely.
I read Gatsby in HS but don’t remember much nor am I interested in rereading. I will consent to watching Redford again, though.
Yay for featuring my favorite Gatsby cover that so many people hate but I love!!
And I bet I missed A LOT of this book too. Perhaps it is time for a reread for me as well.
I also read this in HS. I remember not caring too much about it then, but recently (2 years ago) read it again. I did enjoy it a lot more this time around. Some books read in HS that I would love to read again would be”Lord of the Flies” and “Of Mice and Men”. That would be a great idea for a challenge.
I read this in high school as well and am struggling to remember any of it. Looks like this is a book that I should reread at some point as well. The only book that I clearly remember reading in high school was The Lord of the Flies and that is because I HATED it. Ha, and I just looked up and saw someone else wants to reread it. Maybe I should think about what other high school reads I might want to try again. Great review!
People used to tell me that my first husband reminded them of Nick Carroway.
I bet our reading lists in high school were very similiar — I had to read The Great Gatsby (but actually remember most of the plot — it helps that I’ve re-read it since HS), and also 1984. I graduated from HS in 1983, and the discussion definitely was about how close (or not) things were to what was predicted in 1984. However, I remember almost nothing about 1984!
Too funny – we just watched Shawshank Redemption last night one of my all time favorite movies. We decided to watch it because we’ll be in Zihuatanejo later this week. (cannot wait for vacation!). It does kind of bug me now that we’ve been to Zihuatanejo a couple of times that that final scene was filmed in the Virgin Islands and not Mexico.
Anyway – back to The Great Gatsby. I really should read this again. Like you I read it in high school and it gives me flashbacks to a hated lit teacher that I should exorcise. I have a hard time though with books that have nothing but unlikeable characters so I’m torn.
One of the greatest ever book covers as well. I absolutely agree with this one being wasted on teenagers…as are so many of the other books we make them read. It’s not that they shouldn’t have to read great works but I just don’t think they really “get” them and then they ever after will think of those books as drudgery because they were forced to read them.
This is one classic that I didn’t really enjoy when I listened to the sudio in adulthood, I don’t remember Tim Robbins being the narrator though.
Just downloaded this book on my iPod Touch. Something to entertain me during my flight to Italy this summer or my long layover in Newark. Figured if it is bad enough, it could help put me to sleep on the plane.
I’ve changed my mind. I now want to reread this – just saw the trailer with Leo and Carey Mulligan and feel I better read the story before I see it.