The blurb:
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story is of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his new love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.
I'm not a huge audiobook person, but I've been listening to a few lately, so I thought I'd throw in a review or two of them as well.
When I first read The Great Gatsby, I was in high school, and it was one of the assigned novels. I didn't particularly get into it—I had a good English teacher but still, reading only to dissect isn't necessarily all that engaging. But when I came back to it a couple of decades later, I got a lot more out of it. I recognised all the themes and motifs and everything, but more life experience meant I understood the people and their interactions a lot more. It's as much a tragedy as anything Shakespeare ever wrote—the victim being destroyed by a characteristic that's a fundamental part of his character, so much so that the end feels almost fated or doomed, unavoidable. Gatsby's defined by his naivete, not understanding that Daisy was never going to leave Tom for him, no matter what. Tom is familiar and comfortable, he protects her and doesn't require her to do anything while Gatsby asks for sacrifice. Tom and Daisy are defined by their carelessness; they don't need to take care, they're insulated by money and social standing (Gatsby has both, but on a different standing—new, crooked money, and social standing only as long as the parties keep happening). It's a short novel, but powerful.
Jake Gyllenhaal does an excellent turn narrating the book, feeling very in tune with all the characters, and with the character of Nick Carraway, the book's narrator. With so much of an audiobook depending on the narrator being a good fit for the book, Gyllenhaal did an excellent job.
Started: 27 November 2025
Finished: 6 December 2025
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