The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Can't repeat the past?" he cried incredulously. "Why of course you can!"

First I happened to watch the movie towards the climax, and Di Caprio’s emoting, made me want to read this book. His face looks calm but his eyes have an unanswered question hanging about them, and gets killed at the same moment. But since I already had a bitter experience with Eat, Pray and Love, I was uncertain.

All the more the reviews of the book were mixed. There were a set of readers who found it very uninteresting and very disappointing. Chosen the read for the month, and finding a copy of the eBook, I finally settled to read. After completing the book,  I really loved Mr. Gatsby and the book both. The -1 star was because it was pretty slow in the beginning, in fact so slow that I almost decided to shelve it.

"It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment."

The story does show Daisy, the love interest of Gatsby in poor light. But then it is just a characterization and very much the discretion of the author. It hurt me reading a few highly critical reviews of this book and I think that would speak volumes of how I felt so close at heart to Mr. Gatsby ;) *blush blush*

Perfect characters just don’t exist and the extent of imperfections in each character is what contributes to the riveting story. Moral, immoral, perfect, dented the characters maybe, but they all make a breezy touch to the reader’s heart.   Gatsby’s love for the girl and the extent to which he tries to win her again just build in our minds strongly though it is just outlined and subtly mentioned. He leads her on subtly, doesn't force himself upon, all the while expecting her to agree without showing his expectations on his face. I could relate to that seemingly calm look on Di Caprio.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

And when it rains on his funeral and it goes “Blessed are the dead that the rain falls on..,” it felt like something filled up the heart and moistened the eyes. A story so stoically told, like a collection of events that so slowly and subtly builds up a strong feeling of love and respect for Gatsby in spite of raising many doubts about his seemingly mysterious past.

“...They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . .” 

Seen so many Tom and Daisy around, and couldn’t agree more. Some books bring a lump in the throat, even before the story unfolds in your mind. The Great Gatsby is one such wonderful story of a lovely gentleman that brings forth the sweet bitter smell of roses crushed heartlessly by his beloved.