Review - The Great Gatsby

Do I really need to begin with a synopsis? The Great Gatsby is probably one of the most well-known and well-read English language novels from the 20th century, so I expect that you’ve at least probably heard of it, if not seen the movie or been forced to read it in high school. But, just in case…

The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, and is set predominantly in and around New York City in 1922. Nick Carraway moves to New York to join the ‘bond business’, and ends up renting a small house in the (I assume) fictional village of West Egg, next door to the mysterious and very rich Jay Gatsby. The story is full of lavish Jazz Age parties, class divides and some thoroughly unlikeable characters. It is also beautifully written and thought-provoking, and is often called ‘the great american novel’.

RDo I really need to begin with a synopsis? The Great Gatsby is probably one of the most well-known and well-read English language novels from the 20th century, so I expect that you’ve at least probably heard of it, if not seen the movie or been forced to read it in high school. But, just in case…

The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, and is set predominantly in and around New York City in 1922. Nick Carraway moves to New York to join the ‘bond business’, and ends up renting a small house in the (I assume) fictional village of West Egg, next door to the mysterious and very rich Jay Gatsby. The story is full of lavish Jazz Age parties, class divides and some thoroughly unlikeable characters. It is also beautifully written and thought-provoking, and is often called ‘the great american novel’.

This is not the first time I’ve read The Great Gatsby, but I think it has been the most enjoyable. I held off my re-read until May parcels had been sent, so that I could more easily join in with the group readalong I had planned for our Facebook book club. It was fun to talk through some of my thoughts with others, both on Facebook and via Instagram. I think I have also developed a deeper appreciation for Fitzgerald’s style of writing, even as I’ve also come to more deeply dislike the characters.

While I am not usually one for lengthy descriptions, I really did find myself enjoying Fitzgerald’s scene-setting. For example, “The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walks and burning gardens - finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run.” I also found Nick’s musings and observations to be thought provoking, and only a little (ok sometimes a lot) pretentious.

I had an interesting discussion though, with a fellow reader on Instagram. Is Gatsby really that great? We think perhaps not. Our narrator definitely thinks so, and I vaguely remember thinking that Gatsby’s story was a little romantic when I first read it, but honestly? As a critical adult? It’s kinda creepy. Rising above his station is all very American Dream, but I didn’t find myself rooting for Gatsby and Daisy as a couple. As miserable as Daisy seemed to be with the frankly horrific Tom, I’m not sure that somehow ending up with Gatsby would’ve been all that good for her either. In the end, we renamed the book The Flawed and Occasionally Ridiculous Gatsby.

Have you read The Great Gatsby? How would you retitle it? Come chat to me on Instagram - I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Review - The Happy Prince

Thanks to Jacinta for this guest review of our April Classic!

The Happy Prince is one of several short stories by Oscar Wilde that focuses on themes of compassion and generosity.

The story is set in a grand city, where a large wall separates the affluent from the poverty stricken. The distinction between these two worlds is embodied by a statue of the titular prince, who in life lived in ignorance behind the wall while after his death his statue looks out over the misery of the city and weeps.

I read the book many times as a child. The developing relationship between the princes’ statue and a sparrow who waited too long to migrate, together with their humble efforts to bring relief to many of the sick and destitute around them, captured my imagination even as many of the satirical elements went over my head. The prince was always happy in life - “if pleasure be happiness” - but on the other side of the wall he finds it impossible to hold value in his beauty and wealth, prefering to strip every last bit of it away in support of those around him. While his own worth in the eyes of others is diminished by his descent into a shabby appearance, he gains through this exercise the sincere love and care of the sparrow who helps him. A story about friendship and kindness, The Happy Prince is a great read for children who are still developing their sense of empathy. While the story has a decidedly Christian ending, non-secular parents can still draw from it a message of true value and happiness that is worth teaching children. 

Revisiting the tale as an adult, however, I found a much more complex message hidden within this simple story of self-sacrifice. Wildes’ subtle mockery of societal hierarchies and self-consequence is interplayed with his sincere renderings of poverty, and the value many of his characters place on aesthetic pleasure over human happiness finds new teeth in the current social climate. Displays of wealth and status have always existed in sharp contrast with the struggles of poverty faced around the globe. However, the current world-wide surge in unemployment, illness and poverty combined with unprecedented access to excessive displays of wealth through the internet has reinforced the wall of riches to be a stronger divide than ever while revealing much of what goes on behind it. While the majority of the world sacrifices much of their basic needs to protect the vulnerable and stop the spread, it seems that many celebrities and social media influencers have no problem attending massive parties and ignoring guidelines, or wasting tests and putting service workers in danger to meet their desire for some stress-relief and/or new content.

It seems that despite seeing the stress and suffering of those around them, there are many who will continue to value aesthetic displays of wealth and personal pleasure over the well-being of their communities. In contrast, mutual aid has run strong from inter-personal stories to broader community action. One story ran through my mind during this re-read: Dolly Parton, instrumental in the funding of the coronavirus vaccine through a heft donation, humbly declined to have her image raised in a statue outside the Tennessee capitol calling it “inappropriate” to put her on a pedestal during this time. In stories of mass strife, acts of individual generosity can inadvertently act as a screen over the greed of those who are empowered to prevent much-needed systematic change. Both Oscar Wilde and Dolly Parton seem well aware of the pitfalls that can accompany aesthetic gestures, and of the importance of embracing loving, humble compassion. 

Overall, The Happy Prince is an interesting read, with lasting relevance in both its sincerity and its satire. In the spirit of spreading joy during difficult times, the book was included in April's Classic NovelTea book parcel, where the little sparrow and his statue friend have hopefully brought some enjoyment to our subscribers.

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The Happy Prince featured in the April 2021 Classic parcel. Past parcels are available for purchase here. Subscribe for next month’s parcel here.

Review - Three Men in a Boat

A guest blog by Tamsien West from @BabblingBooks 

The premise for Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) is a pretty simple one - three friends who live very privileged lives decide to go on a boating trip to cure their general malaise and boredom. This trip leads to a hilarious series of disasters and sets the stage for a thorough send-up of the pretentious upper class man! Someone who has no job, or really much purpose other than to dedicate himself to leisure, and perhaps some light study that might lead to a ‘noble’ profession such as a lawyer or member of parliament.

The whole book is an extended farce, filled with mocking, joyful slapstick comedy. It pokes fun at the snobbish, hopeless way these men navigate the world and their hopelessly distorted view of their place within it. One of my favourite scenes involves their attempts to pack for the trip. They discover all the things they need before they leave, like toothbrushes, are at the bottom so they have to unpack and re-pack. The dog keeps stealing things. Someone sits on the butter. It’s utterly silly, but so deeply relatable to anyone who has packed in a rush the night before a trip.

A perfect example of the humour is one of my favourite quotes. It begins with a statement many of us would identify with, but it’s then immediately followed up with the opposite of what you would expect.

“I can’t sit still and see another man slaving and working. I was to get up and superintend, and walk around with my hands in my pockets and tell him what to do. It’s my energetic nature. I can’t help it.”

The main plot is frequently interrupted with amusing anecdotes, side stories and exaggerated boasts by characters. Everything is told in a meandering style, going in circles as different characters add recollections or contradictions. 

The visuals of the story are so vivid that I really felt like I was going on a journey along the river with them. From quaint little towns in the English countryside, to the muddy river banks, and even the chaos of a group of friends trying to pack the night before a trip. All these scenes were like a movie in my mind. So though there’s no chance we’ll be travelling for quite a while, I really enjoyed my vicarious boating adventure.

It was amusing from start to finish, and it was great to see how much of the humour was not only still funny, but closely aligned to contemporary jokes. This book truly lived up to the hype for me. I was promised a rollicking good time and that’s exactly what I got. And I was not at all surprised to learn that it hasn’t been out of print since it was first published in 1889.

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Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog) featured in the October 2020 Classic parcel. Past parcels are available for purchase here. Subscribe for next month’s parcel here.

Review - Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner

A guest post from @lostinstacks

I adored the opening of this book, the pondering of the naughtiness of Australian children, the impact of the sun and the subtle acknowledgement of our sad history.

Despite being quite aware of the problems, it is still contextually jarring, particularly in discussion of race and gender. But Judy is full of gumption and grit, and I love her father’s dismay at how to handle her!

As a side note, the editing of this story - the fact the whole picnic story was removed for so long - astounds me.

A Sunkissed, nostalgic look at childhood in colonial Australia, the quotidian life of the seven is just beautiful! Stylistically it’s a lovely, lyrical read, with children’s poetry at the opening of chapters and an omniscient narrator chatting to you as a companion or co-conspirator.

Reading a bit like an Aussie Little Women (parallels between Judy and Jo could be made?), Seven Little Australians is at times a celebration of childhood or the Aussie free spirit and independence. It touches on darker elements of colonial life, like the harshness of the landscape and the treatment of the indigenous people, but ultimately these aren’t developed. That being said, I did find myself tearing up (ok, sobbing uncontrollably and gasping in horror) at the end. All is not well, as you’d initially think.

I think Turner really tried to push the barriers with this little classic, and the more I research and the more distance I have, the more I appreciate the efforts she made, to include Aboriginal legends, to make strong female characters, to create a children’s story that while having “once upon a time,” was not an easy neat narrative.

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Seven Little Australians featured in the August 2020 Classic parcel. If this review has piqued your interest, head on over to the shop to see if there are any parcels left over for sale!