This was the only book from high school I actually re-read for my own enjoyment, I think that says a lot. I hope the movie does it justice.

I'm generally wary of so called "timeless classic" works that are touted to be amazing and must reads for all scholars as, like the Kardashians or Paris Hilton, I find they are often famous and popular simply because they are famous and popular. Readers do not dare dislike them as they fear that they will be dismissed by literary scholars worldwide. However, I do give each of these "classics" a chance to prove me wrong, and the Great Gatsby failed miserably at doing so. I found the book to be incredibly bland, with a variety of rich people doing rich things, behaving terrible, and generally being boring and/or drunk half the time. Reading the book was about the equivalent of watching a 1920's version of a reality TV show, which may be why so many people like it, but to me it was simply an awful book.

The Great Gatsby was a pleasure to read from start to finish. Just when I thought I knew the direction the story was taking, it changed. A definite classic.