My book club met on Wednesday night to discuss THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I was very excited about this selection because I'd been meaning to re-read this book since a few weeks before I saw the movie. Unfortunately, I ended up seeing the movie before I could read the book; and I have to wonder if it didn't influence my interpretation of the book.
That's not to say the I didn't love the book because I totally did -- I just kept picturing certain characters and scenes like they appeared in the movie version. In fact, my entire book club thoroughly enjoyed this book and two of the members even consider it one of their all-time favorites. We actually didn't spend a lot of time discussing the book -- some months are like that; however, much of our conversation was geared towards comparing the book and the movie.
One thing that struck me as I was reading THE GREAT GATSBY for the first time in almost thirty years is how much more I appreciated this book as an adult. I'm certainly glad that I read and discussed it in high school but I really didn't understand so many of the themes and symbolism. I just don't think I had enough wisdom and life experiences to truly get the story. In a way, I almost feel as if this novel is wasted on the young, but I digress....
Next month, we will be reading THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN by David Baldacci for our holiday meeting. My friend wanted a quick and easy read since we will all be so busy with the holidays and I think THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN fits the bill. I always look forward to our December meeting because we have a used book swap. Not that I need any more books, but I enjoy seeing what everyone brings and eventually goes home with!
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3 comments:
Now you're making me want to reread Gatsby! Looks like you have a nice, light read for December.
I need to reread that book too. I remember loving it in high school but I have a feeling I didn't really understand it.
Totally agree with you...most of the themes in this book were lost on me when I was 16 and more interested in the boy sitting across the room or what I was doing that weekend. I loved it so much more this time around (even though the audio version I listened to was AWFUL...the narrator was drinking and smoking the whole way through). And I loved the movie. We bought it and watched it again just the other night.
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