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The Great Gatsby  By  cover art

The Great Gatsby

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Narrated by: Jake Gyllenhaal
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Editorial review


By Madeline Anthony, Audible Editor

HOW THE GREAT GATSBY BECAME THE QUINTESSENTIAL JAZZ AGE NOVEL

If you ever find yourself pondering the correlation between the greatness of a work and it’s commercial success (or lack there of), and whether or not the first has anything to do with the latter, here’s a case study to wrap your mind around—F. Scott Fitzgerald died thinking that his third novel, The Great Gatsby, was a dismal failure and that his body of work would soon be forgotten.

While the novel sold only 20,000 copies during Fitzgerald’s lifetime, The Great Gatsby stood the test of time and is now widely considered Great American Novel canon. Largely seen as a literary masterpiece, the novel has made its way into high school and college curriculum as required reading, inspired multiple critically acclaimed films, and set the stage for creative spin-offs set in the world of Gatsby (such as Daisy, a reimagined take on the novel from the perspective of Daisy Buchanan herself), and has generally inserted itself into American vernacular.

There are other authors and novels with similar stories; for instance, Moby Dick was a critical and commercial flop until it finally gained popularity 30 years after author Herman Melville passed. Sometimes an author is ahead of his or her time, and sometimes chance works in mysterious ways. In Fitzgerald’s case, copies of Gatsby were handed out freely to soldiers during World War II. The renewed interest in the book breathed new life into it, and from that moment on, Gatsby soared.

Today, the nostalgia conjured by the Roaring 20s is in a kind of renaissance. Or maybe, the truth is that a sort of longing for the romanticism of this era never really died. In lower Manhattan, guests can venture into The Gatsby Experience for instance, which is an interactive theatre of sorts equipped with a speakeasy tour and live performance. The Great Gatsby, a new musical, is running off-Broadway, and a general appreciation of not only the classic novel but also the time in which the novel was set is alive and well. Don’t we all want to live in a time where the champagne flows, and life, for a brief moment at least, seemed easy?

Continue reading Madeline's review >

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Classic, 2014

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel of the Roaring Twenties is beloved by generations of readers and stands as his crowning work. This new audio edition, authorized by the Fitzgerald estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain). Gyllenhaal's performance is a faithful delivery in the voice of Nick Carraway, the Midwesterner turned New York bond salesman, who rents a small house next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. There, he has a firsthand view of Gatsby’s lavish West Egg parties - and of his undying love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan.

After meeting and losing Daisy during the war, Gatsby has made himself fabulously wealthy. Now, he believes that his only way to true happiness is to find his way back into Daisy’s life, and he uses Nick to try to reach her. What happens when the characters’ fantasies are confronted with reality makes for a startling conclusion to this iconic masterpiece.

This special audio edition joins the recent film - as well as many other movie, radio, theater, and even video-game adaptations - as a fitting tribute to the cultural significance of Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age classic, widely regarded as one of the greatest stories ever told.

©1925 Charles Scribner's Sons. Copyright renewed 1953 by Frances Scott Fitzgerald Lanahan (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Combining a deeply loved classic like The Great Gatsby with a well-known Hollywood voice like Jake Gyllenhaal’s could create magic or disaster. Could there be competition between the two? Which side would come out stronger? This production strikes a graceful balance, with both big names blending to complement each other. Gyllenhaal’s reserved tone lends polish to Fitzgerald’s text, accentuating the mood of poetry that pervades the novel. His delivery is simultaneously youthful and experienced, aware of the subtleties of the characters and the plot nuances as he infuses them with life. Gyllenhaal controls his performance with style and careful pacing, seemingly keeping as reverent an eye on the novel as Gatsby himself kept on that elusive green light." (AudioFile magazine)

Featured Article: 50+ The Great Gatsby Quotes on Life, Love, and the American Dream


Written and set in the 1920s, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic work of literature that isn’t easy to categorize. You could say it's a love story, but Fitzgerald entangles this yearning with tales of epic parties, commentaries on classicism, and existential probing. The plot is thick, the characters are profound, and the prose: unforgettably gorgeous. Discover quotes from The Great Gatsby that demonstrate the depth of this timeless tale.

What listeners say about The Great Gatsby

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Why did I wait so long to read this?

Would you consider the audio edition of The Great Gatsby to be better than the print version?

I never read the print version although I have read other FSF books

What other book might you compare The Great Gatsby to and why?

The first half of Atlas Shrugged

What about Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance did you like?

Great job

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes - it was realistic, sad and truly captured what seems to occur too frequently ...

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A tale of a Dream

I would recommend this book to any who have faith in the American dream. For while I do not think it to be dead it is a scorching at the flamboyance of following it in ignorance of the present in favor of a persistent past...
I cannot say Gatsby was a good person but he was a great man. He was willing to stand outside for an unquestionable amount of time and while his character may have had faults he was always willing to better himself. He was willing to go to any length for his dream but unfortunately that is all it was a dream of a forgotten past. He had the unfortunate lot to fall for a woman and follow her to the ends of the earth.

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One Of My Favorite Oldies

Would you listen to The Great Gatsby again? Why?

Definitely !! Because, in my opinion, it was F. Scott Fitzgerald's finest novel and I find something - a story line or character - to enjoy each time. Also Jake Gyllenhaal's narration was excellent..

What did you like best about this story?

Nick's devotion to Gatsby - or rather to the person Gatsby wanted to become with Daisy.

Which scene was your favorite?

Sorry, cannot choose - loved the scene "Gatsby having tea with Daisy" at Nick's house..

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I would not change the title - "The Great Gatsby" is a classic.

Any additional comments?

Yes. My first reading of this novel was over 30 years ago and it still strikes me as strange that Mr. Fitzgerald wrote the lines (for Nick's character ): " .... in the end Gatsby turned out okay ...." (or ...."Gatsby turned out all right" ...."). Gatsby was shot and died in his swimming pool !! Perhaps he meant "okay" or "all right" without Daisy - to Nick's way of thinking. We will never know.

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Amazing classic

This is a fantastic classic, beautifully read and I eagerly recommended it to anyone with that enjoys romance novels even though this one is so much more...

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Wuthering Heights, American style

Imagine an American version of Wuthering Heights, and enjoy this curious, twisted and tragic tale.

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Excellent narration

I really enjoyed the narration on this audio book. I read it in high school and enjoyed revisiting it as an adult. The universal themes of love, betrayal and loneliness leave you thinking long after the book finishes.

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I understand the classic status

Gilenhall gives a superb delivery of Fitzgerald's classic tale. It's worthy of a credit use, I'd say.

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Now this is a modern day classic worth the reading

I am taking some time to read some of the modern day classics. Most of the classes I took in high school focused on the classics of English literature and not American literature, so I always felt as though I had missed out on so much. This is one of the American classics that was well worth the reading. I enjoyed the story and the writing style of F. Scott Fitzgerald and I particularly enjoyed the narration of Jake Gyllenhaal. Combine that with an engaging tale and you come away with 5 stars. Don't miss out on this classic! Hear it today!

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Timeless classic!!

Loved it. A timeless classic!!! Mr. Gyllenhaal did a fabulous job. I've already read this several times but it was enjoyable none the less.

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This is as good as it gets.

This story jumps out and grabs you as soon as you start listening. It's a classic and you read it in your youth, but it's as if you've never read it before. The tale is so rich with detail that you must read it again for comprehension. Jake Gyllenhaal does a masterful and understated job of narration. This is the best kind of audiobook.

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