The Great Gatsby

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrated by: William Hope

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Elegant, enigmatic Jay Gatsby yearns for his old love, the beautiful Daisy. But she is married to the insensitive if hugely successful Tom Buchanan, who won’t let her go despite having a mistress himself. In their wealthy haven, these beguiling lives are brought together by the innocent and entranced narrator, Nick – until their decadent deceits spill into violence and tragedy. Part morality tale, part fairy tale, The Great Gatsby is the consummate novel of the Jazz Age. Its tenderness and poetry make it one of the great works of the 20th century.

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Public Domain (P)2010 Naxos Audiobook

The writing is excellent as is the narrator.

The Great Gatsby
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Narrator by William Hope
Brilliantly written I liked the writing far more than the story.
The narrator did his job well and the story came alive but the general sound level was very low.
So back to the story. The author is brilliant. The way he engages the reader is amazing. The tragic nature of the story was not to my liking but I can't expect all of life to be rainbows and butterflies can I?

A Beautiful Tragedy

Any additional comments?

The Great Gatsby is a beautiful lyric of a terrible tragedy. The characters are extremely flawed and pretty much unlovable but you forgive Fitzgerald this in lue of his writing.

The narrator was fantastic but I would recommend having a copy to flow along with. Each page is jammed packed with so many quotable lines you will want to read it again and chew on it for some time. The more you roll this one around in your head the more it changes and you see something new from a different persecutive.

I recommend this to anyone who hasn't read it yet. I did not finish this book with warm fuzzies but with the knowledge that I was just offered a glimpse into the genius tortured mind of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Read it once and.... That's fine

Would you listen to The Great Gatsby again? Why?
No, the story really was weaker than I recalled. None of th enchanters were that intriguing or sympathetic. There was no real action and no catharsis.

Would you be willing to try another book from F. Scott Fitzgerald? Why or why not?
Maybe

What about William Hope’s performance did you like?
He voice of every man I liked him.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Don't bother

A Classic Story of the 1920's

I have always wanted to read something by F. Scott Fitzgerald and understand why he is considered such a good writer. I finally got the chance to do it and am glad that I did.

Fitzgerald portrays a wide range of complex relationships, emotions, and cultural patterns without sounding phoney or contrived. His characters live on Long Island after World War I and most, but not all, are young and wealthy. While possessing beauty, wealth, and power, they teeter and eventually cross over our cultural lines related to truthfulness, honesty, trust, loyalty, nonviolence, thrift, justice, and respectfulness. Over the course of a summer, their decadent behavior becomes more extreme and ends in unexpected tragedy.

The narrator, a young man from the mid West, observes all this happening, and is confounded, especially by his enigmatic neighbor, Gatsby. As he gets to know Gatsby better and understand his motivation, he acquires a great respect for him.

Classic

Where does The Great Gatsby rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high, but I do wish I would have read the paper version. I don't think the imagery jumps out as much if you aren't reading it for yourself. But I wanted to read it before the movie came out and I am so glad I did!

The great irony, perhaps

What made the experience of listening to The Great Gatsby the most enjoyable?

One of the greatest story ever penned by man. tragedy of a man with a almost impeccable heroism by him. its the kind of story that begins full of mystery and hope and yet ends on a big silent room of atmospheric irony.

What did you like best about this story?

Dreams, hopes defiance dashed by fate and reality.

What about William Hope’s performance did you like?

stoicism. it fits this story. of the great american dream.

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

Gemini

Any additional comments?

if you think you couldnt ask for more. read this story. if you think that you could get what you ask for. read this story.

Good Listen Very Enjoyable

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, story is good maybe better since I read the novel 30 years ago. It was more enjoyable to listen to than to read again maturity allowed me a better perspective on the story. I listened to the book twice and found it more engaging the second time around.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator really keeps the mood of story weaving throughout the novel.

Which character – as performed by William Hope – was your favorite?

Gatsby was well read I felt his alienation, hope, eventual disallusionment.

If you could take any character from The Great Gatsby out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Not sure

classic.

its been around all these years for a reason. the story isn't exciting or thrilling - its just a great story told in a way that unfolds like a napkin. piece by piece. you get sucked in to the lives of the characters. well done.

Such a great story!

I loved it because the narrator was perfect! Highly recommended! This will always be a classic story!

Interesting look into history

I was a business major during my undergraduate and post graduate years so I did not take many courses in literature. I was excited to listen to this book. I see why it is a classic. Some of it is timeless. Some is not. I've been going to Manhattan on business two or three times a year for 14 years and it was cool to know some of the places the book refers to.

I've listened to at least 24 books and William Hope's reading may be the best. Fantastic job.

As for the story, I found it interesting, engaging and exciting for about 3/4 of its length. After that, I was disappointed. It kind of went flat for me. The ending was actually a shock. Maybe I've got too much of a bean counter's brain.

Regardless, I'd love to see the original two versions of the movie. I refuse to see the version with Redford and would consider putting my life in jeopardy while trying to escape if being forced at gunpoint to sit through the upcoming release of the next version.