Book Notes: The Great Gatsby is considered F. Scott Fitzgerald’s greatest work
The Great Gatsby, published in 1925 and considered F. Scott Fitzgerald’s greatest work, depicts the prosperity and excesses of the years between World War I and the Wall Street crash of 1929.
The novel’s primary characters are Nick Carraway, the narrator; his cousin Daisy; her husband, Tom Buchanan; Daisy’s friend and woman golfer Jordan Baker; and the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Before WWI, Gatsby and Daisy met and fell in love. But Daisy did not wait for his return from war; instead, she married Tom Buchanan, a wealthy aristocrat.
The story takes place in a prosperous area of Long Island, N.Y., where Gatsby, who’s become a millionaire by nefarious means, owns a mansion and throws elaborate parties. Across the bay he can see the more luxurious spread where Daisy and Tom Buchanan live. Gatsby’s single pursuit is to win back Daisy. He hopes she will show up at one of his parties.
Nick becomes entwined in the lives of these characters. He spends time with Tom and Daisy, befriends Gatsby and helps him reconnect with Daisy, spends a day in New York with Tom and Tom’s mistress, and has a romantic afternoon with Jordan Baker.
Although Nick spends time with these folks, he does not respect them. He notes, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”.
UMRA’s Book Club members agreed that the characters were shallow, selfish, and focused on momentary happiness. Those who’d read Gatsby years ago reflected on how the shallowness seemed more striking on their second reading.
We also agreed that Gatsby’s downfall was thinking he could recapture the past and win back Daisy. We felt some empathy for Nick, whose allegiance was to Gatsby. He took that responsibility seriously, to the bitter end, and was instrumental in “cleaning up the mess” made by the careless people. But we were not surprised that Nick returned to the Midwest after his summer on Long Island.
—Kathleen Cramer and Becky Anderson
Book Club to discuss The Great Gatsby
Fri, May 17 2019, 2pm
Herb Scherer will lead a discussion of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald when the UMRA Book Club meets at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17, in the 1666 Coffman building on Larpenteur Avenue in Falcon Heights.
These are the books and discussion leaders for the summer: June, Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell, discussion leader Beth Bedell; July, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, discussion leader Paula Knutzen; August, Still Foolin’ ’Em by Billy Crystal, discussion leader Joni Mitchell. Contact Pat Tollefson, [email protected] for more information.
Please visit umra.umn.edu/Events>Interest Groups>Book Club for a review of the club’s April read, The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani.
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.