Let me tell you about Nick Carraway. He's a regular guy from the Midwest who moves to Long Island in the summer of 1922, right next door to a mansion owned by the mysterious Jay Gatsby. Gatsby's place is the spot for legendary parties—everyone who's anyone is there, but nobody seems to know much about the host. Nick learns that Gatsby is secretly in love with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, who lives across the bay with her wealthy, arrogant husband, Tom. Gatsby and Daisy had a romance years before, but she married Tom while Gatsby was off at war. Now, Gatsby has built his entire fortune and thrown these parties all in the hope of winning Daisy back.

The Story

Nick gets pulled into this world as the go-between for Gatsby and Daisy. They reconnect, and for a while, it seems like Gatsby's dream might come true. But the past isn't so easy to shake. Tom has his own secrets and a fierce sense of ownership. Things get messy, tensions explode on a boiling hot day in a New York City hotel room, and a tragic chain of events is set in motion. The glittering world of money and parties quickly shatters, revealing the carelessness and emptiness hiding underneath.

Why You Should Read It

For me, this book sticks because it's about the gap between the dream and the reality. Gatsby isn't just in love with Daisy; he's in love with an idea of her, a perfect moment frozen in time from five years ago. We've all done that, right? Held onto a memory or a hope so tightly that the real thing can never live up to it. Fitzgerald shows us the beauty of that hope—the famous green light at the end of Daisy's dock—and then shows us how it can break you. The characters are all flawed in ways that feel real, from Daisy's weakness to Tom's bullying to Nick's quiet judgment.

Final Verdict

This is a book for anyone who's ever wanted something just out of reach. It's perfect for readers who love a tragic love story wrapped in gorgeous, sharp writing. If you're curious about the Roaring Twenties, you'll get an insider's view, but one that's critical and sad, not just flashy. It's a short novel, but it packs a punch that stays with you. You'll finish it and just sit there for a minute, thinking about your own green lights.