*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure* The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Posted April 13, 2016 by RobbieLea in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure* The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published by Scribner Classics, Brilliance Audio on June 1st 1996 (April, 1925)
Genres: Classic Literature and Fiction
Pages: 172
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0684830426
ASIN: B00BWY8FAU
Goodreads
five-stars

The exemplary novel of the Jazz Age, F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book, The Great Gatsby (1925), stands as the supreme achievement of his career. T.S. Eliot read it three times and saw it as the "first step" American fiction had taken since Henry James; H.L. Mencken praised "the charm and beauty of the writing," as well as Fitzgerald's sharp social sense; and Thomas Wolfe hailed it as Fitzgerald'd "best work" thus far. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when, The New York Times remarked, "gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession," it is an exquisitely crafted tale America in the 1920s that resonates with the power of myth. A novel of lyrical beauty yet brutal realism, of magic, romance, and mysticism, The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth century literature.
This is the definitive, textually accurate edition of The Great Gatsby, edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli and authorized by the estate of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The first edition of The Great Gatsby contained many errors resulting from Fitzgerald's extensive revisions and a rushed production schedule, and subsequent editions introduced further departures from the author's intentions. This critical edition draws on the manuscript and surviving proofs of the novel, along with Fitzgerald's later revisions and corrections, to restore the text to its original form. It is The Great Gatsby as Fitzgerald intended it.

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#TheGreatGatsby #FScottFitzgerald #JayGatsby #DaisyBuchanan #JakeGyllenhaal #AudieFinalist2013 @JakeGyllenhal

listeningladyFor some time I have wanted to do a post on classic books which have been reborn in the audio format. Well, today is the day. As you can see, I’ve chosen a book with great name recognition – The Great Gatsby – written by an author who also has great name recognition- F.  Scott Fitzgerald. I consider the classics to be those books we were made to read in high school and college because they met someone’s criteria for being timeless. But, more important, they are the books that continue to be rediscovered by each generation because of either the quality of the message they convey or the entertainment value of the story. Often these older books are written in the style and vernacular of their day, and I was very curious as to how this would translate to listeners in a day of more casual speech with different slang and different mores. Would the language and the cadence be stilted, or would listening to them bring the same pleasure as reading them once did?

I’m not going to get into a deep analysis of the Jay and Daisy show. . .it has certainly been dissected by greater minds and more learned individuals than I. The characters of Nick and Jordan, Myrtle and George, and Daisy’s husband, Tom, are also fully developed as they move toward the inevitable climax. The messages in the book – the vast divides between the classes both social and economic – are still relevant. Although the lines have become somewhat blurred in our time, they do still exist. This truth was brought home to me recently in a conversation with a friend who is a financial “Nanny” for “Trust Fund” babies.  After making me laugh with stories about people who’ve never had to work for a living, I remembered a quote from the book, “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one . . . just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” The calamitous outcome of The Great Gatsby proves the cliche that oil and water really don’t mix.

I just seem to keep striking it rich with the quality of the narrators who are reading the books I’m listening to, and Gatsby is no exception. Jake Gyllenhaal is the voice of Fitzgerald’s narrator, Nick Carraway, and he is exceptional. Be sure to click on the link for his website because Mr. Gyllenhaal is more than just a pretty voice! ? To quote Audible Editor Chris in an article in EOnline, “Gyllenhaal treats it with the utmost respect, allowing the vivid descriptions of mansions, landmarks, and 1920s New York to flow at just the right pace.” 

Even though The Great Gatsby is available in just about any format you might choose, including a television adaption and two big screen films, I highly recommend this audio version featuring Jake Gyllenhaal. It is not a lengthy listen, but is rich with period detail and angst. It is, after all, a classic, and you need to have this one in your repertoire.

five-stars

About F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the major American writers of the twentieth century — a figure whose life and works embodied powerful myths about our national dreams and aspirations. Fitzgerald was talented and perceptive, gifted with a lyrical style and a pitch-perfect ear for language. He lived his life as a romantic, equally capable of great dedication to his craft and reckless squandering of his artistic capital. He left us one sure masterpiece, The Great Gatsby; a near-masterpiece, Tender Is the Night; and a gathering of stories and essays that together capture the essence of the American experience. His writings are insightful and stylistically brilliant; today he is admired both as a social chronicler and a remarkably gifted artist.

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