The Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby
Score Classic
What it's about
In the summer of 1922 Nick Carraway rents a small house on Long Island next door to the mansion of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who throws enormous parties. Across the bay lives Nick's cousin Daisy, married to the brutish, rich Tom Buchanan. Gatsby, Nick learns, built his fortune and his parties for one reason: to win back Daisy, whom he loved years before.
Why it's worth reading
It's one of the best-selling and most taught novels in American literature and is on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It's short, beautifully written and still the defining story about the American dream.
You'll love it if you liked
Brideshead Revisited
The Age of Innocence
East of EdenGood to know
It's under 200 pages. If you read it in school, it rewards a second read as an adult.
By the numbers
- Readers29 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics92 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #54 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #154 of the 762 classics we rank
- #478 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by F. Scott Fitzgerald
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Quick answers
Is The Great Gatsby worth reading?
Yes. It's one of the best-selling and most taught novels in American literature and is on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It ranks #478 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Great Gatsby about?
In the summer of 1922 Nick Carraway rents a small house on Long Island next door to the mansion of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who throws enormous parties. Across the bay lives Nick's cousin Daisy, married to the brutish, rich Tom Buchanan. Gatsby, Nick learns, built his fortune and his parties for one reason: to win back Daisy, whom he loved years before.
How long does it take to read The Great Gatsby?
About 4 hours (180 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Great Gatsby?
If you liked it, try Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton or East of Eden by John Steinbeck.