5 h 33 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 136 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 136 pagesAbout this book
His mansion fills with strangers, but Jay Gatsby wants only one woman to return.
On Long Island in the summer of 1922, Nick Carraway rents a cottage beside a mansion alive with music and lavish parties. Its owner, Jay Gatsby, has money, mystery, and a dream. As Nick draws closer, the glitter gives way to a longing that wealth alone cannot satisfy.
Gatsby hopes to win back Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s charming cousin and the wife of wealthy, domineering Tom. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald brings their desires into a world divided by old money and new. Beneath the bright surface lies a troubling question: what happens when a dream depends on bringing back the past?
What you’ll discover
- A mansion full of longing Step into extravagant parties where crowds gather around a host they barely know.
- Love tied to yesterday Follow Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy and his fierce hope of recovering their lost past.
- The shelter of wealth Explore how inherited money protects Tom and Daisy from the consequences of their carelessness.
- A witness with doubts See this glittering world through Nick, whose wish to judge fairly meets difficult tests.
- Images that hold meaning Look beyond the green light and gray ashes to the desires and divisions they reveal.
Is it for you?
This summary suits anyone who wants the heart of a famous American novel before reading it, or a clear refresher after school. It will help students, book clubs and lovers of sharp, short fiction. It may suit you less if you want a fast plot with no reflection.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Nick Carraway moves east and meets the Buchanans
- The Valley of Ashes hides Tom's secret life
- Gatsby's parties fill the summer with strangers
- Nick learns what the lights are for
- A rainy afternoon brings Gatsby and Daisy together
- Old money and new money begin to collide
- Gatsby's dream is about the past, not the present
- Wealth makes people careless and shields them
- Nick tells the story with care and doubt
Who’s who
- Nick CarrawayA young Midwesterner who comes to New York to sell bonds, he tells the story and tries to judge people fairly.
- Jay GatsbyA wealthy and mysterious neighbor who throws great parties and hopes to win back something he lost.
- Daisy BuchananNick's charming cousin, married to Tom, whose voice and manner hold a strong pull for Gatsby.
- Tom BuchananDaisy's rich, domineering husband, a former football star who believes his position lets him do as he likes.
- Jordan BakerA cool, stylish professional golfer and friend of Daisy, who becomes close to Nick and carries secrets.
- Myrtle WilsonA restless woman who lives near the valley of ashes and longs for a more glamorous life.
- George WilsonMyrtle's husband, a worn-out garage owner who works hard and hopes for a better future.
- Meyer WolfsheimA soft-spoken gambler and business associate of Gatsby, who hints at the shadowy side of his fortune.
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- Large-print eBook
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- Audiobook
- 5 h 33 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 15 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in, 136 pages: 7,95 USD when you start free, 14,95 USD on its own.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Language: Deutsch
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
Nick Carraway moves east and meets the Buchanans
Nick Carraway comes from a comfortable family in Minnesota. He fought in the First World War, and when he returns home he finds the Midwest too slow and too small. In the spring of 1922 he moves to New York to learn the bond business. He rents a modest house in West Egg, a village on Long Island, for eighty dollars a month.
His little house sits between two worlds. Beside it stands a vast mansion, built like a French town hall, with a tower, a marble swimming pool and a garden the size of a park. Across the bay lies East Egg, where the older and more fashionable rich live. West Egg is home to the newly rich, and Fitzgerald makes this quiet difference in class an idea that runs through the whole novel.
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The author
F. Scott Fitzgerald
1896–1940 · American novelist
F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American novelist and short-story writer, born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1896. He lived in the United States and France. He published This Side of Paradise in 1920, The Beautiful and Damned in 1922, and The Great Gatsby in 1925. He died in Hollywood in 1940.
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”
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What is The Great Gatsby about?
It is about a young narrator, Nick Carraway, who moves to Long Island in 1922 and becomes entangled with his mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby, whose lavish parties hide a single hope. It studies wealth, love and the American dream.
What does the green light mean in The Great Gatsby?
The green light sits at the end of Daisy's dock across the bay from Gatsby's house. It stands for his hope and longing, and for a future that always seems just out of reach.
Who is Nick Carraway and why does he tell the story?
Nick is a young Midwesterner who works in bonds and rents a cottage next to Gatsby. He is both friend and observer, and his careful, doubtful voice lets readers see events through a mixture of admiration and judgment.
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