I liked the book, but believe it or not, I liked the movie better. Just a little. Since I'd seen the movie first, I was constantly visualizing the characters as the movie actors. Like when Gatsby was in a scene, I would imagine Leonardo DiCaprio in it, similarly whenever there was some scene with Daisy, Carey Mulligan was there. And naturally it follows that I was Tobey Maguire! Seriously! I was Spider Man!! Ok, just kidding.
Anyway, I was a little bit happier after reading the book, since the ending was not quite as depressing as the movie. I mean the movie ends with Gatsby's death with only Carraway at the funeral.
The book, on the other hand had Gatsby's father come after his death and for the funeral, and also the guy from the party, who was at the library.
Although, the movie had earned a point since Gatsby hears the phone ring as he is shot, and thinks it is Daisy.
False hope, I know, but hope nevertheless.
Also the whole part about Carraway being in some sort of a institution due to some addiction, and writing this story as a form of therapy was just to add a bit of drama I guess. In reality, he is just disillusioned by Daisy's self-involved or selfish behavior, which he realises is a characteristic of people in the East or have moved East, and moves back to the West (or was is Mid-West?). And the movie could have focused more on Carraway's relationship with Jordan.
Anyway, I liked the story overall, though the ending was very depressing, with Daisy leaving and Gatsby dying and all. As Adi said, and I quote "All Daisy wanted was huge houses and big parties!" Wilson also got a raw deal, but he was a side character and so his fate doesn't really matter much as much!
For the uninitiated, its quite a simple, yet complicated story.
Poor boy meets rich girl. He goes away to war, and does not come back even after it, since he wants to get rich in order to be worthy of her. Meanwhile, she gets married to some rich guy who cheats on her often. Poor boy gets rich by crook, rather than hook, and buys a house across the lake(?) from the girl's house. He throws parties every weekend in the hope that she will wonder across one day seeing all the lights and stuff!!!??!! Anyway, they meet and get together, thanks to the narrator, who is the girl's cousin and the boy's neighbor.
When pushed to leave her husband, the girl realizes that she loves her husband also. Then there is an accident in which the girl's car hits her husband's mistress and kills her. Girl tells her husband all, and they quickly get away. Boy who doesn't yet know that girl has let him, is killed by the mistress's husband, who then shoots himself. He was present in the car which caused the accident, and the girl's husband is mis-directed to Boy, who he thinks his wife was having an affair with, and who killed her to get rid of her or something! End of story, Phew!
Moral of the story, hope kills!
P.S. Next up, the 1974 movie version!
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