Summer List Review {The Great Gatsby + Rent}

This is the ninth installment of me reviewing a list of books and movies I set out to read, watch, and enjoy throughout the summer (even though this is going up in the winter). You can check out my other posts in the following links. 

Summer Reading and Movie List

First Installment

Second Installment

Third Installment

Fourth Installment
Fifth Installment

Sixth Installment
Eighth Installment

The Great Gatsby is probably my new favorite classic. I loved Fitzgerald's writing, and the message that the story portrayed about life, dreams, and the dreaded love.

"A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, The Great Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--"Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream."

-Goodreads

Throughout the book I found myself feeling quite sorry for Gatsby, and the ending left me feeling heartbroken and mournful to see what his life had amounted to. It's an excellent book, and Fitzgerald's descriptive tone was the kind of writing I love.

After reading the book I feel the need to go back and see the movie once more (which is a beautiful film by the way). All in all, great book.

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I've realized that I've become that person who watches Hollywood adaptions of plays instead of actually seeing the play. What can I say. I'm poor and live nine and a half hours away from Broadway.

I'll admit, it's always weird watching musicals on TV. I'm not sure if it's just odd to see a movie with SO MANY SONGS or if it's just me. Probably just me if we're being honest here.

Anyway, I found the movie to be enjoyable. I have never seen Rent performed on Broadway or in a theatre at all for that matter, so it's not like it had much to live up to. I can guarantee you though that I'm sure it would be much better live and not on a small seventeen year old's TV.

Overall consensus: a lot of talent (man could those people sing), and a great story line.

Have a fabulous day.