When a novel is pronounced to me as one of 'The Great American Novels' I subconsciously, immediately, dislike it. I think the idea of anything being proclaimed great, in a very generic sense, almost always turns me off. A classic I can cope with. Pride and Prejudice is a classic. But a great novel? That's subjective, in my opinion, and opinion touted as fact is never okay.

But blow me if Gatsby isn't a great novel. Despite it being very much a piece which represents its time, in a way which is both nostalgic and contemporary, what captured me was not the richness of setting; but the richness of character. Every character of The Great Gatsby is fully realized, to my eye, and has a depth of emotion, for better or worse, which is a rarity in modern novels.

From the wistful, hope propelled Gatsby with his belief like life's breath in a suffocating man, to the skin deep Daisy and mercurial Tom - these characters grabbed my attention and held on for dear life until the end. The plot very much follows the fast pace and rabid energy of the age, steaming along, events passing you by like a car driven just fast enough to thrill.

As a footnote; I did watch the 2013 film. I enjoyed it immensely and don't feel it in any way bastardized or lessened the impact the book had on me. In fact it probably cemented my understanding.

So, if you struggle with the idea of The Great American Novel, give Fitzgerald a go; a riveting ride which stayed with me long after I'd finished reading. Scepticism, if not cured, then subdued under the undeniable proof of Gatsby's hold - more substantial than his green light could ever be and, yet, just as beautifully tragic.