What is The Great Gatsby Book All About and Why Does it Still Matter a Century Later?
The Great Gatsby book by F. Scott Fitzgerald turns 100 this year, and it’s never felt more timeless. Whether you’re a lover of American classics, a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2013 film, or just curious about why this book keeps showing up on bestseller lists, you’re in the right place.
What The Great Gatsby is about, who wrote it, why it still matters after a century, and some other must-reads if you loved its glamour-meets-tragedy vibe—we’ve covered it all. Read on…
What Is The Great Gatsby Book About?
First published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is a short novel with long-lasting impact. Set in the opulent world of the Jazz Age, the story follows Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire famed for his glittering parties, lavish lifestyle, and a quiet yearning for something just out of reach—particularly a woman named Daisy Buchanan.
The tale is narrated by Gatsby’s neighbour, Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate who moves to Long Island and finds himself drawn into the strange, glamorous, and sometimes troubling lives of the elite.
As the summer unfolds, Nick uncovers the complex social tensions, secrets, and illusions that lie beneath Gatsby’s golden world. The book explores themes of love, ambition, class, identity, and the elusive American Dream—posing timeless questions that continue to resonate a century later.
Who Wrote It?
F. Scott Fitzgerald, a literary icon of the 20th century, penned this classic during what we now call the Roaring Twenties. Though it’s now considered his masterpiece, the book initially flopped. Fitzgerald died in 1940 believing it was a failure—only for it to become a required text in schools and a cultural touchstone decades later.
Meet the Characters
Jay Gatsby
The charming, mysterious millionaire chasing a dream that no longer exists.
Daisy Buchanan
The golden girl Gatsby can’t forget—beautiful, shallow, and emotionally elusive.
Nick Carraway
Our narrator, a Yale graduate and Gatsby’s neighbour, trying to make sense of the world around him.
Tom Buchanan
The charming, mysterious millionaire chasing a dream that no longer exists.
Jordan Baker
The charming, mysterious millionaire chasing a dream that no longer exists.
Why Is The Great Gatsby Still So Popular?
There’s something hypnotic about this book. Maybe it’s the glitzy 1920s setting—think champagne towers, jazz music, and endless summer nights. Or maybe it’s the darker undercurrent: ambition, betrayal, and the hollowness of wealth. Either way, The Great Gatsby keeps finding new fans.
The language is crisp and poetic. The themes are surprisingly modern—toxic relationships, class inequality, and curated public images. In short, it hits differently every time you read it.
And here’s the twist: when it was released in 1925, it didn’t make much noise. In fact, it sold poorly and was nearly forgotten until World War II soldiers were handed copies, as part of an initiative to provide reading material for troops. From there, its reputation took off—and never looked back.
If You Loved The Great Gatsby, You’ll Love These Books Too
A groundbreaking play about an African American family navigating dreams, dignity, and discrimination in 1950s Chicago. Like Gatsby, it unpacks the American Dream—but from a very different lens.
More introspective and haunting than Gatsby, this novel follows a glamorous couple in the French Riviera whose lives unravel under the weight of secrets and shifting power dynamics.
Hemingway’s answer to the disillusionment of post-WWI life. Think moody expats, lost love, and bullfights in Spain. If you liked Gatsby’s melancholic tone, this is a natural next step.
A semi-autobiographical take on a couple burning through love and money in 1920s New York. It’s Gatsby’s lesser-known cousin—just as glittering, just as doomed.
This noir-style novel is set in 1920s Harlem and follows a jazz singer entangled in secrets and murder. It’s Gatsby with grit, giving a richer view of the era’s cultural pulse.
Fitzgerald’s debut novel, capturing the wild spirit of young adulthood and ambition in post-WWI America. If Gatsby is about lost dreams, this one is about chasing them full speed.
Even 100 years later, The Great Gatsby book continues to dazzle readers with its style, substance, and sharp insight into human longing. Whether you’re revisiting it or reading it for the first time, it’s one of those rare books that always feels relevant—like it’s speaking directly to you.
And while you’re at it, browse through our collection of The Great Gatsby books with a selection of gorgeous covers!
