Month: June 2013
Book Review on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is an intricately crafted novel that depicts the happenings in America’s Jazz Age. I consider this novel as one of the classic stories I’ve read. With its decades of existence, I still find it captivating to re-read the book and relive F. Scott Fitzgerald’s telling on the conception of love, affluence and societal class. You’d find that the way Fitzgerald had written the book would leave you wanting to dig deeper into the story. In short, every single page is bursting with suspense. The book reveals evocative qualities of pertinent issues in the 1920’s. With its descriptive texts, the characters and settings are brought to life as if you were witnessing the event.
The book is articulately narrated by Nick Carraway’s point of view, Jay Gatsby’s modest neighbour in Long Island that ultimately became his most trusted friend. However, as the story progresses, the viewpoint of the other characters are also featured. Gatsby’s ostentatious obsession for Daisy Fay Buchanan portrays a love story with both passive insistence and languid pall. The setting depicts the conflicting nature of the American dream in the 1920’s which gives sobriety to the classic novel. Five years after Jay and Daisy ended their romance; the two had come to different points in their lives. Daisy married Tom Buchanan for the one and only reason: to continuously live a life in luxury. Gatsby, on the other hand, has accrued wealth through his dubious ways. Carraway is responsible for bringing the lovers back together. Gatsby’s romance with Daisy is once again rekindled. Tom, on the other hand, continues carelessly with an auto mechanic’s greedy wife. Nick gets trapped in the high society and has a relationship with a young golf pro, Jordan Baker.
Fitzgerald’s eloquent description on how people lived and acted at a time where prosperity and wealth can blind anyone is exquisite. I was definitely enthralled by how he described Gatsby’s massive wealth especially the parts when he throws parties every Saturday. I would have to say that my first reading of the book led me to confusion due to its text but it added mystery for me to fully delve into the story.
What You Need to Do in a Book Fair
I have been asking tips from a friend of mine, who has already self-published her book, on how to make the most out of a book fair. She shared to me her experience, attending the 2013 London Book Fair for the first time. Below are handy tips which I find helpful that I am sure you’ll find useful too.
- Make sure you find time to scan the conference agenda before attending the event. It pays to be well-appointed. You would not want to end up spending most of your time wandering obliviously trying to determine which exhibition booth or exhibition display stand systems you need to visit first. When she attended the LBF 2013, information was easier to access because attendees were given a free downloadable app for smartphones to aid them in scheduling seminars that they want to attend and checking in booths or display stands that they want to visit.
- Imagine yourself being in the same building with other publishing experts! What will you do? The answer is simple. Grab this perfect opportunity by putting yourself out there. Remember that book fairs like LBF only happen once a year. Go ahead and initiate a tête-à-tête with beginning and expert writers alike. But it is not advisable to paddle into a conversation just to have that person do something for you. Enjoy meeting new acquaintances. Be confident and refrain from showing nervousness. By taking yourself seriously, other people will also take you seriously. Also, refrain from handing over resumes or enquiring about job openings during the event’s duration.
- Attend sessions, seminars, interviews and demos. My friend added that there are better opportunities after the official closing hours of the LBF. While in the fair, she attended one of the seminars and directly gained new friends. Later that evening, she was able to mingle with them in a laidback atmosphere. It also gave her the chance to be introduced to several other editors and authors. It is best to go out there and just be yourself. Be friendly and have a good time.