So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures by Maureen Corrigan

Category: 50 Books

sowereadon What kind of nerd reads a book about a book?

That would be me.

This book is Maureen Corrigan’s love letter to The Great Gatsby, and while I did not enjoy Gatsby when I was forced to read it in high school (like everyone else who grew up in the public school system in the United States) Corrigan’s enthusiasm for the book has convinced me to give Gatsby another try.

In this book Maureen Corrigan gives us some biography on Fitzgerald, some backstory on Gatsby, and even a bit of memoir on her part. I was expecting it to be dry in parts, and was even afraid that maybe the book would come off too text bookish, but honestly, the whole book is very readable.

I loved that she loves Gatsby so much that all the criticisms of the book that she mentions she takes with a grain of salt. It’s the exact kind of fangirl love I have for say, reruns of Law & Order, when my husband complains, “Haven’t you seen this episode? This show is the same thing over and over.” And without taking my eyes from the screen I say, “Yeah, ain’t it great?” Cos it’s like an old pal. Her unapologetic love for this book is really charming. And like I said, her enthusiasm has convinced me to read Gatsby again. No small feat considering I would describe that book as, “Some rich people have parties, cheat on each other, and then get murdered.” We’ll see if I enjoy it the second time around as Corrigan all but promises.

I assume if you love The Great Gatsby you will really dig this book. I can say that if you did not enjoy Gatsby when you read it in high school, but you do enjoy Maureen Corrigan’s book reviews on NPR’s Fresh Air, you’ll more than likely dig this book.

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