The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
"The first time I read The Great Gatsby in junior year in high school, and I remember I liked it. I didn't love it; I think a part of that's reading a book - I like to read, I've always liked to read - but I think when you have to read a book for school, it takes some of the pleasure away from it. But I read it again, I think in my 30's and I remember liking it a lot.
Currently I'm an actor. I've been an actor actually off and on for like 20 years. I came back to it about two years ago. I think - well, I know it - there's a lot of showiness in the novel, in the characters and the events. It's the Jazz Age; a lot of it's about image, and how you dress, and the music, and the lavish parties. And Gatsby himself is super-conscious of his image, so his appearance, what he looks like, how he's seen by others. So I think in that, yeah, that certainly connects to performing and being an actor.
In a way, it's a classic American story, kind of a rags-to-riches story and a coming of age as well; and looking at the Jazz Age, 1920's, Fitzgerald is such a master craftsman. The language is so beautiful, and his observations of human behavior so acute that that makes the book rich and a great read. I'd have to give it probably 4 -- stars. And it's a class of literature, so it's tough to give it less than that. So why not a perfect five? I think 'cause almost any book can be better."
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