The Great Gatsby

I somehow managed to get through high school and study literature in college without reading this classic novel from F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is a rare treat to read a canonical work free from the memory of a lecture or exam, and enjoy it on one's own terms. What I find particularly appealing is Fitzgerald's wonderful prose, his simple yet powerful language.

[F]ifty feet away a figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor's mansion and was standing with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars.

 At 158th Street the cab stopped at one slice in a long white cake of apartment houses.

I am part of that, a little solemn with the feel of those long winters . . .

The images grow organically from the pages, the language never calling attention to its cleverness, metaphors never extended too long like a party guest who doesn't realize it is time to leave. It is concise, beautiful writing, full of meaning yet never full of itself -- a novel worthy of being in the canon of great literary works.