Fitzgerald Books

Like most, I first read the Great Gatsby in my high school English class. Although I have read much since then, I've not found another novel that surpasses to Fitzgerald's masterpiece. Between the solid story, symbolism and pleasant prose, the Great Gatsby touches on something everyone experiences in one degree or another: that of unrealized dreams. There are many Gatsbys in the world - each scheming some last-ditch effort to snatch victory from a certain defeat. He is a timeless character.

Now, this is Fitzgerald, and that means he can lapse into sentimentality. I think what makes this book his best work technically is that he keeps tight rein over the sap. It is far more mature than This Side of Paradise and less amorphous than Tender is the Night. Saul Bellow considered Fitzgerald's writing 'weak', but at its best it strikes a young, idealistic chord that makes all the sap worthwhile. I've always felt that comes from Fitzgerald's successful courtship of Zelda.

I recommend this book, but it is one of those stories you know whether you read it or not - like Romeo and Juliet or King Author. If you like Fitzgerald, there are several newer writers that he has influenced. Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind, and I once heard Thomas Wolfe mentioned as a 'devotee'. John Keats was a big inspiration in Fitzgerald's writing, and that old humbug Bernard Shaw as well. Ultimately, I think the Great Gatsby is the best American novel to date, which bridges admirably the old English poets and the modern workaday world.

It's difficult to give any even-handed critique F. Scott Fitzgerald's standard-setting Jazz Age novel since it was required reading for most of us in high school. However, if you come back to it as a full-fledged adult, you'll find that the story still resonates but more like a just-polished cameo piece from a forgotten time. At the core of the book is the elaborate infatuation Jay Gatsby has for Daisy Fay Buchanan, a love story portrayed with both a languid pall and a fatalistic urgency. But the broader context of the setting and the irreconcilable nature of the American dream in the 1920's is what give the novel its true gravitas.

Much of this is eloquently articulated by Nick Carraway, Gatsby's modest Long Island neighbor who becomes his most trusted confidante. Nick is responsible for reuniting the lovers who both have come to different points in their lives five years after their aborted romance. Now a solitary figure in his luxurious mansion, Gatsby is a newly wealthy man who accumulated his fortunes through dubious means. Daisy, on the other hand, has always led a life of privilege and could not let love stand in the way of her comfortable existence. She married Tom Buchanan for that sole purpose. With Gatsby's ambition spurred by his love for Daisy, he rekindles his romance with Daisy, as Tom carries on carelessly with an auto mechanic's grasping wife. Nick himself gets caught up in the jet set trappings and has a relationship with Jordan Baker, a young golf pro.

These characters are inevitably led on a collision course that exposes the hypocrisy of the rich, the falsity of a love undeserving and the transience of individuals on this earth. The strength of Fitzgerald's treatment comes from the lyrical prose he provides to illuminate these themes. Not a word is wasted, and the author's economical handling of such a potentially complex plot is a technique I wish were more frequently replicated today. Most of all, I simply enjoy the book because it does not portend a greater significance eighty years later. It is a classic tale that provides vibrancy and texture to a bygone era. It is well worth re-reading, especially at such a bargain price.

This novel is a complex drama filled with passion and tragedy. Greed and the lust of power are very dangerous. A reflection of a darkening America, the book is more relevant today than it was in 1925.

Spongebob is now the Hall Monitor. He is like a guard. So when a maniac is in Bikini Bottom, he helps out with Patrick, Unfortunately he is the maniac!

The Halloween Cat is my favorite Dora the Explorer book--and we own about 10 of them!

Featuring vibrant autumn images such as bright fallen leaves, The Halloween Cat tells the whimsical story of a lost black cat and the adventure to return him safely home.

With the help of Boots, Map and Backpack, Dora must traverse the Haunted House and Spooky Forest in order to get to the Candy Castle--home of the Good Witch and the black cat.

There are no scary elements in this book, but rather colorful, fanciful Halloween stand-bys like cobwebs, smiling jack-o'-lanterns, bats, and spiders--as well as friendly ghosts, waving trees, and costumed allligators.

The Candy Castle is beautifully illustrated, as is the Good Witch, her shimmering broom, and the adorable black cat (who sports orange eyebrows!)

As a parent, this is a very fun book to read to my son--not to mention being great eye candy! My son seems to love it as well, requesting it to be read to him every night this past week.

The Halloween Cat is a Level 1 Ready-to-Read book. This means the book features simple stories, increased vocabulary, and longer sentences--especially compared to Pre-Level 1 books. As with other Level 1 Ready-to-Read Dora books, The Halloween Cat also features rebuses in place of some of the words--although the actual words *are* present...just in smaller script below the picture.

A whimsical, colorful, gentle way to celebrate Halloween and friendship--and to teach your youngster to read.

Highly recommended!

Book is a very good summary of the recent writing reasearch. No hands on material as to how to improve my writing - but reasearch based material. very usefull for anyone who needs data in regards to writing. Good and comprehensive collection.

Happy Mother's Day, Mami! tells the story of Dora finding the ingedients she needs in order to make a special Mother's Day cake for her Mami. There are 3 recipe cards laid out, and Dora asks the reader "Do you see the recipe card that has bananas, nuts, and chocolate?"

Dora doesn't have the needed ingredients, so with the help of trusty Map, she ventures to the Banana Grove, through the Nutty Forest, and finally arrives at the Chocolate Tree. Along the way, she encounters her friends Boots, Tico the squirrel, Benny the bull, and Isa the iguana...all who have created beautiful presents for their Mothers in celebration of El Dia de las Madres.

Of course, no Dora story would be complete without sneaky Swiper the fox trying to swipe something...and in this case, it's Isa's bouquet of flowers that she's about to give to her Mom for Mother's Day.

Dora brings back the needed ingredients, and her papi (father) helps mix the batter for the special cake. Mami thinks the cake tastes delicioso!

This fun story teaches children several Spanish words, including how to count one through six in Spanish. In fact, the inside front cover features a chart featuring 13 English words, the Spanish term, and the Spanish pronunciation of each.

I started reading chapter books for my cousin's children, and we decided to pick out "A Hare-Raising Tale" by Elizabeth Levy as one of our books.

The story is about a sleepy-eyed basset named Fletcher, whose fur spots are uniquely shaped like the continents of the world. He narrates the story to us, and starts off by saying that when he was a pup, he was put in the pet store, but because no one bought him, he was thrown out the back door and had to live in the streets. He makes friends with a flea named Jasper, but soon afterwards they are caught and put in the dog pound. While living in the pound, a girl named Jill comes and adopts him, and Fletcher goes to live with her. Jill and her friend Gwen decide to use Fletcher for show and tell, but things start going bad for Fletcher, when he is accused of doing something to Aniken (a mean rabbit), who is found missing after show and tell. Fletcher must prove that he is innocent by finding out what happened to Aniken.

My niece and I found this book exciting from start to finish. In the beginning of the book, Fletcher is very concerned about how he looks, and feels that he will not do well like other bassets because of his short tail and his unusual spots. But later, he finds that he has other special qualities, which he uses to solve the mystery. This provides a very nice moral for children who are concerned about what others think of them, and tells them that they should not lose hope even when things look bad.

Author Elizabeth Levy has used simple grammar and Mordicai Gerstein has drawn nice illustrations which children will find amusing and interesting. All in all, this is a fun chapter book to read which children and adults will find amusing to read.

My book is not only a children's book but it teaches a life lesson. This book has touched many people of all ages, that I know and I wish you could read it and be touched by it too.

This book has been very popular in my third grade classroom. This book along with the others in the "Hector" series are consistently checked out of the classroom library by my students. As a teacher I am always excited to find books that capture my students' imagination the way these books have. The kids are drawn to the books by the individual adventures that each story offers, and keep returning to the stories because of their repeated themes of friendship, devotion, and connection to home. These are themes that all my third graders relate to. We're hoping that more will come in this fine series.