Unpopular opinion: People keep calling 'The Great Gatsby' a love story and it drives me nuts.

I've been in three different book clubs over the past year and every single group had someone say the main point is Gatsby's love for Daisy. That's just wrong. The book is about the American Dream failing, not romance. Gatsby doesn't love Daisy, he loves the idea of a rich past he thinks she represents. Fitzgerald makes that clear when Gatsby wants her to say she never loved Tom. How can you read that and still think it's a sweet love story? Has anyone else had to argue this point with their club?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennifer_jenkins9d ago

My friend's book club nearly broke up over that same argument last month.

the_faith9d ago

What was the argument about that got so heated?

stellanelson8d ago

Oh man, I read this article about how some people think you should only read books by authors from your own background, you know? And other people say that's crazy and limits what stories you can learn from. It gets so personal so fast. Like, are you even allowed to write about experiences you haven't lived? That's the kind of thing that starts a war in a book club.