Jul 7th, 2010 by Lisa
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Narrator Nick Caraway tells the story of Jay Gatsby’s pursuit of wealth, and of his long lost love Daisy during the Jazz Age.
From the Publisher (Scribner)
Everybody who is anybody is seen at Jay Gatsby’s glittering parties. Day and night his mansion on West Egg buzzes with bright young things drinking, dancing and debating his mysterious character. For Gatsby – young, handsome, fabulously rich – always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting, although no one knows what for. Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel.
Book Club Party Ideas for The Great Gatsby
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Music references in the book include the fox trot, waltz and of course Jazz. |
What to Wear
A flapper costume, of course! There are many costumes, wigs, boas and beads on the internet. Just put “flapper” in the search box. Some may not be suitable for a book club party, unless you enjoy wearing a garter belt when you discuss literature.
Annie is modeling another option for 1920′s attire, complete with hat and gloves.
1920s attire
Book Club Menu for The Great Gatsby
The menu for our book club party for The Great Gatsby was inspired by different scenes throughout the book. Gin Rickey: This is what was served to Gatsby and Nick at the Buchanan house. They drank them “in long, greedy swallows.”
At his parties, Gatsby served “spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold.” I modified this menu a bit to make it more suitable to our book club party. I made grown up Pastry Pigs with honey mustard and garnished with chives. I also made Ham and Cheese Pastries, a mini quiche that is great as an appetizer or served for brunch. Turkey Pot Pie in a Puff Pastry makes a festive appetizer.
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Lemon Cakes with Candied Lemon Peel and Raspberries: Nick served lemon cakes to Daisy and Jay when they arranged a meeting at his house. These recipe can be time intensive, but so worth it!
Book Club Resources for The Great Gatsby
Ratings at the time this post was published
| Goodreads: 3.69 stars (440,077 reviews) |
| Amazon: 4 stars (1286 reviews) |
| Barnes & Noble: 4 stars (786 ratings) |
| My Rating: If you have not read this book since high school I recommend reading it again. Although you would be hard pressed to find a character you respect, the writing is simply gifted. It is a tragic love story (I use the word “love” loosely) that takes place during the Jazz Age. |
Purchase The Great Gatsby
Purchase from Barnes and Noble
Additional Resources
Have you ever wondered if East Egg and West Egg were real places? Here are the locations F. Scott Fitzgerald was referring to:
East Egg and West Egg
For more books by F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as collections of his short stories and commentaries, visit Amazon’s author page.
The Great Gatsby is set during the American Jazz Age. In addition to The Great Gatsby, there are several other movies that are also set in this time period, such as Chicago and The Jazz Singer.
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Book Club Party Ideas This post is filed under : 1920-1939, classics, top pick
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