THE GREAT GATSBY

This month's title for our Book to Movie discussion is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Born in 1896, F. Scott Fitzgerald was the author of numerous short stories and novels in his short lifetime.  In 1917 he joined the US army, and while stationed in Alabama he met and fell in love with Zelda Sayre.  Upon the success of his first novel, he married Zelda.  However, during their time together Fitzgerald descended into drinking and she had a series of mental health problems.  In 1940, he died of a heart attack at the age of 40.  While The Great Gatsby was well received during his lifetime, it was not until after his death that it reached its current status as a great American novel.

For more information on F. Scott Fitzgerald, go to http://www.biography.com/people/f-scott-fitzgerald-9296261

Fitzgerald's Novels:
This Side of Paradise
The Beautiful and Damned
The Great Gatsby
Tender Is the Night
The Love of the Last Tycoon (unfinished)

If The Great Gatsby wasn't enough, and you want more try one of the books listed below.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles tells the story of how a chance encounter with a banker in a jazz bar launches a Wall Street secretary into the upper levels of New York Society.

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin follows Lacey Yeager as she charms those around her on her climb up the social ladder.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Fowler: A story inspired by the marriage of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald. 

Jazz by Toni Morrison is set in Harlem in the 1920s.  It is a story that captures the city and mood of a moment in United States' history.

East Side Story by Louis Auchincloss tells the story of the rise of a New York family from their early arrival in America to their rise to wealth.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian blends the story of The Great Gatsby with the story of Laurel Estabrook.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain: Meeting through mutual friends in Chicago, Hadley meets and marries Ernest Hemingway.  The two move to Paris where she makes a transformation from overprotected child to a brave young woman.

Film Versions:
The Great Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio)
The Great Gatsby (Robert Redford)
The Great Gatsby (Toby Stephens)

Picture from http://syndetics.com/index.php?isbn=0684801523/lc.jpg&client=arrowheadlbs&type=rn12