The Great Gatsby is one of the classics that I somehow missed in high school, and though it is well-loved it was one that I never felt compelled to read. Maybe I just wasn’t that interested in the roaring twenties, but there was nothing about the various descriptions that I had read that pulled me in. I even skipped the film adaptations, I just can’t explain why I had no interest in this story.

Despite that, when I was offered the opportunity to read a graphic novel adaptation, and my husband expressed to me how much he enjoyed the novel, I decided to give it a try. Heavens how wrong I was to skip over this story for so long! I ended up flying through the graphic novel, I ate up the story and immediately ordered a copy of the novel as soon as I finished.

Since this is an adaptation of a piece of classical literature, I will not comment on the story itself since I have yet to read the novel. However, I do want to cover how well this graphic novel does at adapting the story.

The art is excellent, it reminds me of older drawing styles that is fitting for the time period. The pages are beautifully watercolored and are bursting with fun details and color, Gatsby’s parties look whimsical and wild. Where the adaptation suffers is in the format itself, where much of the story is shown to us in pictures instead of told through narrative. There is some dialogue to carry the story, and random blocks of narration, while artfully placed in the background, make the story feel like there are some holes. It makes the reading experience feel a bit like an abbreviated version of the story, showing the major events like a storyboard without any of the detail in between.

Despite this, I feel that a graphic novel adaptation is great because it introduces a wide audience to classic literature in a way that is easy to digest. It helped an uninterested reader like me to take an interest in reading the original work and that I feel is the major goal of any adaptation. In all, I’m thankful to this graphic novel for expanding my horizons, and it is one that I would gladly recommend.

So, The Great Gatsby. An iconic 20th century American novel. I personally love it, I know others hate it, but such is the way of things with classics. Being that TGG is widely known amongst Americans, myself included, and often part of school curricula, I’m not reviewing characters, plot, or anything to do with the original novel. Instead, let’s talk adaptation!

A graphic novel is an inherently different form of storytelling from a traditional novel. In this adaptation, that meant Woodman-Maynard made some choices about what to keep from the original text and what to translate, including slimming down the themes while working to keep that uneasy ethereal quality to the oeuvre. I think she was successful in this endeavor.

The soft watercolor palette translates better on paper than online, so I encourage readers to preorder hard copies! I loved the airy quality to the work. Gatsby’s world is a semi-constructed fantasy, so elements like having text on walls and characters that at times appear not to occupy limiting forms, add a new dimension to the novel.

One of my favorite parts is the color palette. Gorgeously saturated and calm due to use of watercolors as a primary medium, chapters are interspersed with monochromatic multi-page layouts as well as full-detail full-color panels. Woodman-Maynard made smart choices about using the simultaneous sumptuousness and translucence of watercolor to represent TGG’s opulent world.

I think it’s a good idea to read The Great Gatsby as a novel, first, though. This is good supplemental material, but there’s so much nuance in Fitzgerald’s original that much had to be cut in order for the adaptation to not feel cumbersome. It’s wonderful from an artistic perspective, and obviously loyal to the plot and characters, but if you’re looking for the intricacy of language to convey theme… well, it’s a graphic novel. Look elsewhere. I would have loved to see more bulk, plot-wise. I think it would have been okay to extend the novel by 20-30 pages in order to capture more text and stay involved in the themes of the original.

Overall, I give The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation 4/5 stars, and I would definitely add it to your TBRs! Out January 5, 2021—a great start to our new Roaring ‘20s!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I am a bit mixed on this one, mostly due to the art and integration of the original text. Sometimes the art really works (like the first time we see Daisy) and sometimes it just falls really flat. Also, sometimes the placement of the text works really well and other times it really doesn't.

It is still a good adaptation of this classic novel.

3.5 stars.

Will make an excellent addiction to any book collection. This graphic novel adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" is filled with beautiful artwork. Meanwhile, it captures the moods of the novel, which adds such a nice level to the interpretation. I recommend reading this in addition to the original. It will really add some spice. Also, the Author's Note at the is great, explaining any literary or artistic licenses taken. Finally, some of the best art in this one is the word art which creates a perfect visual of Fitzgerald's poetic prose.
Expect this to inspire readers to reach for the classics.
I received an early release copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Giving this one 5 stars, this artwork deserves nothing less.

This book was received as an ARC from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite literary classics of all time. I have been waiting for a graphic novel for this book for a long time and the artwork is fascinating. Re-reading the dialog and seeing the corresponding artwork made the story come to life and it made me love it even more. The characters I thought were the best interpreted were Gatsby and Tom. The descriptor's in the story matched very well to the artwork and captured the essence of the story very well. I know a lot of our English Teachers would be curious to read the graphic novel and I definitely am anxiously waiting for their opinion.

We will consider adding this title to our graphic novel collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

As someone who was never required to read The Great Gatsby in school, I thought it would be an interesting experience to read a graphic novel adaptation of a classic and well-known novel and I wasn't wrong. The art style in addition to text and the manipulation of physical perspective regarding the words was stunning, and I can't wait for this book to be released in the mass market.

First of all, it's a little daunting trying to review a Gatsby adaptation--where do you start?! Woodman-Maynard takes on this challenge herself with beautiful splashes of water color. I love this medium for this particular graphic novel since it seems to match the green light across the bay imagery so well. I enjoyed the art, as it felt both ethereal, light, and serious when needed.

I appreciate Woodman-Maynard's adaptation since it provides a new method of access to Fitzgerald's work to readers that may not be able to access it, with exception of the movie. For classroom use, a strong teacher would be able to pull out many themes (but not all) that match the original text. If you're looking for an exact replication, you won't find that in this graphic novel, and I don't say this as a criticism; Woodman-Maynard directly calls this an adaptation, so expecting it to be the same as the Fitzgerald would be crazy.

At times I think Woodman-Maynard could've slowed down and spent a bit more time with aspects of the story--I didn't think we got a lot of Daisy and Gatsby; it seems they spent 2 or 3 afternoons together, even though at one point Gatsby does quickly mention that Daisy had been visiting. But overall, I thought this was a great, accessible introduction to a classic story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC. Like many others, my first experience with The Great Gatsby was in a high school english class. I'll admit, the first time I read it I wasn't a huge fan, probably due to the fact that I was being semi-forced to read it. Since then I have reread it several times and grown to love F. Scott Fitzgeralds classic. When I saw that someone was attempting to tell the story via a graphic novel I was curious. While filled with an interesting art style, I think that this retelling falls a little short. I think that it may serve well as a way of introducing the story to younger reads, it falls to tell the whole story. Parts of it felt rather rushed and some of the most important imagery from the story overlooked. I appreciated how the characters are drawn, but at times the art failed to live up to the opulence that Gatsby is supposed to represent.

What I Liked

- The art was beautiful. I loved the light and airy art style and the watercolour that brought the story to life.
- In general, classics intimidate me. There is a reason why The Great Gatsby (original version) sat on my shelf untouched for many years! However I appreciate that this graphic novel adaptation told the story in a way that wasn’t as intimidating, which is motivation for me to read the original novel.
- I liked that the graphic novel kept some of the lines from the original book, and merged them seamlessly with the narration in the story. To be absolutely honest, sometimes these quotes went over my head but it was great to sit and reflect on some of these famous lines in literature.

What I Didn’t Like

- Since I never read the original The Great Gatsby book, it was difficult to piece together what was exactly happening in the story for the first 20 pages or so.
- Although I didn’t dislike the characters, I felt distant from them. I didn’t know if this was a limitation of the graphic novel format.

The Bottom Line

I enjoyed this graphic novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby, and I loved that this adaptation gave me a glimpse of a literary classic that I would be otherwise too intimidated to read. After reading this graphic novel, I feel more motivated to read the original to see how it would compare!

While I loved the illustrations and coloring in this book, the storyline felt choppy at time. Although I’ve read “The Great Gatsby” I was lost and unsure of what was happening during parts of the book.

Thanks to Candlewick Press and Netgalley for this digital ARC.

I thought this was a very good adaption of F. Scotts Fitzgeralds' Great Gatsby. Its style and chosen text really helped to bring out the various literary devices and themes of the novel. I suspect this will be a very popular book with my teen and adult patrons.

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite classics, and this graphic novel had some aspects that I thought paid a good homage to it. Even though I wouldn't say this was one of my most favorite art styles that I have seen in graphic novels, I did appreciate the dream-like feel it gave, and I enjoyed some of the more creative aspects of using writing in the art versus only speech bubbles. It also hit all the high spots of the original story which is great, but I also felt like it seemed to be lacking something that I still can't put my finger on.

Overall, this would be a great addition to have in High School libraries and classrooms as well as an enjoyable read to anyone who loves this classic! I would recommend you give it a read!

This adaptation of The Great Gatsby was considerably better than the last one I read. I liked the illustrations and thought the story was condensed enough to be appropriately touted as a graphic novel. I think high schoolers would find this adaptation to be easy to get through after reading the original story. However, without knowing any background of the story, this adaptation could be confusing. I even found myself getting confused at times with who was talking.

I love this surreal interpretation of The Great Gatsby. It is an easy way to introduce us to this wonderful novel. It is not an exact representation of the novel but K. Woodman Maynard knew how to perfectly capture each of the characters in a beautiful way.
4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thanks to netgalley and Candlewick Press for this Arc copy in exchange for a honest review

Every time I teach juniors, I always make sure to sign up for "The Great Gatsby," but it's not always the most accessible text for all students. The kids who can read it usually enjoy it greatly; those that struggle to read it, hate it greatly. Our department provides graphic novels as options for those kids to get the classics in a more digestible way. Graphic novel adaptations of the classics can be hit or miss, as most teachers can attest. But Woodman-Maynard's adaptation of "Gatsby" has a lot to offer the classroom teacher.

The author sticks to the original text for the most part, obviously cutting some parts of the novel out. What has been added doesn't stray too far from the story. There were a few minor rearrangements of events, but nothing that took away from the author's (probable) original intent too much. The only issue I had was the omission of the description of T.J. Eckleburg, which is crucial for some of the main themes. The artistic portrayal of the billboard wouldn't make the themes and connections apparent to lower-level readers either. The author does mention that there were some themes that weren't as evident in the adaptation for the sake of the format, but this arguably could have added one more page (or even a small little panel or two when it first pops up). I will say that other than this, I couldn't find anything else that was cut that would have made it more difficult to teach this the way I teach the original novel. I was expecting some of the less "famous" quotes to be missing, but I was happily surprised.

I enjoyed the watercolor artwork of this text, even though I wasn't completely mad about the character illustrations. The splash pages were especially noteworthy, and I think even if I don't adopt the whole novel for classroom instruction, I'll certainly buy it to use some of the full page illustrations for some scenes. There's also a few scenes that portray the self-confessed struggle Woodman-Maynard had in depicting the events of the original from the perspective of the unreliable narrator, Nick. I think those would be great discussion starters when teaching the original as well.

This graphic novel adaptation of The Great Gatsby is a fanstastic way to get people to read the classics. It has a really cool style and follows the original book's plot consistently. It would be a great addition to a classroom library or for those who love illustrated classics.

This book is a graphic novel take on the classic Great Gatsby. Set in the 1920’s, we follow the narrator, Nick, as he moves around in the circle of Jay Gatsby, a man of wealth and mystery, and the love of Jay’s life, the very married Daisy Buchanan. Love, excess, lies, and even murder are all themes in this enduring novel.

First, the positives about the graphic novel version - the artwork. Beautiful. I really felt like I was in the 1920’s with this beautiful work. The colors are lovely, and stylistically beautiful.

The “negatives” - and I use that lightly. I felt it was missing something. There is always a gap that seems to occur when translating a classic text to a graphic novel. I got the main parts of the story, but had I not known the story beforehand, I don’t know if I would have understood it all.

Overall, it’s a quality graphic novel, and I will be putting it in my library.

As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to get students to pick up classics in different forms. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite classics and I am so excited to see a great, faithful adaptation of the story into graphic novel. The art and coloring in this book was beautiful and the content of the story was accessible as well. Definitely one I recommend for classroom libraries!