This was such a great audiobook! Love the narrator so much. I’ve never had listened to an audiobook of this story before but they one is amazing and would highly recommend!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for granting me complimentary review access to the new January 2021 audiobook recording of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby, narrated by Sean Astin. This has not swayed my opinion; my thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

I must admit that in the past I've let Gatsy sit on my Goodreads read list with a 1 or 2 star rating and no formal review, because I blew through this one reluctantly in high school and only remembered how pretentious I thought it was, how much I'm irked by the idea of "the great American novel" (I'm Canadian, American patriotism and pride is a little over the top to me), and the fact that the N word is used casually to describe strangers. (I acknowledge that this was not socially incorrect at the time this was written.) I was also tired of everyone thinking they're cleaver by spouting off the tidbit that the novel is written entirely without the letter E, because obviously it's not. There are two of them in the title alone! Those people are thinking of Gadsby by Wright.

You may be wondering why, then, I chose to request a review copy of the new audiobook, and you may be surprised to discover that I've now rated it a solid 4 stars. You may assume that I'm simply fan-girling over Sean Astin, but you'd be wrong! I love Sean Astin, for sure, but I didn't even take note of the narrator credit when I hit that request button. I have been invited to review NICK by Michael Farris Smith for the blog tour with No Exit Press, and I figured I should brush up on Gatsby first. An unabridged audiobook seemed like a much wiser choice than the film. I'm now quite excited to read Nick!

The Great Gatsby is a book about people who want what they can't have, and people who can't get out of their own way to let the things they want happen. Perhaps I was too young and unaccepting when I read this as a teen to appreciate that, but I see and appreciate it now. Nick is a man home from the war who doesn't really know what he wants, but he goes out looking for it anyway. He's unhappy with the fact that he's made it to 30 without securing a long term relationship or a successful career, and the pursuit of the latter is what brings him to Gatsby's neighbourhood. Daisy Buchanan, Nick's cousin, is married to a successful and slightly pompus man named Tom who isn't happy with his marriage and entertains the company of other women. Jay Gatsby is a fellow man home from the war who just wants to impress Daisy, the woman he loved but couldn't have before the success he gained since coming home, and now he's settled in her neighbourhood and throws frequent lavish parties with the hope that one day she'll attend. When Daisy's cousin moves in right next door Gatsby hears opportunity knocking and pulls bewildered Nick into his sugar-coated world.

It's unclear whether Nick was attracted to Gatsby because he wanted to be him or because he was attracted to him, and I doubt we'll ever find the answers within Fitzgerald's own pages no matter how hard we look. This was written in the 1920s afterall, and the latter is not the sort of thing people published books about, yet the hints are there. Nick is often the first example that springs to mind when people loosely familiar with classics are asked to name an unreliable narrator, and while its true that Nick smooths over rough edges and eagerly accepts Gatsby's grandeous origin story, I wouldn't say he's being dishonest with the audience so much as he's hding bits and pieces of reality from himself. I'd say the truth of reality is there to be deciphered by the reader if we so choose, which is not always the case with truly unreliable narrators.

Gatsby himself is the character who really drew me in this time through, though. He has built himself up to legend status and flaunts the appearance of popularity and having everything he could ever want, but when the end comes the only people who care are his father and his newest neighbour. He has put so much effort into building his image in hopes that he could win back the woman he loves that he seems to have forgotten to build genuine relationships outside of that goal, and it must be such a lonely way to live.

Sean Astin's performance with this book is as perfect as one might expect. I didn't know he did audiobooks, but now I'm going to be looking for things he's narrated specifically!

In the end, I would strongly encourage everyone who hated this book in high school to pick it up again some time later in life and give it another chance. This book still has a lot to say in the 21st century, and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I've grown into someone who appreciates it.

What an incredible version of my favorite book. The narration by Sean Astin was impeccable and is the reason I picked this up. He truly brings the story to life in such a wonderful way. It breathes new life into the tale. I loved every second and will recommend this one to friends.

A classic novel with some flowery prose. This was a fun audio that helped me scratch this novel off my literary bucket list. Kudos to the narrator whose voice sounded like Leo DiCaprio.

What did I like? While this book was entirely wordy it must of been a hit when it was released. Cheating and long lost love dots the pages. The ending just horribly saddened me. It has a viable message though and a wonderful audiobook.

Would I recommend or buy? Yes this audio is a great way to check off some classic titles. I hope to finish one a month. I would recommend because although written years ago the books message is strangely still valid.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook to listen and voluntarily left a review.

Classic read with a wonderful narrator! I was really excited to see this one as an audio option on netgalley and enjoyed the story and narration.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to listen to the audio version of The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby was originally published in 1925 and has been required reading for school-age children and teens for at least half a century. I remember that I read it but I don't remember it well. I saw the movie with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow and also don't remember it well. However, this latest recording, read by Sean Astin, is definitely memorable. Astin is a top-notch narrator picking up on the subtlest of emotions and giving all the characters a unique voice. It is one of the great joys of the Pandemic:, being able to walk and listen to great literature in one's ear.
I'm fairly sure everyone knows the plot of Gatsby; a man obsessed with the woman he loves and the lengths he will go to get her back. The brilliance of the book is that we are half-way through before we are actually introduced to Gatsby. By then, we have a good idea of the world and the atmosphere of wealthy Long Island as well as the mystery that Gatsby has created about who he is.
Towards the end, Carraway, our fictional narrator, says "Tom and Daisy are careless people. They treat others' lives carelessly-tossing them around, damaging them, and then moving on." That is my memory of the lines. It expresses perfectly for me the narrow world that the wealthy of the 1920s live in.
And Fitzgerald has created and described that world to perfection.
Whether you have read Gatsby earlier in your life or not, I highly recommend listening to this unabridged audio version. It is only seven hours long and is a perfect delight.

4/5 stars

💚 Thanks to Netgalley for providing an audiobook e-arc!


✨This was....surprisingly good. Of course there's inevitable racism, but besides that it wasn't too bad. The narrator wasn't bad himself either. I read this book at different times yet i didn't feel too confused when i had to catch back. I also don't get how people villainize Daisy. Her choices were her cheating shitty husband and a likeable newly wealthy guy who obtained luxury through sketchy means. She didn't go with the good choice though she didn't have any other choice herself. Gatsby's too good for his own good and his own stupidity is what lead him to his demise. If his lifelong goal wasn't to pursue a married woman, this whole book literally won't exist. And the fact nobody literally cares about him despite his well known name says a lot about how he's also at fault for events that happened in this book.

3.5 stars
I read this book in high school and remembered enjoying it, but really didn't remember much about it. So when Netgalley put the audio up for wishes and mine got granted, I was excited to give it a reread. Unfortunately, I found it a little boring up until the end. It definitely had the "classic" feel and as far as classics go, I did enjoy it, it just didn't catch my attention until the end.

We all know or at least have heard of the classic The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It has been more than a decade, maybe even two, since I read this great story and I had completely forgotten how truly tragic it is! Perhaps I didn't think it was that tragic when I read it the first time... This story is full of pain, loss, betrayal, longing, and aloneness. I think I had the movie version of this story tucked away in my head as some marvelous happy go lucky party tale of love. Sure, there are marvelous parties and this is a story of love, but it's so much darker than that too! 

If you've been wanting to read or reread this classic, this audiobook version of the original unabridged story is phenomenally narrated by Sean Astin and could be a great way to enjoy it! The narration, tempo, tone and cadence are excellent and truly add to the story. It was very easy to listen to and runs at just 5 and a half hours. I listen to audiobooks at an increased speed of 1.5x and even at this speed, the narration was fantastic. 

Thank you, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley, for a copy of this audiobook for review!

A great new rendition of a classic. I loved the narration by Sean Aston and what he brought to the audio book. I would highly recommend it for those experiencing the story for the first time as well as those who already love the book.
I just wished the Netgalley audio app worked better.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ARC.

Initially I thought Sean Astin was a weird choice for a narrator, but as soon as I started listening I changed my mind. He brings a wide-eyed, good American boy voice that is perfect for Nick. Sean also brings a melancholy tone to all his work which also is a good fit for this story. This is a high quality audiobook for a classic.

The Great Gatsby is a true classic that holds up pretty well when you take into account when it was written. Nothing "cancel" worthy. Still a well written book.

What's different about this version is that famed actor Sean Astin (Rudy, The Goonies, LOTR) is the narrator and you know what? He does a decent job! While he doesn't give each and every character a truly unique voice, the cadence of his voice tells you who is talking. This is a good reading of The Great Gatsby and I'm glad I got the chance to listen to it thanks to Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for giving me the chance to do so.

When you want to criticize someone, remember all people of this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had. This line struck me. I can’t believe I’ve made it this long without having read this book.

First I must say that Sean Astin made the audiobook a fantastic listen. I’m always amazed at how much the narrator plays in listening to a book.

That said, there is beautiful writing and many themes in the book and it isn’t at all what I expected, but it seems slightly overrated to me. The story is plain and if you don’t stop and reflect on the themes, you’ll miss the whole point of the book.

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.”

I read this in high school, and then again in college, and saw the movie with Leonardo DiCaprio when it came out, and here are the only things I remembered before picking up this book:

- a flashing green light
- creepy eyes
- mint juleps

When I saw this new audiobook version, I decided this classic deserved another reread, specifically for the narrator, Samwise Gamgee - I mean, Sean Astin - as I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley. Overall, I liked his voice and style. Sean Astin was not a bad narrator. I liked his portrayal of Nick Carroway, the "guy-next-door". He added this sincerity to Nick's voice that was reminiscent of Sam in LOTR. While I overall liked his narration style, sometimes the delivery felt a little stilted, and it did detract from the story a bit.

Even though the story is nearly 100 years old, it holds up relatively well, at least in overall message -- the desire to achieve the American dream. Rereading the audiobook was a nice change, though part of me wanted to reread a physical copy so I could notate all of the great quotes and symbolism like I was in tenth-grade English class again...

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this audiobook. I thought the narrator did a fantastic job; it was easy to keep track of the characters. I had seen the movie and always wanted to read the book. What a sad ending, Gatsby lived his whole life to love one woman. He loved and lived fiercely.

I have read The Great Gatsby many times, but was curious as to how it would translate to audiobook format. I was pleased with the product.

The story is of course an exceptional one which I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of revisiting. Fitzgerald’s classic never seems to get old, but I really enjoyed the slightly different experience of reading it that came with trying out the audiobook version.

I appreciated the narrator’s even, mostly detached tone. I don’t like audiobooks that approach the experience like theater, tending toward exaggerated, over-emotive reading and my personal pet peeve of “doing voices,” at which nearly all readers are cringily awful at.

Here the reader did just that—read. He did so with feeling and inflection, certainly, but without unnecessary theatrics. It allowed me to enjoy this new version of an old favorite, and I would recommend it to first-time Gatsby readers and long-time fans alike.

The Great Gatsby is an American classic and a book that is well worth one’s time. Each time I have read this novel, I have gotten more from it. Sometimes I think that it reads deceptively simply but there is depth here. With its characters, setting, longings and look at America it speaks to those who take the time to engage with it. This time, for the first time, I listened to The Great Gatsby. Listening to the story helped me to go slowly and really hear all the nuances of the book. I recommend the narration by Sean Astin. He hits just the right tone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

What a classic and a blessing to read one of my favorite books again. This book has love, loss, decit and surprise and is so so well written. I absolutely love it and find something new every time. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a great new rendition of the beloved classic work. I loved the emotion the narrator brings to the story, though he's not quite what I envision Nick Carraway- that's much more a reflection of how familiar I am with the story and characters.
Overall this was a good unabridged version and I recommend it for those experiencing the story for the first time as well as those who already love the book.
Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the advance copy.

what a wonderful book and narrated by the beloved Sean Astin. I would love to read this one again soon. thank you netgalley