The Great Gatsby

Read this book over the weekend.   I must be the only literate adult in America over the age of forty that has not read the book for a high school or college assignment, or seen the movie on television or otherwise.
What I do know now, is that I want to watch the movie.
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the book is only a couple of hundred pages long and was published in April 1925.
The book is narrated by Nick Carroway, a midwestern man of his late 20's, graduate of Yale and cousin of Daisy Buchanan.  Daisy and her husband Tom are part of the new rich living in Long Island and working the markets of New York.  Tom and Daisy have a two year child that they largely ignore for a life of parties. Tom  has a mistress, the wife of a garage owner named Myrtle Wilson.  The parties are ostentatious and filled with plenty of alcohol, which shouldn't have been because this was during prohibition.
Nick is working selling bonds in the city, his neighbor is, Jay Gatsby, a man who is known for giving luxurious weekend long parties.  Eventually Nick and Jay befriend each other, and Nick comes to enjoy the over the top lifestyle.  Gatsby makes an extra effort make a personal contact to Nick, something irregular for the normally aloof man.  They travel to the city and meet some of Gatsby's business aquaintances, they for all apprearances are part of the Jewish mafia, presumably involved in gambling and alcohol distribution.  Eventually Gatsby get around to his intent for Mr. Carroway, he want to meet with Daisy, whom he knows Nick is related.  It seems that Gatsby and Daisy knew each other before she was married. 
Daisy and Jay start to spend time with each other.  Then during a late summer weekend, Tom, Jay, Daisy and Nick are all having a party which involves a trip to the city.  In their room at the Plaza, Tom makes clear that he knows about Daisy and Jay.  Daisy and Jay leave in a coupe for the island home.  Tom and Nick follow later in another car and find that Myrtle has been run over by another driver in front of the garage.   Tom whispers something into Tom's, Myrtle's husband) ear.  Then Tom drops Nick off at his house and goes home.  Walking into his house, Gatsby catches Nick and tells him how Daisy had been driving and had run over Myrtle.  Gatsby was prepared to accept the blame and claim to be the driver if caught.
The next day, Gatsby is floating in his pool, Tom Wilson shoots Gatsby and then himself.  It seems that Tom had told Mr. Wilson that Gatsby had run over his wife, without any proof of that fact.
The book wraps up with a sad lack of depth in all of the party patrons to which Gatsby had shown so much largesse.  Only three people came to the funeral.
The bride had told me a couple of times while I was reading this, that the story was depressing.  She sure was right on that account. The book was a pleasure to read and I will be renting the movie soon.

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