I was forced to read this book for school English class when I was 15, and I loathed it. I read it again recently because, ironically, I have a student who must study the book for school English class. The second reading was a superior experience. This time I could appreciate Fitzgerald's bag of writing tricks that really do make this novel an 'American Classic'. I have not watched either film version of this book, nor do I intend to. Fitzgerald's beautiful use of language to conjure images of the Jazz age and it's cynical hollowness is something that film will never capture. This book is a gem and worth revisiting.