The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation
Age 14+
Children's, Young Adult & Educational Comic Strip Fiction / Graphic Novels Classic Fiction Romance & Relationships Stories
A sumptuously illustrated adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved novel of the 1920s, in a vivid and accessible new format.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 masterpiece roars into life in this sweeping, dreamy graphic novel – among the first adaptations of the book in this genre. Painted in lush watercolours, the inventive interpretation emphasizes both the extravagance and mystery of the characters, and excerpts from the original text weave themselves through the illustrations. Prepare to be carried off on a cloud of whimsical romance with Daisy and Gatsby, in a reading experience reminiscent of Hollywood classic movies.
The graphic novel format makes it an ideal teaching tool to engage GCSE and higher level Literature students of Gatsby, and the art-deco gift design will prove irresistible to existing fans and collectors. With its timeless critique of class, power and obsession, The Great Gatsby Graphic Novel captures the energy of an era and the enduring resonance of one of the world’s most beloved books.
Creators
Katharine Woodman-Maynard is a professional graphic designer and artist. She was cocreator of the animated web series and comic Post-Nup, which has more than 300,000 views on YouTube and appeared in film festivals internationally. Katharine Woodman-Maynard lives in Concord, New Hampshire.
Reviews
The book is rendered in luxe colors of rose, gold, amethyst and aquamarine, making us feel as though we’re watching the events of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel through gems held up to the light … readers ages 14 and older will find it hugely rewarding.
The Wall Street Journal
…Woodman-Maynard uses muted single-color panels and pages to communicate the different moods of the story, from excessive parties to melancholy remembrances…Woodman-Maynard chooses to turn many metaphors into literal drawings, adding to the heightened euphoria of Gatsby’s parties. Although most readers will know the story, Woodman-Maynard’s artwork brings a new perspective to the character’s histories and actions…This adaptation deftly pays homage to Fitzgerald’s iconic phrases through the artwork and pushes readers to question Nick’s status as narrator.
Booklist
Synesthetes will delight as the Roaring Twenties come alive in mellifluous watercolors informed by both period ephemera and pure imagination. As visual metaphors wash over the page, fascinating experiments with figure and ground toggle between surrealism and pitiless reality. Snippets of text blend paraphrase and direct quotation, and key lines—the sort found in study guides—appear verbatim. Like other graphic novelizations of canonical works, this adaptation explicitly intended to serve an auxiliary role stands as its own immersive accomplishment.
School Library Journal
Debut graphic novelist Katharine Woodman-Maynard has done an admirable job of adapting and illustrating F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel of love lost…This adaptation of the book would be fantastic to use with a class as an imaginative overview to introduce the novel or as means to differentiate reading options. Used either way, it should generate lively discussion!
School Library Connection
Minnesota artist K. Woodman-Maynard’s graphic adaptation avoids scene-by-scene re-creation. Instead, she focuses more on emotive subtext. Her use of jewel-toned watercolors and fanciful framing (letters loop and curl around characters) highlight the gaudily fleeting beauty of the book’s jazz-and Champagne-fueled bashes and its melancholic undertone.
The Star Tribune
