p. 47:

the girls had moved casually on and her remark was addressed to the premature moon, produced like the supper, no doubt, out of a caterer’s basket.

Just another lovely, easy turn of phrase, describing a beautiful night and Gatsby’s otherworldly wealth at the same time.

p. 23:

pleasing contemptuous expression

A photo of Jordan captures this expression, her face contemptuous with her youth and virtuosity, and pleasing rather than off-putting for that contempt. It’s very curious and deep when you think about it: What does the observer believe about himself to find attraction in contempt?

p. 15:

she yawned and with a series of rapid, deft movements stood up into the room.

I like the cinematic quality of this description of Jordan’s languid physical grace. Fitzgerald doesn’t describe what she does – maybe she brushes off her dress, flexes her hands, crosses and uncrosses her legs. But who knows, it’s just those “rapid, deft movements” – the actual motions are less important than the way they look on the screen. That “stood up into the room” phrase can seem curious: she’s already in the room, how can she enter it again by standing up? But it works because it’s like a shot in a movie, where you see her come into the frame as she stands up. I haven’t seen any film version of this book in part because I can’t stand to have the picture in my mind interpreted another way, or worse, not interpreted at all.

I also like this look at Jordan’s face: “Her grey sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming discontented face.” These women are mean, but you don’t realize it, you never realize it until long after it’s over.