That's amusing - I didn't get "The Great Gatsby" at all, but liked "Catcher in the Rye".<p>I doubt I can articulate why I liked it, though - neither the plot nor the characters were about "likability", and I can't say I walked away with any profound life lessons.  It was unique among books I've read in that I put it down at the end and thought "Wow, that was something... but I'm not sure what."