The Greatest American Novel? Maybe, maybe not, but sections of this book are amongst the best writing I've ever encountered. 
 Popular opinion is that the first few and the last few pages are particularly brilliant, which is hard to argue against. 
 I think this is the best closing paragraph of any book I've ever read, though. 
 "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning .... 
 So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."