amycampbell's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bookishbitespdx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
libraryofdreaming's review
2.0
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Perennial for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Ever since I first read The Great Gatsby I wanted to know more about its female characters. What was Daisy really thinking? Why did she make the decisions she did? Beautiful Little Fools is the first in what I hope will be many retellings that tackle the story from the women’s point of view.
Beautiful Fools follows three women: Jordan Baker, Daisy Buchanan, and Catherine McCoy (aka Myrtle Wilson’s sister). In the wake of a certain murder, they come under suspicion for their connection to one Jay Gatsby.
This is an engaging and well-written book but it did not satisfy my desire for a deeper look at Daisy and the other women of Fitzgerald’s novel. The Great Gatsby is most interesting for its ambiguity, in my opinion, but this retelling throws that aside for a more dramatic and loose approach that just fell flat. I wanted to see what happened in the shadows, but Jillian Cantor was more interested in creating a totally new story that lacked subtly.
Personally, I feel like Daisy, and frankly every other character including Gatsby, has to be approached as flawed human beings in shades of gray, not purely angelic or purely evil. I won’t deny some of Cantor’s twists are clever, but I feel like they only engage with the original plot on a superficial level. While I found myself nodding along to about half of her perspective (and we finally learn what happens to the dog!), the rest didn’t fit with my view of the book at all. I wanted the original novel to be fleshed out, probed, and really examined, but instead I feel like its most interesting aspects were abandoned.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a focus on women’s roles in society, especially in a historical setting. I sympathized and was drawn in to Cantor’s portrayal. But it just doesn’t feel like Gatsby to me and a lot of the new plot elements felt implausible. Daisy Buchanan is still an intriguing enigma to me and I don’t feel like this book really satisfied my curiosity or did justice to her potential.
Beautiful Fools follows three women: Jordan Baker, Daisy Buchanan, and Catherine McCoy (aka Myrtle Wilson’s sister). In the wake of a certain murder, they come under suspicion for their connection to one Jay Gatsby.
This is an engaging and well-written book but it did not satisfy my desire for a deeper look at Daisy and the other women of Fitzgerald’s novel. The Great Gatsby is most interesting for its ambiguity, in my opinion, but this retelling throws that aside for a more dramatic and loose approach that just fell flat. I wanted to see what happened in the shadows, but Jillian Cantor was more interested in creating a totally new story that lacked subtly.
Personally, I feel like Daisy, and frankly every other character including Gatsby, has to be approached as flawed human beings in shades of gray, not purely angelic or purely evil. I won’t deny some of Cantor’s twists are clever, but I feel like they only engage with the original plot on a superficial level. While I found myself nodding along to about half of her perspective (and we finally learn what happens to the dog!), the rest didn’t fit with my view of the book at all. I wanted the original novel to be fleshed out, probed, and really examined, but instead I feel like its most interesting aspects were abandoned.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a focus on women’s roles in society, especially in a historical setting. I sympathized and was drawn in to Cantor’s portrayal. But it just doesn’t feel like Gatsby to me and a lot of the new plot elements felt implausible. Daisy Buchanan is still an intriguing enigma to me and I don’t feel like this book really satisfied my curiosity or did justice to her potential.
herthrillingreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
julie_h's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
quastquast's review
5.0
Really interesting re-telling of a classic. Nice to read salacious perspectives from women of the time period. Found all 3 women to be admirable / unique while also wanting to admonish all of them at the same time.
delaneywright's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sjhastoomanybooks's review
3.0
The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books, so naturally I was drawn to this retelling of the events before, during and after in the book from Daisy, Jordan, Myrtle and Catherine’s perspectives. The first 2/3 or so read a bit like fan-fiction, but the last 1/3 or so, which overlaps with the source material was excellent and nuanced. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 stars.