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circe813's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Racism, Xenophobia, Abortion, and Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and War
Minor: Vomit
melanie_reads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Gatsby lovers looking for a fresh take on your beloved's past, wowzers - Nghi Vo delivers.
Take that 1920s glamour, throw in some magical realism, a hint of demonic mystery, and a bit more context of what was actually happening in the 1920s (esp. for women and the non-WASP set) and you have something new and breathtaking on your hands.
Is this plot-driven or character-drive? I'd say most people will come to this book with knowledge of the plot and in doing so, it becomes its own character.
Take that 1920s glamour, throw in some magical realism, a hint of demonic mystery, and a bit more context of what was actually happening in the 1920s (esp. for women and the non-WASP set) and you have something new and breathtaking on your hands.
Is this plot-driven or character-drive? I'd say most people will come to this book with knowledge of the plot and in doing so, it becomes its own character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Abortion, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
lotten4's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Not much happened but it was unique and well written
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Gun violence, Vomit, Alcohol, and War
rotatinglibrary's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Very slow moving, was hoping for more magic,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide
Minor: Vomit
beforeviolets's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't know if I have the words to explain how much I loved this book.
I don't know if I've ever annotated a book this much (maybe If We Were Villains if anything).
The Great Gatsby meant a lot to me in high school and it was a book that I loved so deeply. And this book was very hyped up; I constantly saw people saying that it was better than the original, that it would be the best read of the year and I was nervous, skeptical even. But wow was it incredible.
Nghi Vo brought these characters more to life than the OG book ever did and as much as the added aspect of magic was unneeded, it made the story so much more interesting. The descriptions in this book are stunning beyond words. Her use of similes though constant is vivid and clear and captivating. The way that men are described in this book is just *chef's kiss* and I am absolutely in love with Jordan and her blunt and critical and guarded ways.
I fear of using too many words to describe my experience of reading this book because it feels so much more visceral and fragile and nostalgic than anything I can allude to via a Goodreads review but all I'll say is oh my goodness please go read this.
I don't know if I've ever annotated a book this much (maybe If We Were Villains if anything).
The Great Gatsby meant a lot to me in high school and it was a book that I loved so deeply. And this book was very hyped up; I constantly saw people saying that it was better than the original, that it would be the best read of the year and I was nervous, skeptical even. But wow was it incredible.
Nghi Vo brought these characters more to life than the OG book ever did and as much as the added aspect of magic was unneeded, it made the story so much more interesting. The descriptions in this book are stunning beyond words. Her use of similes though constant is vivid and clear and captivating. The way that men are described in this book is just *chef's kiss* and I am absolutely in love with Jordan and her blunt and critical and guarded ways.
I fear of using too many words to describe my experience of reading this book because it feels so much more visceral and fragile and nostalgic than anything I can allude to via a Goodreads review but all I'll say is oh my goodness please go read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Abortion
Minor: Self harm
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this! A retelling of The Great Gatsby through the eyes of a minor female character, in a magical alternate 1920s where Jay Gatsby really did sell his soul to get what he wanted. The way the book calls back to the original story is fantastic, and it manages to keep the babyish mannerisms of the women while peeling back the layers to show the person beneath. I loved the way Jordan came to look at her identity over the course of the book as well.
The final twist at the end kind of disappointed me a bit because it returned focus to a character I didn't care much about and the actions involved felt pointless, but the rest was great.
The final twist at the end kind of disappointed me a bit because it returned focus to a character I didn't care much about and the actions involved felt pointless, but the rest was great.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Terminal illness, and Kidnapping
booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is a retelling of THE GREAT GATSBY so good that it made me finally get what literally happened at the end of THE GREAT GATSBY, which was a mystery large enough to vaguely bother me since high school, but so far not quite frustrating enough for me to circle back and fill my knowledge gap. THE CHOSEN AND THE BEAUTIFUL reframes Daisy's friend Jordan Baker as a queer Asian adoptee with a talent for magic and an uneasy position at the upper strata of a society which is intrigued by her right until it casts her aside.
Based on my hazy recollection of the original, this is a beat-for-beat retelling. Because Nick (the original point of view character) and Jordan spend significant stretches of time in separate places, this book takes advantage of that time to focus in on Daisy as she's seen by Jordan away from Gatsby, and to make explicit a great many things which were just heavily implied before. If you've never read The Great Gatsby, don't worry about it, you don't need that book in order to understand this one.
I love the use of magic, everything from the paper creations to treating demoniac as one more opportunity for vice in the midst of Prohibition. The characters are vibrant, and the way Jordan's position as simultaneous insider (affluent, friends with Daisy) and outsider (queer, Asian, adopted) sets her up to poke at the strangeness of some moments and ride with the feeling of others. Part of what this makes explicit is just how much sex was happening in and around Gatsby's parties. It starts out heavily implied, almost coy as Jordan refers to sleeping at different women's houses but not saying exactly what she did there, but gradually it becomes more and more clear. I love this portrayal of a young bi (or possibly pan) woman who knows what she wants and feels free to explore. She gets a chance to meet other Asian people and start to explore a side of herself which she lost easy access to as an adoptee. This gives her room for a storyline separate from the sensual but volatile combination of herself, Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy, and it works really well. It plays with expectation, illusion, disappointment, and surprise in a way that supports the main story but explores a part of her that their society only mentions to say they (most often Tom) didn't mean for that microaggression to catch her.
This is an excellent retelling which doesn't need the original in order to be understood. It uses the original's themes of excess, alienation, the desperate need to be loved, and the loneliness of a crowd, then combines them with marginalizations of queerness and race to give them a poignancy and context that leaps off the page.
Based on my hazy recollection of the original, this is a beat-for-beat retelling. Because Nick (the original point of view character) and Jordan spend significant stretches of time in separate places, this book takes advantage of that time to focus in on Daisy as she's seen by Jordan away from Gatsby, and to make explicit a great many things which were just heavily implied before. If you've never read The Great Gatsby, don't worry about it, you don't need that book in order to understand this one.
I love the use of magic, everything from the paper creations to treating demoniac as one more opportunity for vice in the midst of Prohibition. The characters are vibrant, and the way Jordan's position as simultaneous insider (affluent, friends with Daisy) and outsider (queer, Asian, adopted) sets her up to poke at the strangeness of some moments and ride with the feeling of others. Part of what this makes explicit is just how much sex was happening in and around Gatsby's parties. It starts out heavily implied, almost coy as Jordan refers to sleeping at different women's houses but not saying exactly what she did there, but gradually it becomes more and more clear. I love this portrayal of a young bi (or possibly pan) woman who knows what she wants and feels free to explore. She gets a chance to meet other Asian people and start to explore a side of herself which she lost easy access to as an adoptee. This gives her room for a storyline separate from the sensual but volatile combination of herself, Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy, and it works really well. It plays with expectation, illusion, disappointment, and surprise in a way that supports the main story but explores a part of her that their society only mentions to say they (most often Tom) didn't mean for that microaggression to catch her.
This is an excellent retelling which doesn't need the original in order to be understood. It uses the original's themes of excess, alienation, the desperate need to be loved, and the loneliness of a crowd, then combines them with marginalizations of queerness and race to give them a poignancy and context that leaps off the page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Vomit
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Car accident, Abortion, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence and Suicide
CW for major character death.perpetualpages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
CWs: alcoholism and intoxication; infidelity; parental death; murder; racism and outdated racial epithets; references to suicide and abortion; some descriptions of vomit; graphic injury; and some scenes containing graphic sex
The Chosen and the Beautiful is a stunning Gatsby retelling that adds so much richness and depth that is absent from the original text. While The Great Gatsby is a fascinating, dramatic story about glamour and debauchery it leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the characters' motivation and circumstance. In this retelling, Nghi Vo seeks to answer those question by introducing magic and queerness to the story in a way that brings the events of Gatsby into new light, and the complexity presented by those new elements is shown to be every bit as necessary to the story as they are refreshing.
I love how magic is used in this story. It's very much woven into the fabric of this world and time period to the point of being commonplace. In the original story, we're told that Gatsby throws these hugely extravagant parties in the hopes of drawing Daisy's attention and luring her in, and while that is still true in The Chosen and the Beautiful, there's an added layer with the notion that perhaps Gatsby sold his soul to a demon and provides opportunity for gluttony and licentiousness in service of the underworld. It also provides another answer for how he came into his fortune and how he can afford to throw these lavish parties night after night.
Magic is also connected to our main character, Jordan, who has the ability to create living creatures out of paper, which is connected to her Vietnamese heritage. It's really interesting to see her discover that power throughout the story, but also seeing how she is expected to use that power in service of the white people around her.
So the use of magic is commonplace to the point of it almost being inconsequential, and it's also seen as an "indulgence" that serves the purpose of entertainment. In that way, magic becomes yet another form of currency and status in this society, which is further reflected in how the story explores money and wealth as its own form of magic. Money is connected to privilege, and when you have enough money you can open any door, conjure anything at your fingertips, and make anything you want become real. What is that, if not a kind of magic? By association, Jordan is folded into the protective circle of privilege afforded to her rich friends, and that privilege is magic enough to make her culture and her ethnicity "disappear" enough to make her "tolerable."
The addition of queerness in this retelling is also equally important, especially in how it reveals more about Gatsby's interest in Nick. He's drawn to Nick not simply because they lead vastly different lives or because of Nick's blood relation to Daisy (though that does play a role), but also in part because they desire each other. By reimagining Jordan as a queer woman as well, The Chosen and the Beautiful takes what's merely implied in the original text and makes it explicit. And because Gatsby's parties are a space where all are welcomed and where anything can happen and be forgotten by morning, that would naturally create a site to explore queerness without fear of stigmatization or rejection. The story does what The Great Gatsby fails to do by acknowledging the historical existence of people who A) were not white and B) were not straight.
I also think it's so smart how the narrator who is providing an entryway to this story is yet another character who might otherwise be considered "a side character" at best, in the same way that Nick, in the original story, primarily plays the role of a witness. But unlike the original, there is historical precedent for why Jordan would be considered secondary, and it's because she's a Vietnamese immigrant. Because of her cultural background, she is considered to be "apart from" the Gatsby's and Daisy's of the world, even though they tend to run in the same circles. She is invited to witness and play accomplice in the on-goings of their lives, but she is not invited to center herself or take up space. Her friends allow her to be around because they consider her cultural experience to be dismissible and inherently secondary to their own lives.
And I think that ties into the greater questions presented in the story: What does it mean to be wanted? What does it mean to belong somewhere? How much are we entitled to, if anything? In that sense, there are so many powerful parallels between Jordan and Gatsby. They both surround themselves by hundreds of people without truly being known by anyone; neither are not free to pursue that which they really want, either because of opportunity or circumstance; and they both trend towards the destructive as they merely go through the motions of life. If something is available to you does that mean it belongs to you? That's a question both Gatsby and Jordan are struggling to answer in this story.
Overall, I found this to be an evocative and powerful retelling that made me look at the original in a completely new light. Through the addition of magic, queerness, and a POC narrator I was also able not only to engage with the story in a different way, but imagine myself in it for the first time. While the plot remains largely grounded in the original events, the story reads completely differently and stands on its own.
The one thing that felt questionable to me was a line towards the end that mentions how Gatsby is half-Choctaw, and it's so quick that it almost feels like a throw-away sentence. That Native heritage is significant, and I wish it was actually meaningfully explored in the story instead of punctuating it as an afterthought, and I don't think it affords the proper respect to that cultural heritage. That said, even though the it does feel a bit too slow-paced at times, it's still a beautiful and thoughtful story that gradually reveals more and more of itself the longer you sit with it, and that lingering longevity makes it wholly worthwhile.
The Chosen and the Beautiful is a stunning Gatsby retelling that adds so much richness and depth that is absent from the original text. While The Great Gatsby is a fascinating, dramatic story about glamour and debauchery it leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the characters' motivation and circumstance. In this retelling, Nghi Vo seeks to answer those question by introducing magic and queerness to the story in a way that brings the events of Gatsby into new light, and the complexity presented by those new elements is shown to be every bit as necessary to the story as they are refreshing.
I love how magic is used in this story. It's very much woven into the fabric of this world and time period to the point of being commonplace. In the original story, we're told that Gatsby throws these hugely extravagant parties in the hopes of drawing Daisy's attention and luring her in, and while that is still true in The Chosen and the Beautiful, there's an added layer with the notion that perhaps Gatsby sold his soul to a demon and provides opportunity for gluttony and licentiousness in service of the underworld. It also provides another answer for how he came into his fortune and how he can afford to throw these lavish parties night after night.
Magic is also connected to our main character, Jordan, who has the ability to create living creatures out of paper, which is connected to her Vietnamese heritage. It's really interesting to see her discover that power throughout the story, but also seeing how she is expected to use that power in service of the white people around her.
So the use of magic is commonplace to the point of it almost being inconsequential, and it's also seen as an "indulgence" that serves the purpose of entertainment. In that way, magic becomes yet another form of currency and status in this society, which is further reflected in how the story explores money and wealth as its own form of magic. Money is connected to privilege, and when you have enough money you can open any door, conjure anything at your fingertips, and make anything you want become real. What is that, if not a kind of magic? By association, Jordan is folded into the protective circle of privilege afforded to her rich friends, and that privilege is magic enough to make her culture and her ethnicity "disappear" enough to make her "tolerable."
The addition of queerness in this retelling is also equally important, especially in how it reveals more about Gatsby's interest in Nick. He's drawn to Nick not simply because they lead vastly different lives or because of Nick's blood relation to Daisy (though that does play a role), but also in part because they desire each other. By reimagining Jordan as a queer woman as well, The Chosen and the Beautiful takes what's merely implied in the original text and makes it explicit. And because Gatsby's parties are a space where all are welcomed and where anything can happen and be forgotten by morning, that would naturally create a site to explore queerness without fear of stigmatization or rejection. The story does what The Great Gatsby fails to do by acknowledging the historical existence of people who A) were not white and B) were not straight.
I also think it's so smart how the narrator who is providing an entryway to this story is yet another character who might otherwise be considered "a side character" at best, in the same way that Nick, in the original story, primarily plays the role of a witness. But unlike the original, there is historical precedent for why Jordan would be considered secondary, and it's because she's a Vietnamese immigrant. Because of her cultural background, she is considered to be "apart from" the Gatsby's and Daisy's of the world, even though they tend to run in the same circles. She is invited to witness and play accomplice in the on-goings of their lives, but she is not invited to center herself or take up space. Her friends allow her to be around because they consider her cultural experience to be dismissible and inherently secondary to their own lives.
And I think that ties into the greater questions presented in the story: What does it mean to be wanted? What does it mean to belong somewhere? How much are we entitled to, if anything? In that sense, there are so many powerful parallels between Jordan and Gatsby. They both surround themselves by hundreds of people without truly being known by anyone; neither are not free to pursue that which they really want, either because of opportunity or circumstance; and they both trend towards the destructive as they merely go through the motions of life. If something is available to you does that mean it belongs to you? That's a question both Gatsby and Jordan are struggling to answer in this story.
Overall, I found this to be an evocative and powerful retelling that made me look at the original in a completely new light. Through the addition of magic, queerness, and a POC narrator I was also able not only to engage with the story in a different way, but imagine myself in it for the first time. While the plot remains largely grounded in the original events, the story reads completely differently and stands on its own.
The one thing that felt questionable to me was a line towards the end that mentions how Gatsby is half-Choctaw, and it's so quick that it almost feels like a throw-away sentence. That Native heritage is significant, and I wish it was actually meaningfully explored in the story instead of punctuating it as an afterthought, and I don't think it affords the proper respect to that cultural heritage. That said, even though the it does feel a bit too slow-paced at times, it's still a beautiful and thoughtful story that gradually reveals more and more of itself the longer you sit with it, and that lingering longevity makes it wholly worthwhile.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Car accident, and Murder
Minor: Death, Suicide, Abortion, and Death of parent
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