agonz225's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
madeline_is_so_cool's review against another edition
4.0
This was great. I really don’t care for the Great Gatsby, and I loved the alternate perspective this book had. Generally these things read like fan fiction but this really didn’t. It caught the atmosphere of the original, the writing was good, and as far as I’m concerned this version of events is what really happened
P.S. audiobook narrators for Jordan and Daisy were top notch
P.S. audiobook narrators for Jordan and Daisy were top notch
danibailey's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
carmenvillaman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thoughts_mela's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Confession, I could never get into The Great Gatsby, the book or the movie. But Beautiful Little Fools is a refreshing look into the women of The Great Gatsby. Each perspective of the four female leads is thought provoking, introspective and exactly what was missing from TGG. Great read.
meh697's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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
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 against another edition
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.