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A review by jheinemann287
Great by Sara Benincasa
4.0
I expected to be very annoyed by this retelling of The Great Gatsby, but I found it quite charming. I think the characterization--especially of Delilah (Daisy) and Jeff (Jordan)--could actually be clarifying for a high school student reading Gatsby.
The main flaw is that some of the narrator's voice a bit tryhard, which pulls you out from the story, but the parallels to Gatsby's plot and Fitzgerald's writing style are subtle enough to surprise--and delight--you. I looked forward to finding them. Even Jacinta's quirk of calling everyone "love" grew on me. At first I found it forced and annoying, but then I remembered that it's SUPPOSED to sound forced and annoying. "Old Sport" sounded forced and annoying, too; it's just that I've read it so many times that it seems natural now.
Overall, it was a cute read. I'm excited to tell my students about it (but only after they've read most of Gatsby).
The main flaw is that some of the narrator's voice a bit tryhard, which pulls you out from the story, but the parallels to Gatsby's plot and Fitzgerald's writing style are subtle enough to surprise--and delight--you. I looked forward to finding them. Even Jacinta's quirk of calling everyone "love" grew on me. At first I found it forced and annoying, but then I remembered that it's SUPPOSED to sound forced and annoying. "Old Sport" sounded forced and annoying, too; it's just that I've read it so many times that it seems natural now.
Overall, it was a cute read. I'm excited to tell my students about it (but only after they've read most of Gatsby).