Scan barcode
marissa_roo's review
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-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
4.75
A unique but faithful perspective from the women of Gatsbys world. Believable and yet kept the moody feeling of the original. I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Murder
h_sloan's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence
melissa_b_67's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Violence, Bullying, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Infidelity
thecriticalreader's review
emotional
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? No
2.75
Review:
It is difficult to review this book because I think someone’s enjoyment of it will rely heavily on how they approach a feminist reimagining of The Great Gatsby. Personally, I found it impossible to throw off the weight of Fitzgerald’s novel while reading Beautiful Little Fools, and I was constantly comparing the two, wondering whether I could imagine Fitzgerald’s characters acting this way. Since the characters in The Great Gatsby are all some shade of shallow and terrible, they do not lend themselves to sympathetic retellings that flesh out their characters. At some points, I felt that Beautiful Little Fools did a really good job at adapting the women’s stories, and at others I felt Canton made some truly bizarre decisions that made a mockery of The Great Gatsby. For example, I really liked the idea that Daisy used her affair with Gatsby to get back at Tom rather than out of any lingering affection for Gatsby. I also liked the book's initial depiction of Gatsby as an obsessive man who carelessly wields his power to get what he wants: a "nice guy" whose exuberant, slightly threatening charming intensity bends people to his will. However, as the book went on, Gatsby became more of a caricature of your everyday "powerful male villain," which I felt flattened his character considerably.
Putting aside the legacy of The Great Gatsby hanging over this novel, I thought that the writing was pretty good, and the plot reimagining was impressively creative. My only criticisms are that the detective chapters were unnecessary, and that the feminism was a bit basic and on-the-nose at times.
The Run-Down:
You will probably like Beautiful Little Fools if:
· You have not read The Great Gatsby or you didn't like the The Great Gatsby
· You are open to a reimagining of The Great Gatsby that frames the original book’s events in radically different terms
You might not like Beautiful Little Fools if:
· You struggle to let retellings of classic stories stand on their own
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Infidelity, Stalking, Grief, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Minor: War, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
ladyzbyrd's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An incredible story through varying points of view and jumps in time! Heartache and love, rage and sadness, murder and secrets - the author takes you through them all, step-by-step.
I love the history the author had about the The Great Gatsby and the timing of it all between two pandemics, almost 100 years apart.
Will we see another retelling in another hundred years? It’s certainly inspiring in a way to dream of the future.
I love the history the author had about the The Great Gatsby and the timing of it all between two pandemics, almost 100 years apart.
Will we see another retelling in another hundred years? It’s certainly inspiring in a way to dream of the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Murder
lbutcher's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Violence
paulineerika's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This had such a great premise and I was so looking forward to it. A retelling of The Great Gatsby from the POVs of the women? Yeah, sign me up!
Unfortunately, the execution didn't quite live up to the premise. There was a lot of time spent laying the foundation for the women, but then it all seemed to go nowhere. The women, especially Daisy, ended up falling a little flat, character-wise, for me. In trying to make them more sympathetic, it felt like Cantor ended up making them less interesting. As the book went on, it also felt like there were too many stories to tell and so the stories themselves ended up not as tight as they should have been.
Unfortunately, the execution didn't quite live up to the premise. There was a lot of time spent laying the foundation for the women, but then it all seemed to go nowhere. The women, especially Daisy, ended up falling a little flat, character-wise, for me. In trying to make them more sympathetic, it felt like Cantor ended up making them less interesting. As the book went on, it also felt like there were too many stories to tell and so the stories themselves ended up not as tight as they should have been.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Gun violence
Minor: Homophobia
emilyanne_van's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident and Stalking
maria1085's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”
Fans of The Great Gatsby will love this story told from the perspective of three women. We read this for book club and we all really loved the writing, and the women’s individual stories. We felt that it stayed true to the original Great Gatsby. I really liked the strong female characters and friendships between them. I loved the time period of the early 1920s in this book. Now I need to go back and reread The Great Gatsby. This book reminded me how much I liked that original story. Beautiful Little Fools gives a voice to the women in Gatsby’s life and moved seamlessly through each POV. If you want a spin on a classic story then this book won’t disappoint!
Fans of The Great Gatsby will love this story told from the perspective of three women. We read this for book club and we all really loved the writing, and the women’s individual stories. We felt that it stayed true to the original Great Gatsby. I really liked the strong female characters and friendships between them. I loved the time period of the early 1920s in this book. Now I need to go back and reread The Great Gatsby. This book reminded me how much I liked that original story. Beautiful Little Fools gives a voice to the women in Gatsby’s life and moved seamlessly through each POV. If you want a spin on a classic story then this book won’t disappoint!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Murder
delvie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It's a feminist revenge fantasy retelling of the Great Gatsby. I don't mind the concept in theory, but in practice, it felt a little on the nose. Every female main character was a victim and every male main character was a villain, and there was very little nuance between those two extremes throughout the book. It's Gatsby meets Chicago with dogmatic characterization.
The voice actresses did a phenomenal job, but it felt like they were telling me they were characters from the 1920's (by referencing legislation and necessary historic cornerstones) instead of showing me (via vernacular, relevant furniture, architecture, etc.).
As a Gatsby fan, I don't feel better for having read this book. It felt like a weird satire of "let's tell HERstory instead of HIStory," and it didn't do it for me. I'll just watch the movie instead next time.
The voice actresses did a phenomenal job, but it felt like they were telling me they were characters from the 1920's (by referencing legislation and necessary historic cornerstones) instead of showing me (via vernacular, relevant furniture, architecture, etc.).
As a Gatsby fan, I don't feel better for having read this book. It felt like a weird satire of "let's tell HERstory instead of HIStory," and it didn't do it for me. I'll just watch the movie instead next time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia