Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor

7 reviews

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

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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

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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

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! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Murder

machenn's review

mysterious reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Car accident, Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Alcohol

serenas_reads's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Violence

Moderate: Stalking

Minor: Rape and Adult/minor relationship

leah_152's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

Loved this book! I don't read many retellings or reimaginings but this one was exceptional 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse

patioclus's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective fast-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? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this book! The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time, so when I heard about this book I was immediately sold. This book turns the story of the Great Gatsby into a murder mystery focusing on Daisy, Jordan, and Catherine (Myrtle's sister). The book does an amazing job of adding depth and complexity to all of the women in the story, which was so fascinating and refreshing to read. Also, Jordan Baker is now officially one of my favorite characters of all time.  

TW: Sexual assault, alcohol use, violence, death of a family member, homophobia, cheating

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Homophobia

Minor: Alcohol