Scan barcode
girliekatie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely loved The Great Gatsby when I read it. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the fact that all the female characters were there just to move the plot a bit. None of the women felt like they had their own life, let alone personality. Beautiful Little Fools gives you just that. The Great Gatsby women with lives of their own, personalities, secrets... I had no idea how it would end until I got there. Loved every second of it.
noirverse's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 3.5 (rounded up).
I was slightly wary picking up this book, thinking that it was unlikely that it was going to live up to its bold premise, but I'm happy to say that it did.
There's flaws present, but overall, it was a thrilling read that I couldn't put down. It took myself some mental adjusting getting used to the characters and the direction the story was going, but before long, I enjoyed every POV and thought it brought something unique to the original canon. It's partly a backstory reveal for various female characters, and partly a rewrite of the original plot. With retellings, there's often the issue of feeling like you're not gaining anything new when the retelling hits ground that the original story already shows us, but I thought this book did a good job of going over those parts without feeling like a chore.
There's a few criticisms I do have. I did think the plot dragged a bit in the early middle, before the retelling of the original plot fully kicked in. There were a few moments here and there when more subtly could've been used, but it didn't bother me that much. Some of the build-ups to the various reveals in the climax could've been developed better. This book could've easily felt like a cheap gimmick, but it pulled off what it was presenting me with a great amount of skill and only a slight amount of wobbliness on the landing.
I will say that you probably need to have a fair amount of open mindedness for the story being twisted, as several things from the original are majorly changed in service to the plot. I liked the story, but I see it more as a total AU to the original rather than a companion piece to it, as it does go out of its way to make Daisy (and the rest) more likable as people while majorly toning down or ignoring their original flaws.
If you have any interest in the idea of a feminist retelling of Gatsby and don't mind the thought of Gatsby being a full-on villain, I recommend this book!
I was slightly wary picking up this book, thinking that it was unlikely that it was going to live up to its bold premise, but I'm happy to say that it did.
There's flaws present, but overall, it was a thrilling read that I couldn't put down. It took myself some mental adjusting getting used to the characters and the direction the story was going, but before long, I enjoyed every POV and thought it brought something unique to the original canon. It's partly a backstory reveal for various female characters, and partly a rewrite of the original plot. With retellings, there's often the issue of feeling like you're not gaining anything new when the retelling hits ground that the original story already shows us, but I thought this book did a good job of going over those parts without feeling like a chore.
There's a few criticisms I do have. I did think the plot dragged a bit in the early middle, before the retelling of the original plot fully kicked in. There were a few moments here and there when more subtly could've been used, but it didn't bother me that much. Some of the build-ups to the various reveals in the climax could've been developed better. This book could've easily felt like a cheap gimmick, but it pulled off what it was presenting me with a great amount of skill and only a slight amount of wobbliness on the landing.
I will say that you probably need to have a fair amount of open mindedness for the story being twisted, as several things from the original are majorly changed in service to the plot. I liked the story, but I see it more as a total AU to the original rather than a companion piece to it, as it does go out of its way to make Daisy (and the rest) more likable as people while majorly toning down or ignoring their original flaws.
Spoiler
I particularly had mixed feelings about the fact that the story went out of its way to make Gatsby the one to kill Myrtle while tying it into a theme of Daisy having no agency when I was curious to see how the book would deal with that moment of Daisy's character, but it did so by not dealing with it at all.If you have any interest in the idea of a feminist retelling of Gatsby and don't mind the thought of Gatsby being a full-on villain, I recommend this book!
dowryofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
"that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."
Beautiful Little Fools is a stunning retelling of The Great Gatsby that focuses in on the lives and secrets of the women from the classic story. When a diamond hairpin is found at the apparent murder-suicide of George and Gatsby, a detectives suspicions fall on Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle's sister Catherine. He knows they're all lying, but why?
A large part of the story starts in 1917, the year Daisy met Gatsby, and follows the women to 1922. The mystery is what drew me in, but ultimately it's very slow burn and I ended up staying for the beautiful writing and compelling characters.
I was really curious if/how this book would change my opinion on these characters because we only know them through the snippets we got of them through Nick's POV. Cantor beautifully expanded on each woman, gave them more depth and personality, and I left this book seeing them in a completely new light. All the while staying 100% true to their portrayal in the original classic. Honestly, Nick was so far up Gatby's ass, a different POV can change everything.
This book felt like a realistic extension of the original. It was fantastic. Highly recommend. ✨
Beautiful Little Fools is a stunning retelling of The Great Gatsby that focuses in on the lives and secrets of the women from the classic story. When a diamond hairpin is found at the apparent murder-suicide of George and Gatsby, a detectives suspicions fall on Daisy, Jordan, and Myrtle's sister Catherine. He knows they're all lying, but why?
A large part of the story starts in 1917, the year Daisy met Gatsby, and follows the women to 1922. The mystery is what drew me in, but ultimately it's very slow burn and I ended up staying for the beautiful writing and compelling characters.
I was really curious if/how this book would change my opinion on these characters because we only know them through the snippets we got of them through Nick's POV. Cantor beautifully expanded on each woman, gave them more depth and personality, and I left this book seeing them in a completely new light. All the while staying 100% true to their portrayal in the original classic. Honestly, Nick was so far up Gatby's ass, a different POV can change everything.
This book felt like a realistic extension of the original. It was fantastic. Highly recommend. ✨
therestlessbookflea07's review against another edition
3.0
Years ago, I failed to finish F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby because classics are personally challenging for me to connect, but this did not entirely diminish my determination to explore retellings or even inspired writings such as the first book I finished this month.
It is a reimagining of the female characters of the beloved classic with a compelling hint of mystery-thriller of a supposed solved murder case intertwining them. The story brings readers to the awfully lived lives of the characters brought by their entanglement with troublesome men. While reading the chapters involving the investigation, it was personally slow for me but when reaching beyond the middle chapters, readers will discover that they will care for these female characters and will desire better days ahead for them.
The novel introduced interesting takes on overlooked and relevant struggles among women during the timeline of the story as well as allowing readers to have their own review of similar/present battles of women today as part of the reading experience.
A well-paced and good read.
It is a reimagining of the female characters of the beloved classic with a compelling hint of mystery-thriller of a supposed solved murder case intertwining them. The story brings readers to the awfully lived lives of the characters brought by their entanglement with troublesome men. While reading the chapters involving the investigation, it was personally slow for me but when reaching beyond the middle chapters, readers will discover that they will care for these female characters and will desire better days ahead for them.
The novel introduced interesting takes on overlooked and relevant struggles among women during the timeline of the story as well as allowing readers to have their own review of similar/present battles of women today as part of the reading experience.
A well-paced and good read.
librarian_lisa's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
almenm635's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I found it boring
allisonrae13's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
cat_m_82's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pages_and_papercrafts's review against another edition
4.25
What a great reimagined feminist take/retelling of The Great Gatsby. As part of a required book to read and discuss in high school, the original was almost a chore for me to read and I don’t remember much of the plot line (could be my age now though!) but I did enjoy this book. Told from the points-of-view of three females mentioned in The Great Gatsby (Daisy, Jordan and Catherine), the mystery of Jay’s death is revealed along with how their lives and lies were intertwined. This was much more of a character driven book with exceptional character development.
mermiller's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0