Scan barcode
A review by kitty_whimsical
Great by Sara Benincasa
2.0
I had high hopes for this novel. THE GREAT GATSBY is not my favorite book by any means, but I do enjoy it and the various film interpretations that have been released. I was fascinated by this book from the time I first heard of it and finally decided to purchase it after reading the sample and falling in love. The sample was misleading.
I've always believed that one should never be wholly positive or negative when it comes to a review of a piece of writing. Here's something positive to start out with: the book is a true, close homage to the source. Benincasa did a great job of following the Gatsby plot and carrying it out to the end (even though I personally had some doubt about the Gatsby figure's story in this tale - I never doubted what Jay did for Daisy in the original). The idea to set the story in the Hamptons and use rich teenagers is pretty fantastic as well. The setting was portrayed very nicely.
As for what I did not like:
1) too much product placement (did Marc Jacobs fund this novel?)
2) too many pop culture references that absolutely will not age well - the author references CLUELESS, which is from 1995. It's from before most of the characters in this novel were born. Furthermore, while GOSSIP GIRL just ended in 2012 and was clearly an influence for Benincasa, it remains to be seen whether or not it will survive as a reference point for teenagers in years to come. (And, as a side note, I do not know a single 16/17 year old girl who would be interested in BOARDWALK EMPIRE, except for the one character who is, and referencing it did not make sense to me)
3) the best friend at home in Chicago is a ridiculous butch-lesbian caricature that should have either been left out entirely or fleshed out a little better - I would actually have rather read about her story at home than about Naomi's. It was borderline offensive.
4) I get the title, but I'm an adult with a literature degree. The title has absolutely nothing to do with the story on its own, which is a shame. It tells you right away that the novel's intending to ride happily along on Fitzgerald's coattails.
Overall, I think that this could have been an excellent novel if the writer had put a bit more effort into making it her own and a little less effort into trying to point out how absolutely witty and connected she is. Instead of a modern retelling, we get a self-indulgent remix that succeeds in retelling the Gatsby story, but fails on its own as a standalone novel.
I've always believed that one should never be wholly positive or negative when it comes to a review of a piece of writing. Here's something positive to start out with: the book is a true, close homage to the source. Benincasa did a great job of following the Gatsby plot and carrying it out to the end (even though I personally had some doubt about the Gatsby figure's story in this tale - I never doubted what Jay did for Daisy in the original). The idea to set the story in the Hamptons and use rich teenagers is pretty fantastic as well. The setting was portrayed very nicely.
As for what I did not like:
1) too much product placement (did Marc Jacobs fund this novel?)
2) too many pop culture references that absolutely will not age well - the author references CLUELESS, which is from 1995. It's from before most of the characters in this novel were born. Furthermore, while GOSSIP GIRL just ended in 2012 and was clearly an influence for Benincasa, it remains to be seen whether or not it will survive as a reference point for teenagers in years to come. (And, as a side note, I do not know a single 16/17 year old girl who would be interested in BOARDWALK EMPIRE, except for the one character who is, and referencing it did not make sense to me)
3) the best friend at home in Chicago is a ridiculous butch-lesbian caricature that should have either been left out entirely or fleshed out a little better - I would actually have rather read about her story at home than about Naomi's. It was borderline offensive.
4) I get the title, but I'm an adult with a literature degree. The title has absolutely nothing to do with the story on its own, which is a shame. It tells you right away that the novel's intending to ride happily along on Fitzgerald's coattails.
Overall, I think that this could have been an excellent novel if the writer had put a bit more effort into making it her own and a little less effort into trying to point out how absolutely witty and connected she is. Instead of a modern retelling, we get a self-indulgent remix that succeeds in retelling the Gatsby story, but fails on its own as a standalone novel.