Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor

This book might now be one of my all-time favorites. WOW. I love anything Gatsby, and I’m always intrigued by retellings, whether it’s something inspired by a book or from a different point of view. 

Cantor reimagines The Great Gatsby from the women’s points of view: Daisy, Jordan, and Catherine, Myrtle Wilson’s sister. There’s also a detective thrown into the mix, a new addition since the book focuses on trying to solve Jay Gatsby’s murder. 

It stands alone (I would compare it to Big Little Lies and books along those lines, honestly), but it’s fun to see the little mentions of things that were in Fitzgerald’s original - whether they’re used as-is or seen through a different lens considering the POV of this book. 

There was also a nod to Harold Bloom that made me smile. I can’t recommend this one enough.

I do have one nitpicky remark that I'll hide under a spoiler tag...

The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by K. Woodman-Maynard

The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by K. Woodman-Maynard

This graphic novel adaptation is a stunning way to revisit The Great Gatsby. Woodman-Maynard’s watercolor illustrations seamlessly blend with Fitzgerald’s words, capturing both the extravagance and the eerie, dreamlike quality of the original. 

The imagery takes on a life of its own—sometimes literally—which adds a fresh layer to the classic. 

That said, it’s an adaptation, so while it beautifully distills the novel’s essence, it’s best enjoyed alongside the full text. The author’s note explains this well, but if you’re just looking for a visually rich Gatsby experience, this one’s a treat.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

If you love The Great Gatsby in any form, The Chosen and the Beautiful is a fascinating twist on the classic. 

Nghi Vo reimagines Jordan Baker as a queer, Asian adoptee navigating the glittering excess of the 1920s—while also wielding a quiet, eerie magic. The fantasy elements aren’t in-your-face but woven subtly into the story, letting you catch them as you go. It’s dreamy, sharp, and just the right amount of haunting—a fresh take on a world that already feels otherworldly.

Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston

Gatsby's Girl by Caroline Preston

This was originally posted on my original blog, AllisonWrites, on 6/12/2008.

I've wanted to read this since I saw it in bookstores two years ago (note: 2006?! Wow!). I have this thing though, about buying new copies of books by authors I'm not in love with. I'll buy dozens of used books I've never even heard of, but at $.50 a pop that's not a big deal. Also, since I'm a huge fan of paperbacks (so portable!) it's hard for me to justify shelling out $20+ for a hardback book.

I FINALLY got it from the library last week! And read it! And really liked it! I'm glad I didn't buy it in hardback (is that mean?) but it was enjoyable. My main issue was that I pretty much hated the main character. She's the stereotypical kind of girl I can't stand, and maybe that was the problem - she was a stereotype. But I find that a little hard to swallow since she was based on a real person. Fictionalized, yes, but based in fact. It was hard for me to feel anything for her, so the whole time I was reading I felt a little distanced from the story. But I fell in love with the main character's sister and, of course, F. Scott himself. So it was weird to be rooting against the main character of the book.

Some great lines:

"The soothing chatter of men and the smack of balls floated over from the seventh fairway."

Ok, I KNOW fairway means golf course, which means golf balls. But the way it was worded is questionable.

"The baby girl was bald except for a fringe of black eyelashes - just like me."

I know it means the baby looked like her, but doesn't it sound as if the mom is bald except for a fringe of black eyelashes?!

It seems like an editor shoulda-woulda-coulda caught those two sentences and re-worded them. There were a few other confusing sentences too that kind of jolted me out of the story with a giggle.

Some (actually) good lines too. It won't make much sense out of context (they're at a Hawaiian-themed costume party), but this made me laugh and re-read the whole scene.

"'But I'm keeping this,' he said, patting the scarf around his middle. 'The fringe will quiver when I tango.'"

"'What would have happened if I'd turned right instead of left, if I'd picked the writer instead of the aviator? I've always wondered.'" - THAT, ladies and gentlemen, gave me chills. After reading the whole story up to that point, I had been wondering the same thing. And when you sit and think about it, how all these little decisions add up to change your life... it's monumental.

Exciting Announcement! New Book on the Horizon

I'm excited to announce that my second fiction collection is coming out April 10th!

Does that date sound familiar? It should, because it's the 100th Anniversary of The Great Gatsby! And since this book is inspired by that classic, it only seemed fitting to release it on that landmark publication date.

The book is now in public domain, so Janet Dale used the first page of each chapter to create found poetry (aka blackout poetry) and I used a sentence from the first page of each chapter to write an entirely new flash fiction piece.

Though we worked independently, things came together nicely and we can't wait for you to read the finished product in just six short weeks!