Jillian Cantor has taken on the classic, The Great Gatsby, and reimagined it from the viewpoints of female characters. This is both audacious, thoughtful, innovative and intriguing. Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson and her sister Catherine are young women caught up in the machinations of Gatsby.
The book begins with a murder…..but no spoilers here for those unfamiliar with the original. The author then gives the background, told in alternating voices from the women. We learn their family stories, hopes and dreams told against the upheaval and aspirations of social changes, particularly for women, in the 1920s. These women are striving for what they perceive as a better life….but what do they really want/need to achieve their American Dream?

Driving the book is the mystery surrounding two characters’ deaths. Who? Why? How? A police detective, Frank, is hired off the books to ferret out the truth by tracking down the women. Cantor gives the detective lots of story lines that seem to connect and then blur.

Scenes from the original book are expanded, changed and integrated to cast doubt. But no need to recall the actual novel. This one is entertaining and clever even though I missed the eloquence of Fitzgerald’s language. Congratulations to Ms. Cantor for such a brave choice and execution. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Perennial for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Ever since I first read The Great Gatsby I wanted to know more about its female characters. What was Daisy really thinking? Why did she make the decisions she did? Beautiful Little Fools is the first in what I hope will be many retellings that tackle the story from the women’s point of view.

Beautiful Fools follows three women: Jordan Baker, Daisy Buchanan, and Catherine McCoy (aka Myrtle Wilson’s sister). In the wake of a certain murder, they come under suspicion for their connection to one Jay Gatsby.

This is an engaging and well-written book but it did not satisfy my desire for a deeper look at Daisy and the other women of Fitzgerald’s novel. The Great Gatsby is most interesting for its ambiguity, in my opinion, but this retelling throws that aside for a more dramatic and loose approach that just fell flat. I wanted to see what happened in the shadows, but Jillian Cantor was more interested in creating a totally new story that lacked subtly.

Personally, I feel like Daisy, and frankly every other character including Gatsby, has to be approached as flawed human beings in shades of gray, not purely angelic or purely evil. I won’t deny some of Cantor’s twists are clever, but I feel like they only engage with the original plot on a superficial level. While I found myself nodding along to about half of her perspective (and we finally learn what happens to the dog!), the rest didn’t fit with my view of the book at all. I wanted the original novel to be fleshed out, probed, and really examined, but instead I feel like its most interesting aspects were abandoned.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a focus on women’s roles in society, especially in a historical setting. I sympathized and was drawn in to Cantor’s portrayal. But it just doesn’t feel like Gatsby to me and a lot of the new plot elements felt implausible. Daisy Buchanan is still an intriguing enigma to me and I don’t feel like this book really satisfied my curiosity or did justice to her potential.

“Beautiful Little Fools”
By: Jillian Cantor

The Not So Virtuous Vamps of The Great Gatsby Retell the Tale

As many have opined previously, Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American masterwork, “The Great Gatsby,” is told almost as if it's an illusion of sorts—a magician’s trick of imagery; innuendo; misdirection; unreliable narration; and questionable characters.

In Jillian Cantor’s “Gatsby,” retelling, “Beautiful Little Fools,” some of the original ambiguity is resolved head-on; other story lines are completely omitted; and a completely new twisted climax is added.

In “Beautiful Little Fools,” Cantor gives us a fresh glimpse on the early lives of Daisy and Jordan in Louisville, Kentucky. This is where Daisy and Jay Gatsby are first romantically involved, and where, as a five-year-old, Jordan’s father taught her to play golf.

This is a complex story of two young women, friends from childhood, and of the chance meeting with a young soldier, Gatsby, that evolves into a timeless tragedy.

One, is a rich, beautiful, self-centered material woman who believes that life is best for girls and women who are “beautiful little fools.” The other is a free-spirited independent woman wanting to make her place in a man’s world. The man is smart and handsome, but poor, yet determined to be rich and accepted in high society—to live the American dream.

“Fools” is a compelling, addictive page-turner of the first degree. It's a rollercoaster ride of thrills and frustrations, of extraordinary joys countered with dashed hopes and squelched fantasies.

There's mystery, murder, intrigue, infidelity, ruthlessness and mayhem with a determined detective on the trail. Is anyone innocent in this cast without heroines or heroes?


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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


“Beautiful Little Fools”
Author: Jillian Cantor Genre: Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction | Women's Fiction Publication Date: 04 January 2022 Publisher: Harper Perennial and Paperbacks

With Sincerest Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Jillian Cantor, and Publishers Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for Providing this Advance Reader’s Copy for Review.

I thought the idea of the novel was excellent, and well-written overall. However, I had difficulty sticking with the story for long stretches. I will try again with the print book, however, I wish the author had spent more of the book imagining what happened between the scenes of The Great Gatsby, instead of re-writing the same scenes. Her imagination is good, and the original scenes excellent. The rewritten scenes are a bit lacking.

I have never read the book nor seen the movie, The Great Gatsby. I know enough about the characters and plot to appreciate Beautiful Little Fools. Cantor captures the richness of the 1920s and takes readers in a heady journey. It’s replete with lies, betrayal, joy, and murder. The chapters each have a different voice while adding to the drama. I think readers will like what Cantor created, in the spirit of literary fiction.

Beautiful Little Fools is the Great Gatsby reimagined. It follows the lives of Daisy, Jordan and Catherine and how their paths cross with Jay Gatsby. It gives some insight into the backstory of their lives, overlaps with the storyline in the Great Gatsby and then follows the investigation into Gatsby’s death.

I loved the Great Gatsby and if you’re going to take on a great classic as this then it needs to be great. This was missing all the glitz and glamor of the Great Gatsby. I didn’t really get into it until about the final third when things started to come together. For me, this one was just ok.

I was ecstatic when The Great Gatsby entered public domain in the last few years and could not wait to get my hands on the books that were going to come out of it. Scott’s work left so much up for interpretation and to the imagination (I can still hear my English teacher in high school asking me about that green light), and I was absolutely not disappointed. If you are not familiar with The Great Gatsby, I would certainly read the spark notes of the story, or take some time to read it before picking this one up (or reading this review, which contains spoilers for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original work).

George Wilson shot Jay Gatsby. That’s what everyone agrees happened, until Detective Frank
Charles finds a diamond hairpin at the scene. Now, the women surrounding Gatsby’s secretive life are under a microscope as the detective tries to figure out who it belongs to and what really happened on that August day in West Egg.

The Great Gatsby is turned on its head and takes on a new feminist retelling with Jillian Cantor’s Beautiful Little Fools. This version of the tale focuses on Daisy, Jordan, and Catherine (Myrtle Wilson’s sister) and makes them the main characters instead of props for the men in the story. We get to see how all of these women ended up together that summer and how it all led to the death of Jay Gatsby.

To me, this was a perfect book (and I adored the original work, despite my issues with the author). It was well paced–especially for a mystery novel, it kept me on the edge of my seat even though I knew that Gatsby would always end up dead in his pool. I applaud Cantor for fleshing out all of the characters (except for Nick, who’s head I was very glad to not be in in this version) and making them so much more complex. We get to see Daisy’s pain and what drove her to marry Tom; the reason for Jordan’s aloofness and chronic lying; the humanization of Myrtle through the eyes of her sister; and how none of the men were “good” and put what they wanted before the women. Where the original was a critique on greed and the consumption of Americans in the 1920s, Cantor’s version is a feminist take on what it was like to be a woman in the 1920s and how they were at the mercy of the men around them, unless they take their lives (and other’s deaths) in to their own hands.

This has become a new favorite for me that I plan on revisiting!

TW: multiple descriptions of violent death, domestic abuse, closed door sexual content, sexual abuse, unwanted groping, heavy drinking, homophobia, and sexism

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for my DRC in exchange for my honest opinions!

(4.5 stars/5)

I should mention that I'm not normally a fan of modern retellings or in this case, a retelling through a modern lens. But I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

"Beautiful Little Fools" by Jillian Cantor is a modern retelling of the classic "The Great Gatsby". This is a sexy murder mystery thriller in which we get more fleshed out stories for Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson, and her sister Catherine. It also gives us a different perspective on Jay Gatsby and his love for Daisy. Like I said, it is a murder mystery and we follow an inspector who is investigating the death of Gatsby which in the original novel was blamed on Myrtle's husband, George. Without spoiling, this is a fun murder mystery albeit a bit predictable but it was great!

Cantor does a great job of modernizing aspects of the classic story without it completely forgetting the time period the story takes place in and without being overtly pushy or preachy with feminism which tends to be my issue with a lot of feminist modern retellings. She does a brilliant job fleshing out Daisy and Jordan's backstories as well as their connections to Gatsby. The same can be said about Catherine who in the original novel, is a passing character who we know only in relation to Myrtle whereas in this story, Myrtle is introduced in relation to Catherine. I also just enjoyed how Cantor wrote the women in this novel. They're women from different social and economic classes and yet, we can feel their frustration with just how anti-woman the 1920s were. I also thought that Cantor choosing to explore the lesbian theory in relation to one character was a good choice and one of my favorite theories with TGG.

I don't necessarily have any issues with this book, but I feel like in the journey to really show how far Gatsby could push people, he's villainized in an almost comical way? In comparison to the way Tom Buchanan treats and looks down on women, Gatsby's particular abuse comes across silly even though I know that there are crappy men like that in reality. But that's my only real complaint with this book.

I really loved this and enjoyed reading it.

The "Great Gatsby" has always been one of my favorite classics. I can remember studying it in detail in my Great American Literature class and loving every minute of it. So when I saw the description for this book I couldn't pass it up. I am so thankful I was approved to receive an ARC.
Jillian Cantor does a fantastic job of expanding on the classic story of Jay Gatsby and Daisey Buchanan. Told from several POVs including Gatsby's, Daisey's, Tom's and even the police detective investigating Gatsby's death, we learn of the lives of these characters leading up to Gatsby's death. What their lives were like and what led them all to the invariable conclusion of Gatsby's shooting? Cantor tells their individual stories without losing any of Fitzgerald's style and flair for writing about this decadent era in American history.
I loved this book, it was entertaining, the pace was fast and it was like reconnecting with old friends. I was transported to a different time and way of life that although it glitters and shines with glamour, sometimes that glitter is not all it is built up to be.. I recommend this for all Gatsby fans, this book goes on sale in January 2022 don't miss it.
Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

I read Great Gatsby in English class during my Junior year of high school and I really liked it but the characters that interested me most were the women, especially Daisy and Jordan. So when I got the chance to read Beautiful Little Fools, I jumped at it. Finally delivery on the exploration of the roles that the female characters played! Finally I got to see Jordan as an ethereal lesbian. And thank god finally Daisy is more than just Nick’s cousin, and Gatsby’s love interest. I absolutely loved how the book kept the killer a mystery and the plot fresh despite the Great Gatsby being over a century old. Cantor did an amazing job and I can’t wait for the book to come out so that everybody can pay witness to its beauty.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC

4.5 stars
I thank Netgalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read an e-proof in exchange for my unbiased review.

I chose Beautiful Little Fools as a lover of historical fiction rather than of the Great Gatsby. The details of the book have grown fuzzy since 10th grade English class, and I was worried that my reading of Beautiful Little Fools would be tarnished by its predecessor's school associations. However, Beautiful Little Fools stands on its own as a work of historical fiction while enriching both the female and male characters of the Great Gatsby.

I appreciate that the book has quick pacing without constant cliffhangers. Cantor is skilled at switching narrators every chapter without making the narrative feel jumpy, especially as plot lines increasingly intertwine in the second half of the novel. Cantor is quite pessimistic in her interpretation of Gatsby's male characters, but not overly so. Her read of Gatsby, Nick, and Tom made me think more critically about their roles in the original story, which clearly shows her talent as an author.

Beautiful Little Fools is definitely worth reading, even for those who are not Gatsby fans.

Now that is how you write a good story!
I really loved reading this book - The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald always felt a little vague to me and Jillian Cantor continues (and I think improves) the narrative by giving us some very interesting back stories of all the women involved.
She gives us much more detail about the lives and motivation of Myrtle and her sister, Catherine, and adds an interesting twist on how they are involved with Jay Gatsby.
Ms. Cantor fleshes out Jordan's character and explains the relationship between Nick and Jordan. I think Jordan was my favorite and most believable character.
She also develops Daisy's character more fully and we find out how Daisy really feels about Jay Gatsby, why her feelings changed and why she ends up staying with her brute of a husband, Tom.
Even Gatsby is less of an enigma than in the original novel.
Fitzgerald wrote beautifully, but Jillian Cantor made it into a better, more engaging story - and even added a plausible whodunnit.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for this free ARC

A very interesting take on the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby. Jillian did a great job sticking with how each character is in the original and added some new ones as well.

Jillian Cantor does it again! Beautiful Little Fools is SO good! We get to experience the story of The Great Gatsby through the eyes of the women of the story - Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Catherine McCoy. Jay Gatsby is murdered (not a spoiler, it happens right at the beginning of the book!) and each one of these women has a reason to not want him around anymore. We find out their backstories and do not find out until the end who actually hated him enough to murder him! Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this 5 star read! Highly recommend!

Jillian Cantor is a master of historical fiction and I was thrilled for a chance to review “Beautiful Little Fools.” Jillian Cantor loves to take a historical tale (whether fictional or real-life) and twists events in a "what if this had happened?" Here, she takes “The Great Gatsby” but tells the story through the eyes of Daisy, Jordan and Catherine (Myrtle’s sister). Gatsby is viewed through the perspective of these voices, though he continues to be the paradox we remember from the classic.

I did not enjoy reading “The Great Gatsby” back in high school, but “Beautiful Little Fools” encouraged me to appreciate the original story through a fresh perspective. Cantor does an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged with a few new surprises but still remains honest to the original story.

Thank you the Jillian Cantor, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

It takes a lot of gumption to tackle a classic, to think you can tell it as well from a different point of view. Here, the classic is The Great Gatsby. Jillian Cantor takes on the story, telling it from the point of view of three women - Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Catherine McCoy.
In 1917, Jay Gatsby met the then Daisy Fay in Louisville, KY. By 1922, he’s dead, floating in the pool of his East Egg mansion. The police think it’s a case of murder- suicide, with George Wilson having pulled the trigger. All but one detective, who’s unsettled by the discovery of a diamond hairpin near the pool.
The book expands on The Great Gatsby by giving us the history leading up to that fateful summer and then the investigation after Gatsby’s murder in addition to more of what happened on East Egg. Daisy remains pretty much the same character - unhappy, having married for financial security over love. Jordan is re-imagined as a lesbian. Catherine is a wholly new character, the sister of Myrtle Wilson. She’s a suffragette, a casual sexual partner of Gatsby’s. Each could have easily pulled the trigger, as each has her own reasons to want him dead. The women show the reader the limited possibilities for a woman in the 1920s. Even those that remained single weren’t free to live their lives as they would have wished. We see Gatsby only from the perspective of these women and he continues to be an enigma.
Cantor does a good job of providing some twists along the way, as well as keeping the mystery of who really killed Gatsby hidden. The story was engrossing. It remains true to the original while providing this new perspective. What’s sad is to think how hardened, cynical and apathetic these women were, despite still being so young. But given the men in their lives, it’s really no wonder. I adored the ending. “We all get what’s coming to us. Eventually.”
This is my first book by Cantor. I would definitely read her again.
My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Perennial for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperPerennial for this ARC. The is book is about the women in Gatsby - Daisy Mae, Jordan and Caroline. Jay Gatsby is shot and all 3 women have a reason to kill him but who did it? I have not read or watched The Great Gatsby so I am unaware of the story line, however, I never did figure it out! It reminded me a lot of Big Little Lies with someone dead at the beginning and everyone is involved somehow! #BeautifulLittleFools #JillianCantor #HarperPerennial #Jan2022

Beautiful Little Fools is a retelling of the Great Gatsby BUT in the perspective of the women with also more mystery. It’s the F* the Patriarchy version - and I’m here for it. It gives you the history of Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Catherine McCoy (Myrtle’s sister) and how the events in the summer of 1922 come to be with Jay Gatsby.

If you’re a fan of Gatsby, you need this story in your life. It was so fun to imagine the backstory behind the women who didn’t get a voice in the original. If you haven’t read Gatsby, then this probably isn’t the story for you, but it’s lovely and I enjoyed it so much.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review.
As a childrens librarian, we learn all about fractured fairy tales. This is where a beloved tale is turned in its head or comes at you from a different viewpoint. As adults, we have books like Wicked, a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. Now we have Beautiful Little Fools, a reimagining of The Great Gatsby from the viewpoints of the female characters.
This is a fun book, breathing a little more life into these femme fatales.I appreciate the perspective of these women in a time when women were between a restrictive past and them getting that taste of freedom in the post war NYC roaring 20s.
4*

I do enjoy stories that change stories we already know just a little. This was a very intriguing version of The Great Gatsby and enjoyed it immensely!

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publishers for this copy in exchange for an honest review!