Publisher: Harper Perennial / Harper Audio
Published: February 1, 2022
Source: Print – ARC Paperback via Harper Perennial / Audio – ALC via Harper Audio
Summary:
USA Today best-selling author Jillian Cantor reimagines and expands on the literary classic The Great Gatsby in this atmospheric historical novel with echoes of Big Little Lies, told in three women’s alternating voices.
On a sultry August day in 1922, Jay Gatsby is shot dead in his West Egg swimming pool. To the police, it appears to be an open-and-shut case of murder/suicide when the body of George Wilson, a local mechanic, is found in the woods nearby.
Then a diamond hairpin is discovered in the bushes by the pool, and three women fall under suspicion. Each holds a key that can unlock the truth to the mysterious life and death of this enigmatic millionaire.
Daisy Buchanan once thought she might marry Gatsby – before her family was torn apart by an unspeakable tragedy that sent her into the arms of the philandering Tom Buchanan.
Jordan Baker, Daisy’s best friend, guards a secret that derailed her promising golf career and threatens to ruin her friendship with Daisy as well.
Catherine McCoy, a suffragette, fights for women’s freedom and independence, and especially for her sister, Myrtle Wilson, who’s trapped in a terrible marriage.
Their stories unfold in the years leading up to that fateful summer of 1922, when all three of their lives are on the brink of unraveling. Each woman is pulled deeper into Jay Gatsby’s romantic obsession, with devastating consequences for all of them.
Jillian Cantor revisits the glittering Jazz Age world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, retelling this timeless American classic from the women’s perspective. Beautiful Little Fools is a quintessential tale of money and power, marriage and friendship, love and desire, and ultimately the murder of a man tormented by the past and driven by a destructive longing that can never be fulfilled.
My thoughts:
Jillian Cantor is quickly becoming a must-read author. This is the second book I’ve read of hers that I have absolutely loved and while I wait to see what comes next from her, I will definitely be diving into her backlist. Her writing is just so beautiful.
I remember reading The Great Gatsby back in high school and actually enjoying it, so reading a reimagining was very appealing to me. And is it wrong if I say I might have loved this version even more?
This book grabbed me from the beginning and held me captive the entire time. I loved how it was told from multiple points of view and how complex the characters were. We really do quite the deep dive into these women, getting their back stories and what motivates them, which I really appreciated. While this is most certainly a character-driven story, it moves and keeps you hooked. Yes, there is a mystery, but I really found my interest was in these women.
Whether you’ve read The Great Gatsby or not, this is quite a treat and I know I will be picking this one up again…I just loved it so much. It really delves into some fascinating character studies of what it was like to be a woman during that time as well as a good story involving secrets and who doesn’t like that?
Audio thoughts:
The audio of this book was done by a full cast and I absolutely loved it. It really made for such a great listening experience and I found myself completely engaged and wrapped up in the story. Each of the narrators – Cassandra Campbell, Julia Whelan, Elizabeth Evans, Brittany Pressley and George Newbern – did such a great job bringing this story to life – and I have to say, I did get a little giddy when I saw this line-up as quite a few are among my favorite narrators!
