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zombiezami's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Addiction, Car accident, Colonisation, Death of parent, Bullying, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Grief, Violence, and Infidelity
Moderate: Medical content, Vomit, Blood, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Kidnapping, Transphobia, Homophobia, Deportation, Gun violence, Child death, Slavery, War, and Pregnancy
lolajh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Car accident and Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Minor: Vomit
bessadams's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Xenophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Car accident, and Abortion
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation, Death of parent, and Death
lou_mac's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Did you wonder quite how Gatsby was throwing these parties?
And what of the roaring 20s beyond the selfishness of Daisy and Tom's world?
Then this book is for you.
Jordan Baker takes the role as narrator, and in this telling she is Vietnamese, queer and able to tell us about the magic in the world. I loved seeing the story from a fresh perspective, and getting some world building beyond parties and affairs. If the Great Gatsby is about the American dream, then the chosen and the beautiful unpacks who you have to be to have access to the opportunity.
The magic of this book for the most part felt like coded "living alternatively" messages, and I could have done with a little more background of certain elements of it -but at no point did I feel it didn't make sense. And I loved that this book didn't make Daisy too sympathetic, but did give me something more to like about Nick.
I'll definitely read this book again, and I think it is one where I'll get something different on a re-read, which is always a delight.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Racism
aformeracceleratedreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Racism, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Classism, Death, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
madamenovelist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Car accident, Blood, Alcohol, Abortion, Violence, Cursing, Alcoholism, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Homophobia, Grief, and Drug use
billyjepma's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"It's a dream. Why not enjoy it for a little while?"
A sumptuous, decadent, horny, mesmerizing twist on The Great Gatsby. Vo's writing expertly mirrors the style of Fitzgerald's novel without simply imitating it—she weaves in bouts of sharp modernity and genre subversion that somehow manage to elevate and complicate the original book's ideals with new wrinkles and dimensions. I was repeatedly thrilled by the ways Vo takes the story I know so well and refracts through new lenses that enrich what's already present while also introducing new tensions and commentaries on race, sexuality, gender, class, wealth, and more. It's a savage, sexy love story that aptly rejects heteronormativity with rich, glorious aplomb, and I devoured just about every single word.
Not all of those added dimensions work, though, and I was left wishing that Vo had fleshed out the bits of magic she introduces into this version of the Roaring 20s. Other areas feel slightly undercooked or underutilized as well, but what's here is fascinating and speaks to the kind of hubris and self-fulfilled godhood that Fitzgerald interrogates. The problem is how fleeting Vo's development of these ideas is, as her references and illustrations of magic (or something more demonic) are so quick and loose that I wasn't initially sure if I was meant to take them literally or not. Maybe that's the point, but it didn't work for me the way I hoped and was a somewhat recurring speedbump during my otherwise entranced experience reading this lavish book.
And it is oh so lavish. I love how physical and sticky Vo's version of The Great Gatsby is, how she takes all of the sexual tension and longing of the original novel and brings them right to the surface with sensually charged crescendos of sex, manipulation, and vulnerability. None of these characters are good people, Vo repeatedly reminds us. Still, they are (more or less, in some cases) human and her intimate exploration and dissection of their deepest fears and most desperate longings are sensational. I was totally floored by this, even when it occasionally trips over itself, and I can easily see myself revisiting it alongside any rereads of Fitzgerald's book. It gets 4.5 stars and all my recommendations.
Graphic: Alcohol and Infidelity
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Car accident, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
melanie_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Take that 1920s glamour, throw in some magical realism, a hint of demonic mystery, and a bit more context of what was actually happening in the 1920s (esp. for women and the non-WASP set) and you have something new and breathtaking on your hands.
Is this plot-driven or character-drive? I'd say most people will come to this book with knowledge of the plot and in doing so, it becomes its own character.
Graphic: Abortion, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Vomit
aardwyrm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Abortion, Car accident, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Racism
Minor: Animal death and War
linzomatic's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism and Racism
Minor: Car accident