Robin’s Reviews
Yes. I admit it. I was one of those people that loved reading THE GREAT GATSBY, so I was excited to hear about BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS by Jill Cantor. Let me tell you, her retelling didn’t disappoint. It gives fans a chance to relive the classic through a new lens. Same plot. Same characters. BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS is told from the women’s point of view, including capturing the limitations of women in the 1920s.
Cantor’s title is perfect! Perhaps you recall Daisy Buchanan’s quote in the classic when her daughter is born: “I hope she’ll be a fool — that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE GREAT GATSBY (NOT FOR BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS)
*I’m going to assume you’ve read THE GREAT GATSBY or watched the movie at some point, so fair warning, there are some Gatsby spoilers in this review. It would be hard not to when reviewing a book heavily inspired by the original.
Readers know Jay Gatsby ends up dead in his swimming pool in the original, and readers believe George killed him in a jealous fit. In BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS Cantor turns the story into a murder mystery. She gives readers a reason to re-evaluate who murdered Jay when a hairpin is found in the bushes near the murder scene. A mobster hires Detective Frank Charles to determine the actual murderer.
WOMEN CHARACTERS COME ALIVE
The best fleshed out character in the classic is Daisy Buchanan. Married for financial security, she’s an unhappy socialite, but Cantor fills in more of her backstory. You may remember her best friend Jordan who is involved in a scandal on the golfing circuit. Cantor reveals her to be a lesbian. (It isn’t that big of a stretch from the insinuations in the classic.) Readers also dive deeper into Myrtle Wilson’s character. The wife of a garage mechanic, she’s unhappy with the lack of glitz and excitement in her life and becomes Tom Buchanan’s mistress. Catherine, Myrtle’s sister, was only a background character in one scene in the original. She now becomes a fully fleshed out character as a 1920s suffragette who had a casual relationship with Gatsby.
Cantor’s character development keeps the reader guessing who killed Gatsby. They each have a motive. Although Cantor makes some character choices based on the classic that I wouldn’t have, it was interesting to follow her vision of these women.
Although readers can enjoy BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS as a standalone, it fits best as a companion to THE GREAT GATSBY. Perhaps Fitzgerald wouldn’t have seen his characters exactly as Cantor develops them, yet it’s interesting to see how she develops storylines and backgrounds that fill in gray areas left by the original. And Cantor’s ending gives readers a twist you won’t see coming!
Have you read THE GREAT GATSBY? How long ago? Is it time to revisit this old friend? Or is it time to finally read this classic for the first time? What about watching the movie version on a cold winter evening? If you love the classic, you’ve got to read BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS.
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