You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
A review by thoughtsontomes
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
3.0
3.5 stars
This is The Great Gatsby but told from the POV of Jordan, a minor flapper side character in the original, reimagined as an adopted Vietnamese woman living in high society NYC. The setting is also fantastical, with added fabulism so you can never quite tell what is metaphor and what is magic, with a plethora of things like demons, fae, etc. While I did enjoy Jordan’s perspective as it definitely centers on her and her experience, I wish those magical bits had been utilized more. But also, this was very queer, which was another good twist on the original and followed different themes than the original. Nearly every character is queer and that adds to the dynamics and characters, and puts a new spin on things. While I would have loved more of the world impacting the story, this was a unique take on an old story.
This is The Great Gatsby but told from the POV of Jordan, a minor flapper side character in the original, reimagined as an adopted Vietnamese woman living in high society NYC. The setting is also fantastical, with added fabulism so you can never quite tell what is metaphor and what is magic, with a plethora of things like demons, fae, etc. While I did enjoy Jordan’s perspective as it definitely centers on her and her experience, I wish those magical bits had been utilized more. But also, this was very queer, which was another good twist on the original and followed different themes than the original. Nearly every character is queer and that adds to the dynamics and characters, and puts a new spin on things. While I would have loved more of the world impacting the story, this was a unique take on an old story.