The Chosen and the Beautiful is a retelling of the Great Gatsby from the perspective of Jordan Baker. In this version with she is a queer, Asian, adopted socialite who is treated as an exotic attraction among her peers.

It’s been a few years since I have read The Great Gatsby so it wasn’t fresh in my head, but I had a basic memory of the main characters and the plot. I do think I would have enjoyed this more if I re-read it right before this book. This retelling was just OK for me. The writing was so dreamy and atmospheric that the story just floated along without ever grabbing me. The characters were mostly irritating and I didn’t really enjoy any of their conversations. At first the magic was interesting, but felt so random throughout the book that I was always confused if something was actually happening or if it was just in a dream. I was also left wanting more from the magic, as it was basically only used as a party trick.

This is my first time listening to something by this narrator and I’m not sure if her voice was purposely whiny and breathy to fit the writing and characters or if it’s always that way. Unfortunately, it distracted me from the story.

Overall, I think I would have had a better time reading this as a physical book. I think The Chosen and the Beautiful would be enjoyed by people who love The Great Gatsby, people who love magical realism, and somebody looking for a dreamy flowing story filled with gender fluid characters.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful and ethereal. Magical realism at its best. My favorite thing about this book is how everybody except for Daisy is casually bi. If you need somewhere to just (metaphorically) float or an alternative to the ghastly original Gatsby novel, here you go!

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital preview version of the audiobook. Natalie Naudus is stellar as always.

nghi vo definitely has the capability for writing beautiful prose and i'm really interested to check out her singing hills cycle. more re-telling, than re-imagining, vo's book does not stray from the timeline and basic plot of gatsby, and instead she imbues jordan's character with more depth and we briefly explore the different lenses with which she moves through the world and her set of circumstances as a queer orphaned immigrant. i found myself wanting the book to break from the traditional source material even more - more queerness and more magic especially, and while i loved the ending, the middle was a big stagnant in that it was focused on recapping the plot of gatsby a little too closely.

the audiobook was wonderfully produced and the narrator did an excellent job with creating the tone of the novel with her narration and the voices she'd use for other characters.

This book was so unique. I feel like it can be hard for a retelling to make a story stand apart, but I really enjoyed the diversity this Gatsby retelling took on and the magical elements included. However, I found myself wanting to see the magical elements expanded! I thought the concept was really special and deserved some more opportunity to be looked into. Overall I found the story real and lively and dark in many different ways, and I'm glad that it was created.

3 stars

A reimagining of The Great Gatsby narrated by Jordan Baker, except Jordan is a Vietnamese American adoptee, & there are vague supernatural elements. The prose is good, the psychological & emotional depth of the characters is solid, yet the world building was thin & I feel that much more could have been done with the source material.

[What I liked:]

•Jordan is a compelling, strong, fierce, fabulously queer MC. I don’t think I’d like to be friends with her irl, but she made a great narrator & I cared about what happened to her.

•The prose is beautiful, especially the descriptions & setting details. It’s a very atmospheric & immersive book, the main reason I enjoyed it so much.

•Jordan’s friendship with Daisy, & to a lesser degree her relationship with Nick, are well developed & written. There is so much nuance, emotional subtlety, & the development over time seems natural. The last conversation Jordan & Daisy have, & Jordan’s realizations about Daisy & herself in that moment, are so well written.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•This feels like an almost straight retelling of the source material with a tiny sprinkle of fantasy to repackage the story. I don’t think it was meant to be gimmicky, & there is more character background provided for Jordan, but if you’re going to remake a high profile classic? Sorry, there needs to be more. And there was potential for more, it just never materialized.

•For all the mentions of demons & lost souls & paper magic, the world building is super thin. How does magic work? Is it legal? Can everyone do it? What are the rules & limits? What the absolute heck is a paper soldier? What exactly is the danger posed by the demons at Gatsby’s parties?

•Why invent the Manchester Act of 1922 that (I’m still fuzzy on details) would deport all Asians, Irish, & Italians from the US? I mean how would that be practically accomplished, & how would the economy survive the sudden labor loss? It seems a very unrealistic policy. I mean US immigration laws & racism were bad enough, the writer could have worked in narrative conflict without inventing something that would conveniently exile the MC.

•Jordan’s relationship with Kai needed a bit more development imo, especially since she decides to follow him to Shanghai.

•I’m extremely confused about the revelations about Nick near the end, why Jordan took & replaced his essence the way she did, & how he survived the process? I mean, seeing how flimsy the other similar magical creations were, how could he swim, fight, & do other things that should have ostensibly destroyed him? & why make his character have this twist at all? I don’t think it added to the character of Nick Caraway.

CW: infidelity, sexually explicit scenes, homophobia, racism, sexism, murder, accidental death, colonialism

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

The Chosen and The Beautiful is a reimagining of The Great Gatsby. It is written from the point of view of Jordan Baker – Nick Caraway’s girlfriend in Fitzgerald’s novel. Except in The Chosen and The Beautiful Jordan is Asian (“saved” and brought from Vietnam to Louisville by a missionary with questionable moral standards), bi-sexual, and in a possession of some serious, bad-ass magic powers.

Like the original, The Chosen and The Beautiful in its essence is about the desire to buy love with money and status, and the discovery that chasing money may not lead to happiness. But…it is also about much much more. It’s about being an immigrant and never being able to fully fit in no matter how rich and successful you are. It’s about the “white savior” complex and the questionable morality of the international and interracial adoptions. It is about human sexuality and how incredibly complex it can be. And it is also, as you might have guessed by now, about misogyny and sexism, and how the same exact story sounds completely different when told from a female perspective.

Did I enjoy this crazy book? Yes! Very much so. Do I recommend it? I dunno. I am hesitant for a few reasons. The Chosen and The Beautiful has ALL THAT JAZZ of the original novel plus some heavy dose of magical realism (everything from tripping on demon blood to paper cutting magic that brings inanimate objects to life). Oh, and no one is completely straight (as far as I could tell 😉 LOL So…what’s there not to like you ask me? Well, it depends. Personally, I think The Chosen and The Beautiful is way more entertaining that The Great Gatsby. However, if you are a Gatsby purist so to speak, that is if you believe that the original is simply perfect as is, and not, for example, sexist at all 😉 then well… I think you may not enjoy this reimagining.

But…. if you are bold enough to jump into Gatsby’s pool in your fancy flapper dress knowing perfectly well that you may turn into a colorful carp right before reaching the bottom, and not caring about it because well, why not? Then this novel is for you. Just do not expect a clean and neat plot line. If you try to understand what exactly is happening at any given moment – I can guarantee you, you will drown! After all, remember, none of the protagonists are completely sober at any given time. They too rarely know for sure if what they are witnessing is in fact real! So just enjoy the swim! Or the ride. Or the flight -whatever is it that you fancy! The language is so incredibly beautiful it will no doubt take your breath away if you just relax and LET IT!

Couple of things that I personally wish were different: I kind of wanted to find out more about Jordan’s golf handicap. It is clear from both The Great Gatsby and The Chosen and The Beautiful that her career is important to her. Seeing how Jordan is the main protagonist here I expected a bit more focus on her strengths, playing golf being one of them. However, in The Chosen and The Beautiful it is mentioned only in passing (maybe twice?) never to be brought up again. I’d love to know how Jordan became so good at golf. How did she even start playing it? To be honest after learning more about her personality it just does not seem like something she’d be interested in at all.

And another thing: I wish we met Myrtle Wilson. While she was alive (don’t ask!). Myrtle, who was Daisy’s husband’s mistress in case you don’t remember, had a pivotal albeit very brief appearance in The Great Gatsby. But she was such a colorful and memorable character (played by lovely Isla Fisher in the movie)! The lack of proper introduction made her death in The Chosen and The Beautiful seem rather random and far less meaningful. Since we don’t really know anything about her, her death does not seem as symbolic as it is in The Great Gatsby – that is her “chasing wealth” is simply not that obvious. I understand that the story is told from Jordan’s perspective, and that perhaps Jordan has no business “analyzing” Myrtle, but I still wish we could see a little more of this character.

All in all, I enjoyed The Chosen and The Beautiful quite a bit. A more diverse cast of characters, and the introduction of the variety of the controversial topics made it far more relevant to the present day without losing Fitzgerald’s original’s universally loved “Roaring Twenties” appeal.

The audiobook is fabulous! Lively, engaging narration - no complaints at all!

*I received an audio review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I thought this was beautiful and well told story as both a retelling and a standalone story. This book sticks pretty close to the original, at least plot wise, but I appreciated the subtle changes that this book did make. The majority of these changes are character focused as this is a character focused story (like the original). I really liked seeing a bit of the "behind the scenes" we never got to see in The Great Gatsby, seeing what was going on through Jordan's eyes and her own relationship to the characters. I especially really liked seeing her complex relationship with Daisy. I loved the idea of Jordan be a queer Vietnamese adoptee and enjoyed what that brought to the story. I just wish that certain aspects about her were explored a bit more. There are aspects of Jordan's story that end up feeling shoved aside and in part that could be due to Jordan's avoidant personality in this book, but I still would've liked to see them a bit more.

I really enjoyed the writing style. Every sentence felt thought out, was beautifully written and helped the story have an ethereal dreamlike quality.

I do wish the magic was explained a little bit more. We're shown that there are multiple types of magic and it appears that only certain people can use it, but sometimes other unexpected people are able to use magic which I found confusing. The lack of explanation added to the whimsical and ethereal feeling of the story, but it left me feeling like there wasn't much of point to it.

Overall I really enjoyed this. If you're intrigued by the premise and enjoy a flowery writing style I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo is a Great Gatsby retelling that follows Jordan Baker who grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.

I loved the writing style and would definitely be interested in reading more of Vo's other works. I particularly enjoyed how Vo described the party scenes and the affluent lifestyle that the characters are immersed in. I also loved the LGBTQI+ representation particularly how most of the main characters in the novel seemed to be bisexual or pansexual. However, I would have liked to explore the magic system a bit more and for the book to have diverted more from the original source material.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book is very well written. The narrator did a wonderful job, but this book wasn't for me. I tried so hard to like it, but if I hear the name Gatsby one more time, I may lose my mind.

Honestly, if you have read The Great Gatsby this is pretty much the same story but from the perspective of Jordan. The only thing that stands out is the sexual fluidity of the characters. I thought that was a unique addition to the story and thought it gave the characters a little extra something.

The tag line is

Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.

I was drawn to this book because it mentioned that there was magic. Magic is barely mentioned in the book. It is only mentioned three times that I recall in the first 75 percent. I think that should have been incorporated more into the story...a lot more. She is described as a magician. Jordan should probably do magic more than twice. Honestly, that is the only reason I even wanted to read this novel. It was such a disappointment. I struggled so hard to finish the audiobook. Daisy is vapid and it was torture. It has been a long time since I read The Great Gatsby and I don't remember her being so annoying. I mentioned this already but the author did a wonderful job writing, it just wasn't for me.

The Chosen and the Beautiful is a captivating retelling of a classic, told from the perspective of Jordan Baker, who is rewritten as a queer Asian woman who was adopted by an American family as a young child. Nghi Vo weaves a magical narrative that tackles issues of race and class, while also depicting sexuality in a refreshing way.

I read The Great Gatsby in high school and I must admit I barely remembered a thing from it. In hindsight, I do wish that I was more familiar with the source material for this book so that I could have picked up on more nuances. I think that the comparison would have elevated my reading experience. From what I do remember Vo developed the story in ways that Fitzgerald missed the mark.

I'll be thinking about The Chosen and the Beautiful for years to come, and I hope to do a reread of both this and The Great Gatsby in the near future.

I can distinctly recall reading The Great Gatsby in high school and wanting to know more about Jordan Baker. Is that a sign that I’ve always been queer? Probably. When I saw that this retelling was about her, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. My hopes were high, and, unfortunately, they fell flat with this book.

Because of my expectations for the fantasy in the book, it made it difficult to enjoy. This book is easily a much better-written version of The Great Gatsby, and I applaud that alone. However, it was too dedicated to being the same as the original tale, without expanding upon the elements that it was priding itself on in the summary. The representation, however, was very solid and I was pleased to see it.

Full review on October 29th, 2021.

This book was not my speed, but this is also not my typical genre. I tend to stay away from classics and retellings; however, this book does encompass a multitude of wonderful things including:

1. The cover is stunnnig;
2. The integration of a queer, Asain character is amazing; and
3. This book had A+ atmosphere and Vo did any incredible job with the movement of the words;

There's not much to say about the plot because it's a retelling. Nonetheless, Vo did incorporate some new elements, which I think lovers of the Great Gatsby would enjoy. Overall, I would recommend this book.

I loved this. The way the narrator told the story added an element of magic to it that made it so satisfying to listen to. I’m definitely going to read this when I can get my hands on a physical copy as well. It was simply captivating and the narrators voice was so smooth and soothing.

I do recommend reading or re-reading Gatsby before reading this book - I haven't read it since high school and I eventually caved and looked up the SparkNotes version just to clarify what was from the book and what was new. I think I'd have enjoyed it more if I had actually reread it first, or if I was a big Gatsby fan (or anything other than forgetful and indifferent) going in.

This is kind of.... Gatsby but what if: 1) From Jordan Baker's perspective 2) Jordan was an adopted (into a white family of societal import) Korean bi woman 3) everyone else was bi too and in love but not reciprocally or happily and 4) also there were demons and magic

Unsurprisingly, I still hate Tom.

One thing I thought was an interesting choice was that the demons aren't, as far as I remember (reading books as audiobooks can sometimes make the beginnings and world building a little fuzzy for me) really given a lot of clarity and world building and explanation? It's as if the book is written for readers living in that same universe with those demons, who already know the background. It was confusing, but also a cool and enriching experience just in a way I didn't expect.

The ending , or to be precise, the revelation right before the ending, made the book worthwhile for me and ALMOST makes me want to reread the original Gatsby with it in mind. Almost.

The narration by Natalie Naudus was great, and I'm growing used to her voice as she's read a lot of books I've read recently!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook ARC and to Tordotcom/my bookstore for the physical ARC - I listened to most of the book and finished it as a physical copy.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with an audiobook of The Chosen and the Beautiful in exchange for an honest review!

A GREAT GATSBY RETELLING?!@!!! WITH AN ASIAN LEAD!?#!@!!! AND IT'S QUEER?!@!@! Yes, please. This book is razzle-ly & it's dazzle-ly & I just vibed with the aesthetic. I absolutely adored our main character Jordan, the writing was absolutely gorgeous & there are bits of magic involved sooooooo, yep. This is The Great Gatsby that the world deserves.

I was fascinated when I heard of this retelling of The Great Gatsby, and overall it didn’t disappoint. The prose was absolutely exquisite, reading like a classic novel without being pretentious or overly flowery. I found myself quickly immersed into the extravagant world the author built for us, and eager to continue devouring her words.

Jordan Baker’s perspective was fresh and dazzling, capturing the essence of The Great Gatsby while still managing to feel unique. I thoroughly enjoyed the insights we received into the various characters and Nghi Vo’s interpretation of their backgrounds and relationships. These character studies helped bring more life to this story that really is a scene by scene retelling of the original (with a bit of magic and a couple additional scenes tossed in since we’re reading from Jordan’s perspective).

However, my main critique of this novel is the magical element could have been incorporated much more smoothly. I assume the author included it to help set her story apart from the source material, but it almost wasn’t explored enough to be worth including; for awhile, it almost felt like Jordan was speaking metaphorically, rather than describing a magical realism element to the story. The magic became more relevant the story progressed, but I would have liked it to have been more interwoven from the start to help fully establish it as part of the world. Despite this, I will admit, in a way, it does make sense that it wasn’t really addressed at all since we were experiencing the story from Jordan’s perspective (why would she explain something that was so integral to the world around her?).

The audiobook narrator did a great job bringing this story to life, encapsulating the roaring 20’s feeling, and highlighting the beautiful prose.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very interesting retelling of The Great Gatsby. The author explores many 'what-ifs' in the novel, and brings to mind even more. The protagonist has some very relatable qualities, which I appreciated.

Terrific narration adds to the enjoyment of the story, which is a must-read for anyone who enjoys reading about the Gilded Age, the Roaring 20s, and definitely for any fans of Gatsby.

The second I read the announcement that Nghi Vo, whose previous work I’ve loved, was writing a queer, Asian, fantastical adaptation of The Great Gatsby, I knew I was going to love it. Somehow, I ended up loving it even more than I’d expected.

The Chosen and the Beautiful is a glittering, glorious story, magical and mysterious and utterly haunting. It’s a shard of glass, dazzlingly dangerous. The narrative voice is sultry and sparkling - this version of Jordan Baker is a sharp, devastating delight to read - and the story manages to be simultaneously pitch perfect for Fitzgerald’s Roaring 20s classic, and absolutely original and inventive. Plot, characters, atmosphere, style, everything is pretty near perfect, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Audiobook narrator Natalie Naudus gives an excellent performance with just the kind of drawl, summery-bored yet intense, that you’d want for Jordan, as well as strong voices for the other characters (her breathy, but never cartoonish, voice for Daisy is particularly well done).

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

We follow Jordan Baker -- a queer, Asian, adoptee-- and her adventures in this retelling of The Great Gatsby. While I haven’t read or watched The Great Gatsby, I think Vo captures the socialite and extravagant feel of the original. I did finish City of Girls though and I get a similar vibe of glitz and glam. Vo’s writing is absolutely beautiful and poetic (the audiobook narrator did a great job too!). That said, I’m not sure how much I enjoyed the book overall -- maybe it’s because I couldn’t connect or because I’m missing the context of the original. Even so, I liked seeing Vo’s include LGBTQ+ characters and touched on the treatment and exoticism of Asians. Still a worthwhile read though!!

(Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy!)

✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
After being really attracted to the beauty of the cover and then learning that it was a Great Gatsby retelling, I knew I had to read it. Thanks to Netgalley and Tordotcom for giving me that chance.

💜 What I liked:
The difference in the retelling vs the original with the main character being asian and gay was genius. The writing is gorgeous but I did listen to it via audiobook and now I just need to get it in print and read it again.

😱 What I didn’t like:
The book was a slower read for me because I wanted to savor the words. I listened to it in 30 minute intervals. Loved the savoring, but really wanted to read it faster and consume it. No fault of the author or the writing.

💁‍♀️ The Characters:
Jordan (the original girlfriend of Nick) is the main character in this world, filled with Daisy, Gatsby, and a little magic.

🚦 My face at the end: 😊

💬 The Narrator:
Natalie Naudus has a beautiful soothing voice that is so pleasing to listen to!

💭 5 Reasons to Read:
1. If you love Great Gatsby, this book is everything
2. Beautiful Prose
3. There is magic that makes the story even more magical
4. Party scene lavishly told
5. A smart and likeable main character


I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Received from Netgalley.