Member Reviews
A great book club kit! I cannot wait to read the novel. The Great Gatsby is my favourite novel and this retelling is looking very promising!
I really enjoy getting book club kits and this one was OK. The formatting was not good and disrupted the order of the questions and cut some off. Also, the images were also cut off which was disappointing, though the images aren't really necessary.
The kit included discussion questions, historical summaries and facts, suggesting reading, and some cocktail recipes. The questions and recipes would be a great fit for a book club meeting either virtually or in-person.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for this gift copy of The Chosen and the Beautiful book club kit.
I literally just finished this book. I’m still speechless.
I went into this book almost completely blind with only a vague understanding that it somehow tied into The Great Gatsby—one of my favorite classics as a teen.
What I didn’t know was this hypnotic dark alluring lyrical book was almost a retelling of the original story, with a ribbon of dark magic woven into the story. It’s told from the perspective of Jordan, once a minor character now turned into a focal point—a beautiful rich Vietnamese adoptee, connected to Daisy, Nick, Tom, and of course, Jay Gatsby.
It’s effortless, gorgeous, and absolutely heartbreaking. 10/10. 5 stars. Could not recommend higher
This was a very cute and clever book club kit. I really liked the addition of the cocktail kit and recipes and thought it went fantastically with the book's setting and set it apart from other book club kits that I've seen.
This is a very interesting Book Club Kit that surely made me interested in reading the book! Great cocktail recipes and interesting tips on paper cutting.
This is a beautifully illustrated Book Club Kit. After you passed the pretty cover you have a lot of content complementing the book and helping to discuss it within your book club meeting.
A readers guide helps to drive discussions around the book which is very helpful! If you want to know more about the history you will have a part illustrating the asian americans in the jazz age. Some readers love quotes out the book, you will also find some in this kit. If you are hosting the meeting you can serve cocktails related to the book which is always a lot of fun. If you more into having some activities during the book meeting or crafting you will find the history of papercutting and also instructions to do so. A kit full of fun which really helps to host and engage a book related meeting/party. Absolutely a great idea to have this kit on hand!
Although I did not read the book yet, this Book Club Kit is interesting and have some questions about the book, useful information about paper cutting and nice cocktail recipes I will try for sure!
I recommend this one. It's a good book and everyone should read. Of course I would love to have this book in my bookstore.
Although the book itself was very enjoyable (I gave THAT 4 stars), this book club kit is rather superfluous. Not only is the formatting off (questions 6 and 7 precede the rest in the beginning section), and who really needs recipes for the drinks featured in the book? The sections on Asian performers and the art of papercutting don't add much either. And I doubt many book clubs will be choosing this book anyway. :-(
It's a roughly helpful guide for starting of book club discussion, especially a newer book club, but there's nothing here you couldn't get from Google, or that more experienced book clubbers wouldn't get to on their own.
This is a really cute cutting activity. That'd be great for mindfulness, and for teaching arts and crafts
Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this Book Club Kit! I haven't read The Chosen and the Beautiful yet, but it's on my tbr and I downloaded this in case I might use it with my book club. It's an interesting kit and a lot of thought was put into it - I can tell it would definitely enhance the novel as well.
This book is really great, I wanted to read this for forever and while it took me getting an ARC, it was worth the wait. The imagery is beautiful and sensual and it reimagines The Great Gatsby in a way that is skillful and masterful.
To be honest, I thought this would come with a copy of the book, with discussion questions to follow. Since it was only discussion questions, I didn't read them too closely for fear of spoilers since I haven't yet read the book. However, the paper cutting tutorials throughout were interesting and great for crafting. Next time I'll be more careful when requesting something called a "Book Club Kit."
I thought it was going to be the book, since it is on my to be read list. But it was a little book and lots of information reading list, wich made me a bit meh. But i look forward to reading the book.
This was really cool. I liked the paper cutting tutorial. I’ll be honest it wasn’t completely what I was expecting and I thought there would be more historical references however the discussion section would likely be very helpful for a book club that selected this story.
This book looks absolutely fascinating and this book club kit only makes me more eager to read it. The thought put into it is incredible. I love the cocktail pairings, the discussion questions, and the craft project. So much fun and would really bring an extra element for your next book club meeting!
Many thanks to NetGalley for putting this kit together.
This was a wonderful kit and made me more that more excited to read the actual book! Nghi Vo's writing style is my kind of whimsical that successfully pulls the intrigue of readers.
This was a nice addition to our book club read! Should definitely be included as an afterward or book club guide at the end of the next printing.
I think this idea is very interesting and combining it to the book i recommend it.
The kit is very well organized and illustrated has guide for the book and also with descriptions for the preparations for cocktails