A Most Anticipated in 2021 Pick for Oprah Magazine | USA Today | Buzzfeed | Greatist | BookPage | PopSugar | The Nerd Daily | Goodreads | Literary Hub | Ms. Magazine | Library Journal
"Gatsby the way it should have been written—dark, dazzling, fantastical."—R. F. Kuang
"Luxurious, thrilling, and sexy."—Adrienne Celt
Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.
Jordan Baker 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 and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.
But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.
Nghi Vo's debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice.
A Macmillan Audio production from Tordotcom
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
June 1, 2021 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781250825230
- File size: 255563 KB
- Duration: 08:52:25
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Starred review from January 18, 2021
Vo’s extraordinary full-length debut (after the novella When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain) draws readers into a fantastical reimagining of the world of The Great Gatsby. In Vo’s version, magic is as regular as Jay Gatsby’s soirees, prohibition bans covered demon blood as well as alcohol, and star golfer Jordan Baker can turn cut paper into enchantments. Jorden and Daisy Fay became friends when they were children. Now, Daisy is settled with Tom Buchanan while Jordan navigates New York City’s social scene as an accepted outsider, kept at arm’s length for her Vietnamese heritage. When Daisy sets Jordan up with her cousin, Nick Carraway, Jordan takes little notice of him until Jay Gatsby sets his eyes on Nick as well. The unnerving Gatsby asks Jordan to put in a good word for him with Nick, Daisy’s reeling from Gatsby’s reemergence in her life, and Jordan is developing unwelcome romantic affections of her own. Vo balances the increasingly entangled lives of Jordan and her friends with flashbacks to Jordan and Daisy’s childhood and teen years. The plot unravels tantalizingly slowly, and Vo’s immersive prose never ceases to captivate. The Gatsby-related details and hints of magic will keep readers spellbound from start to finish. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. -
Natalie Naudus narrates a reimagining of THE GREAT GATSBY that is magical and queer, while still wholly true to the spirit of the original. Jordan Baker may be an adopted orphan of the War in Vietnam, but she does not dwell on her past; she has status and money and connections, and she uses them to advance herself. Naudus perfectly captures Jordan's ambivalent feelings about her decidedly murky origins without deviating from the carefully crafted fa�ade of carefree flapper that Jordan presents to the world. As the familiar plot advances, Naudus ratchets up the tension and dread as the slow, creeping horror of precisely what Gatsby and Daisy have done--and will always continue to do--finally dawns on Jordan, leaving her feeling bereft and betrayed. A beautiful retelling. K.M.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
-