Beautiful Little Fools

by Jillian Cantor, Julia Whelan (Read by), Elizabeth Evans (Read by), George Newbern (Read by), Cassandra Campbell (Read by)

Overview

USA Today bestselling author Jillian Cantor reimagines and expands on the literary classic The Great Gatsby in this atmospheric historical novel with echoes of Big Little Lies, told in three women’s alternating voices.

On a sultry August day in 1922, Jay Gatsby is shot dead in his West Egg swimming pool. To the police, it appears to be an open-and-shut case of murder/suicide when the body of George Wilson, a local mechanic, is found in the woods nearby.

Then a diamond hairpin is discovered in the bushes by the pool, and three women fall under suspicion. Each holds a key that can unlock the truth to the mysterious life and death of this enigmatic millionaire. 

Daisy Buchanan once thought she might marry Gatsby—before her family was torn apart by an unspeakable tragedy that sent her into the arms of the philandering Tom Buchanan.

Jordan Baker, Daisy’s best friend, guards a secret that derailed her promising golf career and threatens to ruin her friendship with Daisy as well.

Catherine McCoy, a suffragette, fights for women’s freedom and independence, and especially for her sister, Myrtle Wilson, who’s trapped in a terrible marriage.

Their stories unfold in the years leading up to that fateful summer of 1922, when all three of their lives are on the brink of unraveling. Each woman is pulled deeper into Jay Gatsby’s romantic obsession, with devastating consequences for all of them.

Jillian Cantor revisits the glittering Jazz Age world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, retelling this timeless American classic from the women’s perspective. Beautiful Little Fools is a quintessential tale of money and power, marriage and friendship, love and desire, and ultimately the murder of a man tormented by the past and driven by a destructive longing that can never be fulfilled. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798200850983
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	01/04/2022
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jillian Cantor is the author of award-winning novels including, most recently, the critically acclaimed The Hours Count and Margot. Born and raised outside Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.

Julia Whelan, winner of numerous Earphones Awards, won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Romance Narration in 2013 and has also been a finalist for an Audie Award in other years. She was named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of 2010, and two of her audio narrations were shortlisted for the American Library Association’s notable recordings of 2010. Her narration of Jandy Nelson’s The Sky Is Everywhere earned a place in the first round of 2011 Grammy nominations for Best Spoken Word Album. She is a former child actor who has appeared in multiple films and television shows, most notably ABC’s Once and Again. After receiving her college degree, she returned to the film industry and is also a writer.

Brittany Pressley has won several Earphones Awards as well as the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration in 2018. She has recorded over one hundred titles and has received several nominations for American Library Association’s annual list of Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults. She is also an accomplished singer-songwriter and voice actress. Her voice can be heard on national and international TV and radio commercials as well as several animated series and video games. She is a graduate of Columbia University.

Original bio sent from Cassandra:

Cassandra Campbell began doing voice overs as the voice for Calvin Klein’s Italian commercials. This was followed by commercial and documentary recording in both English and Italian. She has recorded many audiobooks and has received several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie® Award nomination. As an actress and director, she has worked at the Public, the Mint, the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Stagewest, Theatreworks, the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, Millmountain Theatre, the National Shakespeare Company, and the New York Fringe Festival.

Elizabeth Evans has received many grants and fellowships for her writing, including an NEA Fellowship, the James Michener Fellowship, and fellowships at Yaddo and MacDowell. She is the author of The Blue Hour and lives in Tucson, Arizona.

George Newbern is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a television and film actor best known for his roles as Brian MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as Danny in Friends. As a voice actor, he is notable for his role as Superman on the Cartoon Newtork series Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. He has guest starred on many television series, including Scandal, The Mentalist, Private Practice, CSI: Miami, and Numb3rs. He holds a BA in theater arts from Northwestern University.

Editorial Reviews

Jillian Cantor’s shifting kaleidoscope of female perspectives makes F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic tale of Jazz Age longing and lust feel utterly modern. A breathtaking accomplishment.” — Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue

“In Beautiful Little Fools, Jillian Cantor gorgeously captures the complex lives of the women in The Great Gatsby, creating a delicate and intricate story that dovetails perfectly with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s. It was engrossing to the final page.” — Jill Santopolo, New York Times Bestselling author of The Light We Lost 

"Glittering with intrigue, full of fast-paced tension, and saturated in Jazz Age decadence, this powerful exploration of the women of The Great Gatsby will forever change the way you see the American classic—and perhaps, too, the role of women in all the stories we take for granted." — Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Forest of Vanishing Stars

“This is the untold story we’ve all be waiting for! Lush, beautiful, and dazzling, Jillian Cantor transports readers back to an era of hot summer nights, jazz music, and lounging poolside at one of Jay Gatsby’s infamous parties. This book is an instant classic.” — Shea Ernshaw, New York Times bestselling author of A History of Wild Places

“Jillian Cantor beautifully re-crafts an American classic in Beautiful Little Fools, placing the women of The Great Gatsby center stage: more than merely beautiful, not so little as the men in their lives assume, and certainly far from foolish. Both fresh and familiar, this page-turner is one to savor!” — Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code

"Both heartbreaking and satisfying, Cantor's gorgeous reimagining of Fitzgerald's classic novel gives each of its female characters the depth she deserves, by placing the women center stage. Jordan Baker and Daisy Buchanan shine as they navigate a gin-soaked summer rife with the dangers of male egos struggling for power. I could not stop turning the pages as I rooted for each of these women, balancing the tightrope of societal expectations while daring to dream. Jillian Cantor is a sparkling talent in the genre of historical fiction." — Meredith Jaeger, USA bestselling author of The Pilot's Daughter

"Cantor succeeds brilliantly with this audacious revisionist murder mystery featuring characters from The Great Gatsby. . . . Cantor successfully captures the style and tone of the 1925 novel with vivid details. . . . Proving once again that it is 'hard to forget the past,' Cantor’s admirably convincing act of literary skullduggery offers many rewards." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“This Gatsby retelling reveals more about the women in the story by casting them as humans, not decorative baubles. Cantor asks and answers: Who were the real fools in Gatsby’s world?” — Kirkus Reviews

“Unlike the original destructive, self-absorbed characters and the pervasive issue of class, Cantor focuses instead on portraying Daisy and her fellow females in a sympathetic light, reimagining and empowering them to speak to readers with a feminist bent.” — Booklist

"The women of The Great Gatsby finally take control is this re-crafting of the American classic . . . Think Big Little Lies but in the jazz age." — E! Online (15 Books to Fall in Love with this February)

"The story of The Great Gatsby is reimagined and retold by three of the novel's women, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Catherine McCoy in this sharp, compelling recasting of the classic." — Town & Country (Must-Read Books of Winter 2022)

From the Publisher

This is the untold story we’ve all be waiting for! Lush, beautiful, and dazzling, Jillian Cantor transports readers back to an era of hot summer nights, jazz music, and lounging poolside at one of Jay Gatsby’s infamous parties. This book is an instant classic.

Shea Ernshaw

Unlike the original destructive, self-absorbed characters and the pervasive issue of class, Cantor focuses instead on portraying Daisy and her fellow females in a sympathetic light, reimagining and empowering them to speak to readers with a feminist bent.

Booklist

"Both heartbreaking and satisfying, Cantor's gorgeous reimagining of Fitzgerald's classic novel gives each of its female characters the depth she deserves, by placing the women center stage. Jordan Baker and Daisy Buchanan shine as they navigate a gin-soaked summer rife with the dangers of male egos struggling for power. I could not stop turning the pages as I rooted for each of these women, balancing the tightrope of societal expectations while daring to dream. Jillian Cantor is a sparkling talent in the genre of historical fiction."

Meredith Jaeger

Jillian Cantor beautifully re-crafts an American classic in Beautiful Little Fools, placing the women of The Great Gatsby center stage: more than merely beautiful, not so little as the men in their lives assume, and certainly far from foolish. Both fresh and familiar, this page-turner is one to savor!

Kate Quinn

Jillian Cantor’s shifting kaleidoscope of female perspectives makes F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic tale of Jazz Age longing and lust feel utterly modern. A breathtaking accomplishment.

Fiona Davis

"The women of The Great Gatsby finally take control is this re-crafting of the American classic . . . Think Big Little Lies but in the jazz age."

E! Online (15 Books to Fall in Love with this February)

"Glittering with intrigue, full of fast-paced tension, and saturated in Jazz Age decadence, this powerful exploration of the women of The Great Gatsby will forever change the way you see the American classic—and perhaps, too, the role of women in all the stories we take for granted."

Kristin Harmel

In Beautiful Little Fools, Jillian Cantor gorgeously captures the complex lives of the women in The Great Gatsby, creating a delicate and intricate story that dovetails perfectly with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s. It was engrossing to the final page.

Jill Santopolo

Unlike the original destructive, self-absorbed characters and the pervasive issue of class, Cantor focuses instead on portraying Daisy and her fellow females in a sympathetic light, reimagining and empowering them to speak to readers with a feminist bent.

Booklist

"The story of The Great Gatsby is reimagined and retold by three of the novel's women, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Catherine McCoy in this sharp, compelling recasting of the classic."

Town & Country (Must-Read Books of Winter 2022)

04/01/2022

The women closest to the late Jay Gatsby finally have their say in Cantor's (The Lost Letter; Margot) retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary classic, The Great Gatsby. It begins with Gatsby lying dead and the women in his life being questioned about their connections to the young New England millionaire by the detective in charge of investigating Gatsby's murder. Daisy Buchanan may have loved Gatsby as a young woman in Kentucky during the war, but she has moved on now and is trying to save her troubled marriage to Tom Buchanan. Cantor's Daisy still loves Tom, despite his affairs, and wants their marriage to work for the sake of herself and their young daughter. Jordan Baker, Daisy's confidante and childhood friend, is pursuing her own passions, which include professional golf and a forbidden lifestyle. And suffragette Catherine McCoy, who remained Gatsby's friend after their brief romantic relationship, has unknowingly helped Gatsby—while he was still alive—use her sister Myrtle to get close to Tom Buchanan and further erode Daisy's marriage. The audiobook of Cantor's historical novel is narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Elizabeth Evans, George Newbern Brittany Pressley, and Julia Whelan, who deliver the perfect amount of subtlety as they read for characters based in New England and the American South. VERDICT Cantor's is an engaging and well-written reimagining of The Great Gatsby from the perspective of women of differing backgrounds and social classes in a 1920s United States.—Laura Brosie

Library Journal - Audio