Book Review: "The Fiction Writer" by Jillian Cantor

Have you ever read a book that you didn’t really like but you needed to read it in its entirety to see how everything was tied up in the end? Asking for a friend.

“That’s what writing fiction was, wasn’t it? Processing your own life, answering all those questions in any way you wanted to, since fictional worlds operated with their own language and their own rules and their own timelines. They offered their own answers.”

Olivia’s first novel was published to some acclaim, but her second novel, which was a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, was panned by critics. When editors pass on her third novel, she’s in need of money and, perhaps, a new career choice.

Then her agent calls with a sweet deal. Apparently megabillionaire Henry “Ash” Asherwood wants Olivia to write about his grandmother, and is willing to pay quite well. Intrigued by the opportunity and the client (named People magazine’s sexiest man alive twice), Olivia flies to Malibu to learn more.

Ash tells Olivia that his long-dead grandmother originally wrote the story which became Rebecca, but du Maurier stole it. But the more Olivia asks for proof, the more Ash seems to stall her and try to distract her in all sorts of ways. At the same time, Olivia is curious about Ash’s young wife, who died in a mysterious car accident.

The plot of this book was definitely an example of if it seems too good to be true, it is. Olivia stupidly gets led on by Ash for far too long, and then the story takes so many tangents I didn’t quite know what to expect. There was lots of stuff left unresolved and I was hoping for so much more out of this book. And since I never read Rebecca, I don't know if that knowledge would have made a difference to my enjoyment.

Book Review: "Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix" by Gabe Cole Novoa

As many of you know, I love a good retelling, and boy, did I absolutely love this one! This book is part of a series called Remixed Classics, in which authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. (Two years ago, Self-Made Boys, a retelling of The Great Gatsby, was in my top 5 favorite books.)

Oliver Bennet longs for a life different than the one he is stuck in, a life away from gowns, corsets, and the pressures of society. Because Oliver is known to the majority of his family and friends as Elizabeth, and he is expected to dance at balls, flirt coquettishly, and act like a lady, in order to attract a suitable husband. Oliver has no desire to live his life as someone he is not; he cannot imagine life married to someone who wants to suppress his true identity and his spirit.

While his mother is desperate to marry off all of her daughters, Oliver resists every attempt. Sometimes he is able to sneak out of his house dressed in the way he feels most comfortable, as a young gentleman. And on one of his outings, he runs into Darcy, the handsome young man who is a close friend of Bingley, of whom Oliver's sister Jane is enamored. Oliver is shocked that Darcy is sensitive, intelligent, and enjoyable company, especially since he was rude to "Elizabeth" at a ball.

The more time Oliver spends with Darcy, the more he starts to believe he might be able to have the life—and love—he truly wants. But as some suitors become more persistent, and even threaten to reveal Oliver's true identity to his family, he has to decide whether to follow his heart and risk disgracing his family, or living the life that society expects "Elizabeth" to.

I am a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice and this "remix" hit all of the right notes. Gabe Cole Novoa did such an incredible job with this book. My heart swelled, I got teared up, and immediately needed to watch the film version of the original book, in which Colin Firth looked immensely delicious. Many thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for an advance copy of the book!

Book Review: "Beautiful Little Fools" by Jillian Cantor

The latest novel from Jillian Cantor, Beautiful Little Fools is a fantastic retelling of The Great Gatsby through the eyes of three female characters in the book.

“I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

The Great Gatsby is one of my absolute favorite books ever—so much so that my first dog’s middle name was even Gatsby. This book was one I’ve been eagerly anticipating since learning about it last year, and after devouring it yesterday I’m happy to say it more than lived up to my expectations.

In the summer of 1922, Jay Gatsby is shot to death in his West Egg swimming pool. Police believe he was killed by George Wilson, who took his own life shortly thereafter, so the case is quickly closed. But when a diamond hairpin is found at the scene of Gatsby's murder, one detective believes the murder could actually have been perpetrated by one of three women—Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, or Catherine McCoy, Myrtle Wilson’s sister and George's sister-in-law.

The book looks at the lives of the three women, how Jay Gatsby came into their lives and, ultimately, what chaos he caused that might have pushed them to murder him. It’s a fascinating retelling because it brings so much added depth and takes the focus off Nick Carraway, who narrated the original book.

I absolutely loved Beautiful Little Fools. What a creative idea that still felt very true to Fitzgerald’s original novel, yet with some angles he wouldn’t have explored back then. While it's helpful to have read the original book, I don't know if you have to, because this is a different story in many ways.

This was so excellent!

Book Review: "Maurice" by E.M. Forster

One of E.M. Forster's lesser-known novels, Maurice is a classic gay love story that was ahead of its time.

Wait, what? I’m not only reading a backlist title but also a classic? Look at me, expanding my horizons!!

Maurice was written in 1913 and 1914, but Forster (author of A Room with a View and Howard's End, among others) knew that publishing it would destroy his career. He stipulated it couldn’t be released until after he died. It was published in 1971.

While certainly much of the language used in the book is very old-fashioned and some (if not all) if the attitudes around class are different, it’s amazing how ahead of his time Forster was.

This is the story of Maurice, a young man we first meet when he is 14. It follows him through his education and his path toward the life expected of him. But when he strikes up a friendship with a fellow classmate, he realizes how different his life is from what he thought, and how ultimately he needs to follow his own path in order to be happy.

Who would’ve thought you’d ultimately get a gay Edwardian love story with a happy ending, not one where the characters are trapped in marriages of convenience or something worse happens? The movie adaptation of Maurice is wonderful—it was one of the first gay love stories I saw.

I had a conversation with a friend the other day about people reviewing classics long after they were published. While I think it’s difficult to view a classic in a sphere different than the one in which it was written, it’s fascinating to find a book so ahead of its time yet it needed to be hidden until much later.

Book Review: "Unmarriageable" by Soniah Kamal

There's that classic line from the song "Beauty and the Beast" which goes, "Tale as old as time..." It signifies a story that's been heard so many times throughout the ages, although it may take on slightly (or drastically) different forms each time you hear it.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is definitely one of those tales as old as time. Not only have there been countless adaptations of this classic on television and in movies, both in the U.S. and abroad, but it has also been used as the basis of everything from Bridget Jones's Diary to Bollywood (Bride and Prejudice) to science fiction (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), and everything in between.

Soniah Kamal's Unmarriageable is another take on Austen's novel, this time set in modern-day Pakistan. The once-wealthy Binat family has seen its fortunes dwindle as the result of rumors and vicious jealousy. Even worse than losing the creature comforts they had come to enjoy is the damage their financial fall from grace will do to the marriage prospects for the Binats' five daughters.

While this is dismaying for many of the Binat women, 30-year-old Alysba Binat could care less. She'd be fine with never marrying, if only her mother would stop hassling her. Working as an English literature teacher at a British school in her town, Alys tries to teach her students to think independently, to want more than marriage and a family, which is what they are all raised to desire. This often gets Alys into trouble with the school's principal, who wants her to focus on the actual lessons and not trying to change the girls' aspirations.

"Yet it always upset her that young brilliant minds, instead of exploring the universe, were busy chiseling themselves to fit into the molds of Mrs. and Mom. It wasn't that she was averse to Mrs. Mom, only that none of the girls seemed to have ever considered traveling the world by themselves, let alone been encouraged to do so, or to shatter a glass ceiling, or laugh like a mad-woman in public without a care for how it looked."

When the Binats are invited to their town's biggest wedding, attended by the who's who of Pakistan and elsewhere, Mrs. Binat hopes that Alys and her older sister, Jena, will catch the eye of eligible men, and hopefully reel them in. On the first night of the festivities, Jena meets Fahad Bingla, a successful entrepreneur, and he takes a shine to her. Bingla's best friend, Valentine Darsee, also meets the Binat family and is less than impressed with them, especially Alys. Darsee tells Bingla that she is neither smart nor good-looking enough for him, which Alys overhears.

If you've read or seen any version of Pride and Prejudice before, you know what comes next, as Alys and Darsee find themselves in a battle of wills, as the Binat family tries to make sure their daughters find suitable husbands. Mrs. Binat in particular isn't interested in what Alys herself wants; she needs to think of her family for once. But will she marry for money? For love? Or will she be the rare lucky one who can find both?

Unmarriageable is a sweet, fun romp, and Kamal retains enough of the core of Austen's book while adding twists of her own. I found that it worked better for me when I stopped trying to figure out how the characters' names corresponded to the original ones (and, for that matter, stopped comparing everything to the original). She did a great job creating vivid imagery that helped me picture the different settings, the fashions, and the way the love stories unfolded.

I thought the pacing of the book was a little slow, but beyond that, it was a fun, interesting read. I liked Kamal's concept, but I honestly hope it's not a growing trend. I'm one of those curmudgeons who like the classics to stay classic, and don't see the need to update them for the modern world.