Great

Retellings need to be careful that they incorporate something unique and different to set them apart from their original influences. Unfortunately, Great is missing that unique difference. In fact, there is really nothing original about the story at all. Any differences are generic, like the changing of genders of the main characters and their names. Even the same-sex love affair at the heart of the story feels predictable and somewhat stale. The rest of the story is just too similar to ignore, as it buffers that fine line between a modern-day retelling and just a regular copy of a classic.

While glimpses into the lives of the fantastically wealthy are usually interesting, there is little to enjoy about the fabulously wealthy in Great. show more They are just so shallow and uninteresting. It is like watching an episode of Jersey Shore for the insanely rich and powerful, which is not a recommendation. There is the ubiquitous drugs, alcohol, sex, and general disregard for the rules because the kids’ parents make those rules. The sense of entitlement is sickening, especially because it occurs in kids who have nothing to recommend them other than the family into which they were born.

Naomi could have been the one bright spot within the narrative. In fact, she is meant to be just that as she recognizes the sycophancy to which her new crowd is accustom to experiencing. However, as she too falls under their thrall, Naomi becomes less interesting. She is just like everyone else and as such loses her normal-girl credentials that she loves to cite as the reasons why she is so different from her new friends. It is a disappointing transformation and one that intimates that Fitzgerald’s story really does not translate well with teenage protagonists.

Great is not really all that great. It tries too hard to be a refreshing update of The Great Gatsby, complete with not-so-sly nods to the original. It ultimately does not succeed in that endeavor. It misses the wit and sparkle of the original as well as its surprises. While it is still an entertaining story and one that may have more relevance to modern teens, one can never outdo Fitzgerald’s masterpiece. show less

From my Cannonball Read 6 Review ...

I first learned about Ms. Benincasa in 2008, when her Sarah Palin videos were making the rounds online. I can’t recall what happened to bring her to my attention a couple of years later, but I started listening to her “Sex and Other Human Activities” podcast (R.I.P.). Thankfully that led me to "Radio Dispatch" and my now-favorite daily news/cat stories/activism show "Citizen Radio". In 2012, her first book, Agorafabulous!, was the first book I purchased for my first e-reader. So what I’m saying is, I enjoy her work. We don’t always agree politically (I think she’s a bit more ‘just chill, it’s a joke’ than I am about things), but her tweets make me laugh, and her memoir was a really show more great, humorous look into her experience with depression.

She hinted that she was working on a Young Adult version of The Great Gatsby over a year ago; a bit after that she said she was setting it in modern times, with younger characters and a gender switch for a couple of the main characters. I had to look this up online, but Nick has become Naomi and Jay is now Jacinta. In case it isn't obvious, I should probably admit here that while I’m sure I’ve read The Great Gatsby, I … don’t remember it. Really at all. At this point I think every mental image I can conjure up about that book is more likely to be from a preview of Baz Luhrman’s movie. I know. So keep that in mind when I say that I LOVED THIS BOOK.

Seriously. I really enjoyed it, to the point where I put off a whole bunch of chores to make sure I finished it today. There were bits that I could tell were direct references to the original work (the green light is a computer charger port light, the billboard is now one advertising plastic surgery), but it still felt original, if that makes sense. The book is tightly written, easy to read, fun, sweet, and clever. The setting works really well, and while some references may become outdated (Facebook plays a bit of a role), I don't know how one could write a book about teenagers set in modern times and just pretend that social media doesn't exist. She also handles the fact that these young adults do have parents without necessarily making it all about those relationships. It'd be odd if 17-year-olds just existed in the Hamptons with no reference to the adults raising them. There's clearly some 'yeah, right' feel about some of the actions of these kids, but it's much more believable than, say, Gossip Girl.

I’m glad I bought the electronic version, because I’m pretty sure it’ll become my go-to relaxation read. show less

"My father told me once that people don’t change—they just reveal more of who they really are."

A really interesting twist on the [b:The Great Gatsby|4671|The Great Gatsby|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1361191055s/4671.jpg|245494]. There were a lot of updated things between the two - cell phones, famous via internet blogging - and this updated version was interesting.

But outside of the interesting twists on the original, I'm not sure I would have liked this story a lone. I'm not sure I would have liked it had I loved Gatsby more either. It was interesting but didn't wow or amaze me.

Great, a modern retelling of The Great Gatsby, really ... was not. At all. As someone who is not the biggest fan of Gatsby anyway, I really didn't expect to enjoy this one all that much. At least I wasn't disappointed!

The plot, characters, setting, etc. all mimic Gatsby to the point of being completely unoriginal. All of the characters had first names with letters that correspond to their classic counterparts. Naomi, the narrator, is supposed to be Nick. Delilah is Daisy, Jacinta is Jay, Ted is Tom, and Jeff is Jordan. There are even the Fitzwilliams sisters, for crying out loud. Fitzwilliams? Seriously?

When I wasn't being beat over the head with the proclamation "Look! See what I did here? This is Gatsby! In the 21st century! Look show more what I did!" I was bombarded with the designer name dropping. Marc Jacobs? Louis Vuitton? I DON'T CARE.

The character's are vain, dull, and vapid. At least Fitzgerald developed his characters. The teens in Great are flat and uninteresting. The plot is boring. I can only handle so much coke snorting and pool orgies, you know? Naomi, who is supposed to be a straight A - I'm studying for my SATs and going to HARVARD - kind of student doesn't even know that PI stands for private investigator. Um, yeah...

The only teens I would recommend this book to are teens looking for an easy beach read that requires very little brain activity.

Who doesn't know that a PI is a Private Investigator!? show less

Well, that was something. I don't think many people will like this book(it stayed pretty close to the original characterization, which means basically ALL THESE CHARACTERS ARE AWFUL), but since I am strange and enjoy retellings of classic and unsympathetic characters, I loved it. What a great setting for a Gatsby retelling.

Good start to 2016. Finished in one quick burst and one (not too long) marathon. I last reread Gatsby in 2011, and this is just the right amount of faithful. Also, how can you spoil something based on The Great Gatsby? But I will say nearly a century later that more than ever, it reads like the coward's way out.

Five stars! I loved this retelling of The Great Gatsby! As long as you don't focus so much on the Retelling part and focus on the actual story, it's a great one! I loved the attention to detail in the story that really helped me to visualize just how beautiful the settings and people in the book were. I also really enjoyed Naomi's character growth as she enters the Hamptons as a slightly rebellious teen to a young woman who knows the difference between who she thinks she is and who she knows she is. Loved it!