Great

Reviewed by: Cidney Mayes - Well Public Library, Wells, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 24, 2014

Review

Closely paralleling F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby", this modern-day retelling focuses on narrator Naomi Rye's summer in East Hampton. Though Naomi lives with her dad in Chicago for most of the year, summers are spent with her mother, a Food Network star with the cutting ambition to rise to the top. Though Naomi typically hates socializing with New York's young elite, this summer is made different by the appearance of Jacinta Trimalchio, an up and coming fashion blogger who moves in next door and throws lavish parties. Jacinta hopes to connect with Delilah Fairweather, one of Naomi's acquaintances, through her new friendship with Naomi. "Great" falls flat by adhering to Fitzgerald's novel too closely, where the original story elements could have stood well enough on their own. Lies, gossip, indulgence, and intrigue all feature in the plot, but the lack of originality make "The Great Gatsby" the better choice of the two novels.

Overall Book Score: fair