The Chosen and the Beautiful

By: Nghi Vo

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

2021 Time Magazine Best Books of the Year
2021 Washington Post Best Books of the Year
2021 NPR Best Book of the Year

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

©2021 Nghi Vo (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

The way the Gatsby story should be told.

The author so cleverly weaves magic and Demons into a Gatsby story. It is done so seamlessly that it doesn’t distract from the story of wealth, indolence, xenophobia, and what passed for sophistication in the early part of the 20th century. It’s too bad that the characters were not more likable, because the world they were inhabiting was interesting enough to continue to read more stories involving the protagonist.

Hypotonic and lyrical

I literally just finished this book. I’m still speechless.

I went into this book almost completely blind with only a vague understanding that it somehow tied into The Great Gatsby—one of my favorite classics as a teen.

What I didn’t know was this hypnotic dark alluring lyrical book was almost a retelling of the original story, with a ribbon of dark magic woven into the story. It’s told from the perspective of Jordan, once a minor character now turned into a focal point—a beautiful rich Vietnamese adoptee, connected to Daisy, Nick, Tom, and of course, Jay Gatsby.

It’s effortless, gorgeous, and absolutely heartbreaking.

Naudus’s narration style is perfect for this book. Lyrical and rich, personal to each different voice. 10/10. 5 stars. Could not recommend higher.

Gatsby redux

Vo keeps characters from Gatsby true, setting was continued nicely from original, new storyline points were perfect blend with the original.

fresh take on gatsby

really enjoyed this! reader was great, although I did wish for a more naturalistic interpretation of the dialogue at times. just a thoroughly brilliant take on the story. jordan is a stunning and engrossing character I won't forget anytime soon. forget the few crap reviews and give it a listen or read.

This book was really boring to me.

I struggled to finish it. Maybe you have to have read The Great Gatsby but I didn't like it at all.

Natalie Naudus can do no wrong

This book was amazing, lovelier then but honoring the original.

I also genuinely appreciate that Natalie Naudus is so talented that I never have second guess choosing an audiobook that she has narrated. She brings everything to life so beautifully.

Beautifully written intriguing story

The author's style and craftwork are fitting match to Fitzgerald! A beautiful addition to take on the quintessential American novel - in the spirit of Circe - a female perspective augmenting the most famous american novel.

The story is layered, the characters are compelling, the action is brisk, and really beautifully written. Each sentence and scene is well crafted and economical and to the point - no superfluous descriptions or plotlines. I highly recommend it.

This was great!

I should preface this review by clarifying that I have never read or watched The Great Gatsby and that all of my knowledge of the story prior to reading this book was that Leonardo di Caprio played Jay Gatsby in the movie (so basically, I was aware of the meme and that's it 😂). This was great for me because I don't tend to enjoy retellings.

I enjoyed this a lot. The magic suited the setting and the vibes of the story. The story was character driven (which is my jam) and the characters, while maybe not that interesting by themselves, create an interesting "play" when put together, and I felt the story was done as a character study.

The protagonist kept us at distance, which I usually don't like, but it really worked in Jordan's case because she kept everyone at arm's length. The ending was really sad and my heart went out to Nick and Jay, even though I didn't really care for Nick for most of the story. And I really like how the story ended in a hopeful note for Jordan, the whole world opening up in front of her.

I found the language here to be beautiful and it elevated the vibes and the atmosphere of the story.

Another thing that has absolutely elevated my enjoyment of the story was the audio narrator. This is the first time I heard Natalie Naudus narrating a story, and she has immediately become one of my favorite narrators. I highly recommend picking up this book on audio. I can't wait to pick up more audiobooks narrated by her!

Ignore the Boring Brigade

Reading the reviews for The Chosen and the Beuatiful after listening to the novel, I am genuinely shocked at the amount of complaining. They seem to range from "this isn't anything like The Great Gatsby" to "this is just a retelling of The Great Gatsby with magic". Both of these are reductive and imply that the readers never really understood the Great Gatsby in the first place (I assume these are the same people who complained about the modern music in the 2013 Baz Luhrman film, which was vastly superior to the "faithful" [read: boring as dirt] 1970s version).

Did it *need* the magic. No. Was it the perfect vehicle for magic? Yes. Being Gatsby-rich in the 1920s was about the closest a person could come to harnessing magical powers, so I loved how Vo just through off the yolk of a "faithful" adaption and created a dizzying and dazzling world that showed money and power in a different light and from a fresh perspective. And for anyone who grumbles about the "changes" made to Jordan, I ask you, what did F. Scott Fitzgerald have to say about her other than she liked golf and was careless? He couldn't be bothered, so Vo stepped up. Do yourself a favor, go into this novel with an open mind, and enjoy the ride.

Quirky story and mostly good narration

Just discussed this book with my book group and I was the only one who liked it at all. Most found it confusing, not sure if they were in Louiseville or NYC, not being able to keep track of what was going on, and distracted by the magic.

The story could have been smoother for sure, and I think it helped that I listened to The Great Gatsby immediately prior.

The thing that was most distracting to me was the narrator's inability to pronounce the word "library" in a book that used the word multiple times.