The Chosen and the Beautiful

By Nghi Vo,

Book cover of The Chosen and the Beautiful

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An Instant National Bestseller!
An Indie Next Pick!

A Most Anticipated in 2021 Pick for Oprah Magazine | USA Today | Buzzfeed | Greatist | BookPage | PopSugar | Bustle | The Nerd Daily | Goodreads | Literary Hub | Ms. Magazine | Library Journal | Culturess | Book Riot…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked The Chosen and the Beautiful as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Like a lot of people, I read The Great Gatsby in high school. I really loved it, which is why I was thrilled when one of my favorite authors did her own fantasy re-imaging of this classic.

The Chosen and the Beautiful is set in an alternate universe where magic flows as easily as champagne. It centers on Jordan Baker, a side character in the original book, and reimagines her as a Vietnamese orphan who was adopted as a baby into a wealthy white family.

I loved how this book managed to take a classic and cast it in a…

In reimagining The Great Gatsby, this book reimagines Jazz-Age New York—suffused with money and hedonism as well as magic and demons. Vietnamese-American socialite Jordan Baker leads the tour through a decadent city in which the wealthy fly and sip demon blood, impoverished girls allow themselves to be possessed for a fee, and Upper East Side matrons bring their pet imps to their charity meetings. Vo’s New York is somehow both shockingly authentic, and devilishly surprising.

From Stephanie's list on fantastical cities.

Great Gatsby told through the POV of Jordan Baker, a queer, adopted Asian magician? Seriously, if I could’ve come up with this premise and written it, I would’ve. This is the kind of magical debut novel that makes you feel hopeful about how old stories can be repurposed in the most fascinating of ways, creating a dialogue between the classical and the contemporary that makes the world feel like a wonderful place.

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