Review: Even in Paradise

Even in Paradise
Author: Chelsey Philpot
Published: October 14th, 2014
Hardcover, 368 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne's at the beginning of the junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about the former senator's daughter. Most people do... or think they do.

Charlotte certainly never expects she'll be Julia's friend. But almost immediately, she is drawn into the larger than life new girl's world - a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails. And then Charlotte meets, and begins falling for, Julia's handsome older brother, Sebastian. 

But behind her self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, Charlotte soon realizes that Julia is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden... until now. 

Everything about this book screamed The Great Gatsby in the most subtle way possible and it was wonderful. There's no real mention of it being any sort of retelling. The only real connection is the name Buchanan and I loved that about this book. The subtlety was in the writing, in the nostalgic feeling throughout the whole novel, through the actions of the characters and the chain reaction of events that slowly get uncovered throughout it. Charlotte is a mix between Nick Caraway and Daisy Buchanan, just like Julia is a mix between Gatsby and Daisy. I love that there was no distinct characterization, it left everything blurry and unreal, which drove me further into the story and kept me in until the last page.

It's told in past tense. the same sort of tense as Gatsby, with Charlotte looking back on a time in her life that was crazy and unpredictable, but that she wouldn't change for the world. This in no way drains any of the tension, as there is a bit of a mystery as to what happened to Julia's sister that we slowly become more aware of throughout the book. There's something wonderful and thrilling about watching the past play out and knowing there is nothing you can do to change it. Charlotte is quickly seduced by Julia and falls into her world effortlessly. She begins summering with the Buchanan family, staying at an old house with many secrets, and falls for Julia's older brother, Sebastian. The more she gets involved with the family, the closer she gets to the truth. I was excited to see how it would all relate to Gatsby, and I was pleasantly rewarded with the answer. Just like Fitzgerald's classic novel, there is a tragedy that cannot be stopped and the rich get away with it. I love that Charlotte narrated, just like Nick did, as it's almost a third party watching from afar. Charlotte gets very much more involved than Nick did, getting so deep into the Buchanan family that it's hard to leave. She knew her days were numbered and that she never really belonged in the Buchanan's world, and we as reader knew from the start that it doesn't work out, but like Charlotte, we fell in love anyway. Who wouldn't want to spend summers at a big house and go to lavish parties, even if it meant keeping something terrible a secret?

There isn't nothing really happy about this book. There are moments here and there were Julia and Charlotte share a wonderful moment, words that make you think they will be friends forever, but in the back of your mind the entire time, you know it doesn't work out. It's brutal and honest and nostalgic. The closer I got to the end, the more involved I was with the family and like Charlotte, needed to know all the answers. Fans of Gatsby will be pleased, those who didn't like that book may not enjoy the way this one is written, but I for one loved it. I think the subtleness worked in this book's favour, as I enjoyed it more than Great, which was almost a direct re-telling. This book is crazy, intoxicating and will take you down the rabbit hole into a world that really does exist but feels dreamlike, a world where the rich get away with murder and pay off those who find out about it.

"It's only in hindsight that we can point, as easily as finding a town on a map, to the moments that shaped us - the moments when choices between yeses and nos determined the people we became. I have no illusions. Even knowing everything, I would have chosen the same."

Review: Great

Great
Author: Sara Benincasa
Published: April 8, 2014
Hardcover, 263 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Everyone loves a good scandal.

Naomi Rye usually dreads spending the summer with her socialite mother in East Hampton. This year is no different. She sticks out like a sore thumb among the teenagers who have been summering (a verb only the very rich use) together for years. But Naomi finds herself captivated by her mysterious next-door neighbour, Jacinta. Jacinta has her own reasons for drawing close to Naomi - to meet the beautiful and untouchable Delilah Fairweather. but Jacinta's carefully constructed world is hiding something huge, a secret that could undo everything. And Naomi must decide how far she is willing to be pulled into this wed of lies and deception before she is unable to escape.

Based on a beloved classic and steeped in Sara Benincasa's darkly comic voice, great has all the drama, glitz, and romance with a terrific modern (and scandalous) twist to enthral readers.

The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite classics, so when I heard about this book, a modern re-telling if Gatsby, I had to get my hands on it. Benincasa has captured the eerie, too perfect setting of the West Egg and how one person's summer is completely overruled and sent into a whirlwind all because of the person living in the huge house next door. The third party perspective that worked so well when Fitzgerald wrote it, works beautifully in this new adaptation of it, showing how easily we can get caught up in other people's affairs. Naomi normally stays away from everyone during her summers spend in East Hampton. But as soon as she gets off the plane this year, she is whisked away with Delilah and her friends, beginning a summer full of scandal, love and tragedy.

This book will make so much more sense if you've read Gatsby, and those who loved Gatsby will love this book. Those who may not have enjoyed Gatsby will probably not like this one as it reads the same, a slow summer of Naomi watching from the outside as Jacinta and Delilah begin an affair that causes everything to turn to ruins. The characters are perfectly reminiscent of Fitzgerald's characters. Naomi is content not being part of any of it, but she can't deny her lingering curiosity for her neighbour, Jacinta. The huge parties Jacinta throws and the crazy she way she dresses and the way she speaks to everyone like they have been friends for years. I love how Jacinta is a fashion blogger who everyone knows about but no one really knows what she looks like. Very much like Gatsby, I loved reading small tidbits like that that reminded me of the classic novel. Jacinta's infatuation with Delilah is a downward spiral and even though I knew how it would end, I still loved their moments together and loved watching favourite parts from the original play out in this modern day rich-summering-in-the-Hamptons, which looked an awful lot like the summers in the 1920s. The lack of tension at the beginning where Naomi is just a by-stander quickly turns on the hot summer day that they drive into the city. It was strange to read it, since I knew what was going to happen, but it was wonderful and awful to read anyway and it was written so perfectly that I felt like I was still reading Fitzgerald's work.

This is a book about the rich and what they can and can't get away with. It's a love story, but it's not a healthy one, and Benincasa has taken it one step further by making it a lesbian love story. Jacinta and Delilah were beautiful together as I watched their relationship disintegrate before my eyes. This was a great re-telling that stands on its own but also works well as a companion to the original. It had all the parts I loved about the original with a new updated story to go with the YA novels that are around today. I fell in love with these characters and their story all over again and it was a fantastic journey. Even though it takes place now, I still felt the aura and mystery of the 1920s that makes me want to go back in time so badly.

"It's like there's this knowledge hanging in the air that one person has more power than the other, and we're supposed to pretend everything is nice and normal and equal, but in reality, luck or chance has showered benefits on one person that the other person couldn't dream of."

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme hosted by The Book and the Bookish. As a lover of books and lists, I knew I wanted to be a part of this awesome and creative feature! The weekly topics can be found on the Top Ten page.

 Top Ten "Older" Books You Don't Want People To Forget About

1. Goosebumps by R.L. Stine: I grew up reading Goosebumps. In fact, this series is one of the first to make me love reading. They are scary enough to make you want to sleep with the lights on and creative enough to keep you coming back for more.

2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: I know no one will ever forget this book, especially with the movie coming out, but I think it was incredible. It's a harsh, honest look at life and F. Scott does not sugar coat anything. One classic that every reader should read.

3. The Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: Another classic. It's epic, timeless, and leaves your imagination feeling full of hope and life. Good v.s. Evil is a universal theme and Tolkien hits it right on the mark. I'll never forget Frodo and his adventures and I'll make sure my kids read this series, this includes The Hobbit because it's just as, if not more, important for everyone to read.

4. The Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan: Okay, so I must admit I'm currently reading this now, but I'm almost done. These books have been out for a while now, but I hadn't really thought about reading them until I saw the movie (I know, blasphemy!) They are amazing and any fan of Greek mythology and epic adventures will love it. 

5. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling: Another epic series full of magic and adventure. Harry is a character that everyone knows on a first name basis and I'd like it to stay that way. I'll admit I haven't finished this series, but I will one day because Harry will forever have a place in my heart. 

6. Confessions Of A Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella: Okay, not as epic as the others on this list, but I love this series! Becky Bloomwood is the funniest character you'll meet. She is loveable and quirky and she'll remind you of yourself. Plus, we've all been in her shoes. Truly one of my favourite series.

7. The Baby Sitter's Club series: So I just have to mention another series from my childhood. Reading when I was younger was so important and I think it got me into m habits today. I could relate to everything these girls did even though I never really babysat. Also, I love series that go one forever, you get to know so much about the characters!

8. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee: I hope they never stop making kids read this in high school because this was one of my favourite books to read. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is always so eye opening. We forget how much everything we say and do affects those around us. This book is so important to literature, I'm sure it will never be forgotten.

9. The Giver by Lois Lowry: The original dystopian novel. With all the hype on dystopian now, I hope all these teenagers take the time to read this wonderful novel. I read it a long time ago and have been meaning to re-read it, buy I still remember it so vividly that I've yet to revisit that world. 

10. Shakespeare. All of it all the time. I was changed the day my english teacher made us open Romeo and Juliet. It was the first I read and certainly not the last. Even now, I'm trying to read all of his plays because his words draw me in and promise to never let go. School makes us read these for a reason. (And made it easy for us to understand them!) 

Feel free to tell me if you agree with my list, or your top ten older books!

33. The Great Gatsby

Book #33: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published: Originally published in 1922
180 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

The mysterious Jay Gatsby embodies the American notion that it is possible to redefine oneself and persuade the world to accept that definition. Gatsby's youthful neighbor, Nick Carraway, fascinated with the display of enormous wealth in which Gatsby revels, finds himself swept up in the lavish lifestyle of Long Island society during the Jazz Age. Considered Fitzgerald's best work, The Great Gatsby is a mystical, timeless story of integrity and cruelty, vision and despair.


I've been meaning to read more classic literature and this was one of my first attempts at it. I'm certainly not disappointed. F. Scott Fitzgerald is a household name, famous and immortal. I've read quotes from him and snippets of his books and I knew I'd like anything I'd read. He is a genius with words and emotions, throwing you into a world that look picture perfect from the outside and then letting you dive into the disaster lingering within. And even though this book was written in 1922, it still rings true to life now, way too true.


Our narrator, Nick Carraway, has just moved in next door to The Great Gatsby. He's never met him but he's heard stories of the fabulous parties he throws every night. One night, he is invited into the house not even knowing who Gatsby is. When they are finally introduced, the dominoes are only lining up. What pursues is a tragic summer that shows us just how fragile the american dream is.


Jay Gatsby is just a cover up. He throws the parties and hides behind them, hoping that Daisy Buchannan will one day show up and notice him again. Truths are spilled when they've been secrets for years. Love lives and dies and lives become so entangled that it's hard to know where each one ends. We witness all this through the eyes of Nick, who knows everyones secrets because he is trusted with them. But it is a burden to bear and when it all comes crashing down, he's not sure where his loyalties lay. Nick could be the american dream. He could have the perfect lie with the perfect job and wife, but instead he is thrown into Gatsby's life, the false american dream that comes crumbling down. 


This book shows us how different everything is behind closed doors. We don't know which men are beating their wives. We don't know which couples are having love affairs. We don't know who ran over that person in the street or why. We only know what they want us to know. We only see what they want us to see. And nothing is as perfect as it is laid out to be. I learned a lot from this book. I learned to look past what I see on the surface and to try to appreciate what's beneath. Gatsby was played out to be the bad guy, dealing with the wrong people and throwing money around, when all he really wanted was to get back the girl he loved. And they could have lived happily ever after if they had the chance. I learned that those who have a lot of friends on the outside may end up alone in the end. I wished for anything but for Gatsby, but the sad truth is that none of the people who went to his parties were his friends save for Nick and Daisy. It reminds us that we don't have much time to make those connections. Who will show up at your funeral? What do you deserve?


There is a reason this book is a classic. Fitzgerald captures the mood of the jazz age and catapults us into the drama, love, and betrayal of young lives. And there's no way of knowing that all of that isn't still happening behind closed doors.


“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” 


“So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight.”