Jennifer Vido: How did your admiration for The Great Gatsby inspire your new release, BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS?
Jillian Cantor: I’ve long been a fan of The Great Gatsby as a reader, but I’ve also always felt there was more to the women’s stories beneath the surface. Daisy says in the original that the best thing a girl can be is “a beautiful little fool.” But I always felt certain she was so much more than that! My novel explores Daisy’s story, as well as Jordan’s, Myrtle’s, and Myrtle’s sister, Catherine’s.
What happens during the investigation of Jay Gatsby’s death that sends the police in a tailspin?
In the original novel, Jay Gatsby is murdered, and George Wilson is found shot dead nearby, and the police wrap up the case as a murder-suicide. In my novel, one detective finds a diamond hairpin in the bushes by Jay Gatsby’s pool, and that leads him to start looking closer at the women in Gatsby’s orbit.
Let’s talk about the three suspects, starting with Daisy Buchanan. How is she connected to the murder victim?
Well, as we know from the original novel, Daisy and Jay met and dated in 1917 in Louisville, where Jay was stationed as a soldier, and Daisy lived with her family. Then in the summer of 1922, Jay moves to West Egg, just across the sound from Daisy in East Egg, and Jay wants her back, despite the fact that she’s married and has a daughter by then.
Next, there is Jordan Baker. Why is she under suspicion?
Jordan is Daisy’s closest friend, and she will do anything to protect Daisy. And she also has a pretty big secret of her own that she’s guarding.
Lastly, Catherine McCoy is keeping secrets of her own. Why are the police circling around her?
Catherine is Myrtle Wilson’s sister, and as we know from the original novel, Myrtle Wilson is killed after she’s hit by Jay Gatsby’s car.
What do you hope readers take away from this glittery historical novel set in the Jazz Age?
I hope first that it’s an enjoyable read! BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS is a mystery, but it also offers a historical perspective of a few different women at this time. You certainly don’t need to know or have read The Great Gatsby to read BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS, but for those who have, I hope it gives them something to think about in terms of the women characters in the original novel.
Sneak peek! What’s your next project?
I’m working on another feminist reimagining of a classic. But it’s pretty early on, so I can’t say much about it yet!
What’s the best way for readers to stay connected with you?
I’m on Instagram and Twitter @jilliancantor or there is a contact form on my website to send me an email: www.jilliancantor.com
Thank you for kicking off my 2022 Jen’s Jewels column here on FreshFiction.com. Best of luck with your sensational release, BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS!
Thank you so much for having me -- I’m honored to kick off the year with you!
USA Today bestselling author Jillian Cantor reimagines and expands on the literary classic The Great Gatsby in this atmospheric historical novel with echoes of Big Little Lies, told in three women’s alternating voices.
On a sultry August day in 1922, Jay Gatsby is shot dead in his West Egg swimming pool. To the police, it appears to be an open-and-shut case of murder/suicide when the body of George Wilson, a local mechanic, is found in the woods nearby.
Then a diamond hairpin is discovered in the bushes by the pool, and three women fall under suspicion. Each holds a key that can unlock the truth to the mysterious life and death of this enigmatic millionaire.
Daisy Buchanan once thought she might marry Gatsby—before her family was torn apart by an unspeakable tragedy that sent her into the arms of the philandering Tom Buchanan.
Jordan Baker, Daisy’s best friend, guards a secret that derailed her promising golf career and threatens to ruin her friendship with Daisy as well.
Catherine McCoy, a suffragette, fights for women’s freedom and independence, and especially for her sister, Myrtle Wilson, who’s trapped in a terrible marriage.
Their stories unfold in the years leading up to that fateful summer of 1922, when all three of their lives are on the brink of unraveling. Each woman is pulled deeper into Jay Gatsby’s romantic obsession, with devastating consequences for all of them.
Jillian Cantor revisits the glittering Jazz Age world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, retelling this timeless American classic from the women’s perspective. Beautiful Little Fools is a quintessential tale of money and power, marriage and friendship, love and desire, and ultimately the murder of a man tormented by the past and driven by a destructive longing that can never be fulfilled.
Historical | Fiction [Harper Perennial, On Sale: January 4, 2022, Paperback, ISBN: 9780063051263 / ]
Jillian Cantor is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of eleven novels for teens and adults, which have been chosen for LibraryReads, Indie Next, Amazon Best of the Month, and have been translated into 13 languages. Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.
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Jennifer Vido is best known for her nationally syndicated Jen's Jewels author interview column. A savvy book blogger she dishes the scoop on the latest happenings in the publishing business. As a national spokesperson for the Arthritis Foundation, she has been featured by Lifetime Television, Redbook, Health Monitor, The New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, Healthguru.com, and Arthritis Today. She is the author of the Piper O’Donnell Mystery series. Currently, she lives in the Baltimore area with her husband and two sons.
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