"People can be like home sometimes and that's if you are very, very lucky."

Forget Gatsby. Beyond some names and some lines that go almost in exactly the opposite direction (see above), this is a novel that stands on its own, doesn't need Fitzgerald, and is only loosely related in the most academic of ways.

This is about dreams we stifle because well -- life. Life gets in the way of so much. Are we to be constantly disappointed or should we just be happy that we have anything at all? Are we better off in constant search of something better or settling in and cherishing what we already have - be that people, love, books, friends or a big house on a hill.

“Haven’t we always done this trick?

If you can’t get what you want, want something else.”

It's way better than it would've been if Stephanie Powell Watts had stuck only to the Gatsby story. It's a very worthwhile read, all on its own, with an awful lot of wisdom that doesn't come from Fitzgerald. It times it seems like the anti-Gatsby, and there's something to be said for that.

One slightly distracting thing was the copy I read (hardcover from the library) had a ton of strange typos. The punctuation was a mess, and that doesn't ruin a story, but was distracting to me. I hope they'll fix it before a reprint, and I really hope it gets a reprint because this is a good read. 

Billed as an updated black Great Gatsby, this turns out to be really pretty good. It's not a carbon copy - so far it's an interesting story all on its own. You certainly wouldn't have to know Gatsby to enjoy or follow this. There's much more to this story plot wise, and we get to hear from everyone except JJ in the big house on the hill. Now I'm getting worried that there's going to be a horrible accident though. I hope she changed that part too.