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Daisy
A fresh take on classic characters, Daisy gives readers insight into Daisy Buchanan's viewpoint of the events of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. While simultaneously remaining true to the original and adding new information, Sternberg weaves Daisy's perspective and Nick Carraway's account together, correcting what Daisy knows is inaccurate from her cousin's novel. Sternberg pulls readers in from the first page, and while the outcome of Daisy and Gatsby's affair is universally known, readers still cannot help but root for the pair.
As the novel progresses, the tension in Daisy's love life heightens the stakes, and while it's easy to want to see Daisy and Jay make it work, the reader can also feel Daisy's ambiguous feelings about leaving her husband for Gatsby. As the story climaxes, readers are left feeling as confused as Daisy is in regard to the decisions she needs to make. While there are noticeable changes to the overall story―it is a different perspective, after all―Daisy provides readers of romantic and/or feminist fiction and fans of The Great Gatsby alike with a satisfying story that is faithful to the original, yet unique in its own right.
As the novel progresses, the tension in Daisy's love life heightens the stakes, and while it's easy to want to see Daisy and Jay make it work, the reader can also feel Daisy's ambiguous feelings about leaving her husband for Gatsby. As the story climaxes, readers are left feeling as confused as Daisy is in regard to the decisions she needs to make. While there are noticeable changes to the overall story―it is a different perspective, after all―Daisy provides readers of romantic and/or feminist fiction and fans of The Great Gatsby alike with a satisfying story that is faithful to the original, yet unique in its own right.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2022
11 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Libby Sternberg
29 books11 followersLibby Sternberg is an Edgar finalist, a Launchpad Prose Top 50 finalist, and a BookLife quarter-finalist twice.
She writes historical fiction, women’s fiction, and more under the names Libby Sternberg and Libby Malin, and one of her romantic comedies was bought for film.
She has written two retellings of classic stories:"Daisy" ("The Great Gatsby") and "Sloane Hall" ("Jane Eyre").
"Sloane Hall" was one of only 14 books highlighted in the Huffington Post on the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Bronte's birth.
"Daisy" has been hailed by Publishers Weekly's BookLife contest as "A delightful portrayal of a female character claiming the story as her own, repossessing her own voice.”
Born in Baltimore, she now lives in Lancaster, PA with her husband Matthew. She has three grown children.
She writes historical fiction, women’s fiction, and more under the names Libby Sternberg and Libby Malin, and one of her romantic comedies was bought for film.
She has written two retellings of classic stories:"Daisy" ("The Great Gatsby") and "Sloane Hall" ("Jane Eyre").
"Sloane Hall" was one of only 14 books highlighted in the Huffington Post on the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Bronte's birth.
"Daisy" has been hailed by Publishers Weekly's BookLife contest as "A delightful portrayal of a female character claiming the story as her own, repossessing her own voice.”
Born in Baltimore, she now lives in Lancaster, PA with her husband Matthew. She has three grown children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 21, 2022
As a devoted Fitzgerald fan I wondered if reading this book would be disloyal, but my curiosity got the better of me and the stunningly beautiful cover was exactly as I imagined Daisy to be. So I read it!
Ms. Sternberg has filled in missing pieces that Fitzgerald left out (purposely or not) and has delivered an imagined Daisy that fits with the time period of the Roaring Twenties when women had little or no use to men other than as pretty objects.
As a torrid and crazed summer comes to an end Daisy begins to wonder if changing one gilded cage for another was really her one and only option. This is a Daisy who shows a bit of gumption as she comes to realize her worth as something other than a rich man’s play thing.
There is no disrespect to the beloved author Fitzgerald, this is Daisy’s story, not Jay Gatsby, not Nick and not Tom.
Even if you’ve never read Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” I think you will find something to like about this book and – especially Daisy!
Ms. Sternberg has filled in missing pieces that Fitzgerald left out (purposely or not) and has delivered an imagined Daisy that fits with the time period of the Roaring Twenties when women had little or no use to men other than as pretty objects.
As a torrid and crazed summer comes to an end Daisy begins to wonder if changing one gilded cage for another was really her one and only option. This is a Daisy who shows a bit of gumption as she comes to realize her worth as something other than a rich man’s play thing.
There is no disrespect to the beloved author Fitzgerald, this is Daisy’s story, not Jay Gatsby, not Nick and not Tom.
Even if you’ve never read Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” I think you will find something to like about this book and – especially Daisy!
August 8, 2022
There are two sides to every story, and as someone once said: “Beware of the half-truth. You may have gotten hold of the wrong half.”
If you read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, you are aware the yarn is narrated through the voice of Nick Carraway. He was Jay Gatsby’s neighbor and the cousin of Daisy Faye Buchanan.
Libby Sternberg’s Daisy preserves the outline of The Great Gatsby, but as she points out in a recent conversation with Master’s Degree writing student Andrea L. Dorten: “I only wanted to stick to the outline of the plot of the major story, not its details.”
Thus, the love story between Jay and Daisy, which ensued during a chaotic summer in the 1920s, is maintained and is pivotal to the narrative. However, it draws on a new perspective when we tune in to the voice of Daisy disclosing how events unfolded.
In the last few pages of the yarn, Sternberg writes: “when she came up with the idea of imagining the Gatsby story from Daisy’s point of view, she knew the novel could not be a mere point-by-point retelling of that famous tale. It had to convey something more, something readers either didn’t get from the original or felt was missing and would enjoy seeing, a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the story.”
She wanted a fresh take as if Fitzgerald’s story had not been read before Daisy.
Sternberg portrays Daisy as a figure far from being a capricious woman who is irrational, unstable and empty-headed. She explains her Daisy is nothing like Fitzgerald’s character, who “is not real, a woman two men coveted but whose physicality is something distant or even symbolic, like that green light at the end of her pier. She is a possession, sought after and jealously guarded.”
Daisy is instead someone who is conflicted as she explores the uneasiness that prevail between security and autonomy, fidelity and infidelity, defying convention, and having a lover while hanging on in a loveless marriage. She also questions if she can recapture the pre-war past where she was involved with Jay in an Eden in which they had grown up. As she tells herself, “There is no going back, only moving forward.”
When Daisy’s friend Jordan mentions that if you wish to have a lover, as men do all the time, why should she hold back? (Both are aware that Daisy’s husband, Tom, is a philanderer and has a mistress). Daisy counters, reminding Jordan she has taken risks, and it does not require courage to take a lover, as Jordan believes, but bravery to make a go of things.
The down-to-earth side of Daisy's personality is affirmed when she admits to herself that she craves to escape Tom for Jay, with whom she is carrying on a liaison. Still, upon reflection, she questions whether she could stick around with him. And as she remarks: “A fog of uncertainty blocked me from seeing that future clearly; I wanted to plan for contingencies.” Could she recapture her pre-war past where she was involved with Jay in a fairyland, where it was peaceful, hopeful, loving and gentle? She realizes there is no going back, only moving forward, and she resolves that she will never be anyone's fool again. “I'd not be the golden girl. I'd not be the one treated like an object, or a goddess to be used.”
Another variation, and a jolt from Fitzgerald’s fiction, concerns the letter Daisy receives from Jay on the eve of her marriage to Tom. Her version, as different from Carraway’s, which incidentally almost had her calling off the wedding, pins down the real motorist of the automobile that ran over her husband’s mistress.
The evocative prose gathers strength and clarity as the novel evolves. Sternberg reminds us the 1920s were a challenging period for many American women. Their task was to raise children, keep house, provide emotional support for their husbands, and contribute to society. Instead, they were depicted as the weaker sex requiring protection, frail beings incompetent of doing everything that man could do. The era was further marked by a deeply divided America, where the affluence of many Americans was in harsh contrast to the hardship of millions of others.
You may ask if you should read The Great Gatsby before undertaking Daisy? The answer is no. You don’t have to read the original or be acquainted with Fitzgerald to appreciate this novel for its own sake, with its tight writing, crisp dialogue, and a protagonist with brains, poise, and boldness.
Sternberg has created a delicious story, ambitious in scope and absorbing.
Follow Here https://waa.ai/f8nJ To Read Norm's Interview With Libby Sternberg
If you read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, you are aware the yarn is narrated through the voice of Nick Carraway. He was Jay Gatsby’s neighbor and the cousin of Daisy Faye Buchanan.
Libby Sternberg’s Daisy preserves the outline of The Great Gatsby, but as she points out in a recent conversation with Master’s Degree writing student Andrea L. Dorten: “I only wanted to stick to the outline of the plot of the major story, not its details.”
Thus, the love story between Jay and Daisy, which ensued during a chaotic summer in the 1920s, is maintained and is pivotal to the narrative. However, it draws on a new perspective when we tune in to the voice of Daisy disclosing how events unfolded.
In the last few pages of the yarn, Sternberg writes: “when she came up with the idea of imagining the Gatsby story from Daisy’s point of view, she knew the novel could not be a mere point-by-point retelling of that famous tale. It had to convey something more, something readers either didn’t get from the original or felt was missing and would enjoy seeing, a sort of behind-the-scenes look at the story.”
She wanted a fresh take as if Fitzgerald’s story had not been read before Daisy.
Sternberg portrays Daisy as a figure far from being a capricious woman who is irrational, unstable and empty-headed. She explains her Daisy is nothing like Fitzgerald’s character, who “is not real, a woman two men coveted but whose physicality is something distant or even symbolic, like that green light at the end of her pier. She is a possession, sought after and jealously guarded.”
Daisy is instead someone who is conflicted as she explores the uneasiness that prevail between security and autonomy, fidelity and infidelity, defying convention, and having a lover while hanging on in a loveless marriage. She also questions if she can recapture the pre-war past where she was involved with Jay in an Eden in which they had grown up. As she tells herself, “There is no going back, only moving forward.”
When Daisy’s friend Jordan mentions that if you wish to have a lover, as men do all the time, why should she hold back? (Both are aware that Daisy’s husband, Tom, is a philanderer and has a mistress). Daisy counters, reminding Jordan she has taken risks, and it does not require courage to take a lover, as Jordan believes, but bravery to make a go of things.
The down-to-earth side of Daisy's personality is affirmed when she admits to herself that she craves to escape Tom for Jay, with whom she is carrying on a liaison. Still, upon reflection, she questions whether she could stick around with him. And as she remarks: “A fog of uncertainty blocked me from seeing that future clearly; I wanted to plan for contingencies.” Could she recapture her pre-war past where she was involved with Jay in a fairyland, where it was peaceful, hopeful, loving and gentle? She realizes there is no going back, only moving forward, and she resolves that she will never be anyone's fool again. “I'd not be the golden girl. I'd not be the one treated like an object, or a goddess to be used.”
Another variation, and a jolt from Fitzgerald’s fiction, concerns the letter Daisy receives from Jay on the eve of her marriage to Tom. Her version, as different from Carraway’s, which incidentally almost had her calling off the wedding, pins down the real motorist of the automobile that ran over her husband’s mistress.
The evocative prose gathers strength and clarity as the novel evolves. Sternberg reminds us the 1920s were a challenging period for many American women. Their task was to raise children, keep house, provide emotional support for their husbands, and contribute to society. Instead, they were depicted as the weaker sex requiring protection, frail beings incompetent of doing everything that man could do. The era was further marked by a deeply divided America, where the affluence of many Americans was in harsh contrast to the hardship of millions of others.
You may ask if you should read The Great Gatsby before undertaking Daisy? The answer is no. You don’t have to read the original or be acquainted with Fitzgerald to appreciate this novel for its own sake, with its tight writing, crisp dialogue, and a protagonist with brains, poise, and boldness.
Sternberg has created a delicious story, ambitious in scope and absorbing.
Follow Here https://waa.ai/f8nJ To Read Norm's Interview With Libby Sternberg
May 22, 2025
Every time I read The Great Gatsby I see something new while paying closer attention to the smallest details. I have always loved the vantage of Gatsby's story unfolding and filtering through Nick's eyes. Daisy shifts the frame and lets the reader see it through her eyes. If you ever wondered what Daisy was thinking, Sternberg's novel imagines her perspective shedding insight to her dilemma between her marriage to Tom and her unexpected reconnection with Jay. Daisy proves to be more than the seemingly vapid and unattainable girl that Jay can't quite grasp. If anything, that green light means something a little different to Daisy. I would definitely recommend reading or re-reading The Great Gatsby before reading Daisy. I think it would be interesting to compare/contrast Daisy in both.
April 25, 2022
The Great Gatsby was essentially a book about nothing. It recounted the shallow lives of several characters caught up in the materialism and phoniness of the lives of the wealthy in the post WW I era. I never understood its appeal, but there was one character that stood out from the rest, with her story untold. That character was Daisy.
Libby Sternberg has seized upon that character, Daisy, and has fleshed her out until she is someone you care about, identify with, and hope has a happily ever after ending to her story.
Few writers can craft a book that draws you in, and even fewer make you wish the story will not end. Libby Sternberg has written such a story. You simply just don’t want to reach the final page. It’s one of those books to be savored, page by page, and not skimmed through. Sternberg has created a character that is fully fleshed out, and while, perhaps not sympathetic, is understandable. Fitzgerald dismissed Daisy as an incidental character, but in Daisy, Sternberg has given us a character with a soul and someone who is in search of her destiny, as are we all.
Highly recommended. I received an ARC and this is an impartial review.
Libby Sternberg has seized upon that character, Daisy, and has fleshed her out until she is someone you care about, identify with, and hope has a happily ever after ending to her story.
Few writers can craft a book that draws you in, and even fewer make you wish the story will not end. Libby Sternberg has written such a story. You simply just don’t want to reach the final page. It’s one of those books to be savored, page by page, and not skimmed through. Sternberg has created a character that is fully fleshed out, and while, perhaps not sympathetic, is understandable. Fitzgerald dismissed Daisy as an incidental character, but in Daisy, Sternberg has given us a character with a soul and someone who is in search of her destiny, as are we all.
Highly recommended. I received an ARC and this is an impartial review.
November 28, 2022
I bought this on a whim over the holiday weekend when I stopped into my hometown’s local indie bookstore, @writersblockbookstore, and I’m so glad I picked it up. I am a lifelong lover of all things Gatsby, so I was surprised I hadn’t heard of this novel, and even more shocked to see that it only has six reviews on Goodreads. I devoured this book in less than a day. I loved it. LOVED it. Libby Sternberg has been a lifelong Fitzgerald devotee, and wanted to offer a retelling of The Great Gatsby from Daisy’s perspective. By way of explanation, Sternberg writes, “I hope all who read this understand I’m not trying to compete with Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, I’m just using it as a spring board to answer questions this devoted fan mulled for many years – such as, what was Daisy thinking? I guess in that sense, it’s a love note to the original…”
Our heroine/villain tells us, “This is where Nick’s recounting ends, but I’m a woman, and so I’ll have the last word.” And so she does, in a way that is equal parts compelling and nauseating. I have always disliked Daisy Buchanan, and at times I thought Sternberg might be able to give her some redeeming qualities, but nope. Sternberg gives her much more depth, and yet Daisy is still the worst…but in the best possible way. That’s what I loved most about this book. It felt true to the original, but still fresh enough to keep me interested.
Our heroine/villain tells us, “This is where Nick’s recounting ends, but I’m a woman, and so I’ll have the last word.” And so she does, in a way that is equal parts compelling and nauseating. I have always disliked Daisy Buchanan, and at times I thought Sternberg might be able to give her some redeeming qualities, but nope. Sternberg gives her much more depth, and yet Daisy is still the worst…but in the best possible way. That’s what I loved most about this book. It felt true to the original, but still fresh enough to keep me interested.
April 12, 2024
I was served an ad for this book on Instagram and you know me and pretty covers. I'm such a sucker, someone will eventually start a beautiful book cover Ponzi scheme and steal all my money.
Thank God for library apps. :-)
A retelling of The Great Gatsby from Daisy's point of view sounds interesting, but I'm still waiting for Jordan! the musical or something like that. Daisy is a vapid character even with more agency and backstory, and Tom is even more of an ass.
I read this because reading is better than working. On to better books!
Thank God for library apps. :-)
A retelling of The Great Gatsby from Daisy's point of view sounds interesting, but I'm still waiting for Jordan! the musical or something like that. Daisy is a vapid character even with more agency and backstory, and Tom is even more of an ass.
I read this because reading is better than working. On to better books!
May 22, 2023
Surprised this book didn’t get more attention; started with low expectations and absolutely devoured it! Loved the fresh perspective and the depth Sternberg gave Daisy. So far my favorite book of 2023
May 29, 2024
I came across this book by chance, finding it covered in dust on a shelf at work. As a fan of The Great Gatsby, and having read the prequel to that, Nick, I had to read Daisy. It adds so much more to the original story, mostly to Daisy herself, but also to Tom and even Jay. The prequel could stand on its own, as it only briefly crosses paths with The Great Gatsby, but The Great Gatsby and Daisy should be read back-to-back, to finish the whole story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2023
Great Gatsby was never one of my favorite books. But I have enjoyed the back stories of Daisy!
June 23, 2022
Apparently, Mrs. Daisy may not have been driving when Mrs. Wilson bought it in the Valley of Ashes.
I fell in love with The Great Gatsby halfway through my first reading in 10th grade, and I made notes to my future self on the poetry I found in many of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories. As a freshman, I even carried copies of the novel and the stories around at the University at Buffalo when my professors were urging us to read the flaccid Italo Calvino and Robert Stone.
OK, this is not a direct quote, but it’s close, AND it’s like stepping back in time, which is quite cool, from Daisy: “I never liked my name. The daisy is not a distinguished flower, and though it’s associated with a bright youthful sunniness I hoped I embodied, I wished I’d been called something more romantic … a name one could envision men fighting for.”
“But when Jay Gatsby said it, ‘Daisy’ sounded like the only name on earth worth having, and I could imagine a ballroom full of women looking up and envying the girl announced with that moniker. ‘Daisy.’”
By 1920s' and today’s standards, Jay Gatsby (or James Gatz) was obsessed with Daisy, yet Fitzgerald didn’t let her out of Jay’s, or narrator Nick’s, imagination long enough for readers to actually know who she was or why she was deserving of attention.
Today, Libby Sternberg changes that with a Daisy who is alarmingly cute, quirky, funny, pondering, and unforgettable—a real woman, independent and outspoken.
In Sternberg's compelling narrative, Daisy Buchanan is similar to Jenna Bush-Hager, Samaire Armstrong, or any smart woman who’d walk right off the set of “The View” within seconds of hearing her hosts’ phony doubletalk. Quiet the roaring of the day, and we're watching the artistic “Somewhere in Time,” while Jay and privileged Daisy Fay get to fall in love again, nearly 100 years after Scott’s book failed and he tremored off to doom in Hollywood.
With sublime grace and momentous poetics, Sternberg shows us it was Daisy’s story all along, which is why mesmerizing Gatsby was imperfect, so challenged in novel form and in film, even with Redford in the lead role, and, later, Leonardo.
The heart-stopping passage from The Great Gatsby:
Nick: “You can’t repeat the past.”
Jay: “Repeat the past? Why, of course you can.”
No stranger to the dramatic romance of Manhattan, the powerful Libby Sternberg writes as if she was there, as Daisy, a participant journalist, which makes the suspenseful and startling Daisy a worthwhile complement to The Great Gatsby.
It’s about time Daisy had her say. Highly recommended, especially to those who loved Gatsby or any of Scott’s enduring works.
I fell in love with The Great Gatsby halfway through my first reading in 10th grade, and I made notes to my future self on the poetry I found in many of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short stories. As a freshman, I even carried copies of the novel and the stories around at the University at Buffalo when my professors were urging us to read the flaccid Italo Calvino and Robert Stone.
OK, this is not a direct quote, but it’s close, AND it’s like stepping back in time, which is quite cool, from Daisy: “I never liked my name. The daisy is not a distinguished flower, and though it’s associated with a bright youthful sunniness I hoped I embodied, I wished I’d been called something more romantic … a name one could envision men fighting for.”
“But when Jay Gatsby said it, ‘Daisy’ sounded like the only name on earth worth having, and I could imagine a ballroom full of women looking up and envying the girl announced with that moniker. ‘Daisy.’”
By 1920s' and today’s standards, Jay Gatsby (or James Gatz) was obsessed with Daisy, yet Fitzgerald didn’t let her out of Jay’s, or narrator Nick’s, imagination long enough for readers to actually know who she was or why she was deserving of attention.
Today, Libby Sternberg changes that with a Daisy who is alarmingly cute, quirky, funny, pondering, and unforgettable—a real woman, independent and outspoken.
In Sternberg's compelling narrative, Daisy Buchanan is similar to Jenna Bush-Hager, Samaire Armstrong, or any smart woman who’d walk right off the set of “The View” within seconds of hearing her hosts’ phony doubletalk. Quiet the roaring of the day, and we're watching the artistic “Somewhere in Time,” while Jay and privileged Daisy Fay get to fall in love again, nearly 100 years after Scott’s book failed and he tremored off to doom in Hollywood.
With sublime grace and momentous poetics, Sternberg shows us it was Daisy’s story all along, which is why mesmerizing Gatsby was imperfect, so challenged in novel form and in film, even with Redford in the lead role, and, later, Leonardo.
The heart-stopping passage from The Great Gatsby:
Nick: “You can’t repeat the past.”
Jay: “Repeat the past? Why, of course you can.”
No stranger to the dramatic romance of Manhattan, the powerful Libby Sternberg writes as if she was there, as Daisy, a participant journalist, which makes the suspenseful and startling Daisy a worthwhile complement to The Great Gatsby.
It’s about time Daisy had her say. Highly recommended, especially to those who loved Gatsby or any of Scott’s enduring works.
March 3, 2023
Daisy, by Libby Stenburg
—------------------
Nothing is spoiled here I think, unless you haven't read the Great Gatsby
The premise of this book was to retell the Great Gatsby in a way that would give Daisy space on her own, not tied to Tom or Nick or Gatsby. Exploring her wants, needs, and desires in a way that Scott Fitzgerald didn’t do. I liked that Ms. Stenburg gave Daisy a relationship with her daughter pamela. Daisy was so heavily based on Zelda, her words were sometimes even direct quotes from Zeldas mouth (ie. beautiful little fool). And Zelda, for all her faults, was a loving mother, and I appreciate that she wrote that in. I wanted to love this book so much but one thing just kept nagging me…
Myrtle Wilson. A woman central to the plot but not given a voice (sound familiar to anyone?) Arguably, in a more tragic position then Daisy, who was objectified and belittled but in a high class of life with two men who loved her (more or less). On the other hand, Myrtle Wilson lived in a garage in the valley of ashes in a loveless marriage to a man who seemed very dull. Being Tom's mistress lets her play dress up, throw parties, and be a different person for a little bit. She seems so desperate for love (the puppy 😭🥹) and wants Tom to love her, which we see through Nicks eyes he doesn't. He even hits her. And then she gets hit by a car. Seriously Scott, why do you hate her (um on a side note, does anyone notice how many characters get hit by cars in his books? Weird theme) She's basically a victim of everyone for the whole book.
So, in a feminist retelling, having the author make her more one dimensional, calling her ugly, and having her baby talk to Tom and sound like an idiot, felt cruel. Almost as if they made her more unlikable to give Daisy the upper hand as Tom's wronged wife. Daisy even goes so far as to say that she's happy Tom hit Myrtle!! What??? I loved the idea of this book, but for some reason the thing with Myrtle Wilson really got to me. For Daisy, who had love in her life from the time she was little to be glad that another woman experienced Tom's cruelty, felt just wrong. I also wish we got to see Jordan a little bit more, she doesn't really have a character arc. I thought Jay was done really well, very vivid.
I'm not trying to say that Ms. Stenberg should be held responsible for not correcting Scott Fitzgerald's mistakes. I just think it's such a missed opportunity, and the loss of that potential really brought down the book for me. 3 stars
—------------------
Nothing is spoiled here I think, unless you haven't read the Great Gatsby
The premise of this book was to retell the Great Gatsby in a way that would give Daisy space on her own, not tied to Tom or Nick or Gatsby. Exploring her wants, needs, and desires in a way that Scott Fitzgerald didn’t do. I liked that Ms. Stenburg gave Daisy a relationship with her daughter pamela. Daisy was so heavily based on Zelda, her words were sometimes even direct quotes from Zeldas mouth (ie. beautiful little fool). And Zelda, for all her faults, was a loving mother, and I appreciate that she wrote that in. I wanted to love this book so much but one thing just kept nagging me…
Myrtle Wilson. A woman central to the plot but not given a voice (sound familiar to anyone?) Arguably, in a more tragic position then Daisy, who was objectified and belittled but in a high class of life with two men who loved her (more or less). On the other hand, Myrtle Wilson lived in a garage in the valley of ashes in a loveless marriage to a man who seemed very dull. Being Tom's mistress lets her play dress up, throw parties, and be a different person for a little bit. She seems so desperate for love (the puppy 😭🥹) and wants Tom to love her, which we see through Nicks eyes he doesn't. He even hits her. And then she gets hit by a car. Seriously Scott, why do you hate her (um on a side note, does anyone notice how many characters get hit by cars in his books? Weird theme) She's basically a victim of everyone for the whole book.
So, in a feminist retelling, having the author make her more one dimensional, calling her ugly, and having her baby talk to Tom and sound like an idiot, felt cruel. Almost as if they made her more unlikable to give Daisy the upper hand as Tom's wronged wife. Daisy even goes so far as to say that she's happy Tom hit Myrtle!! What??? I loved the idea of this book, but for some reason the thing with Myrtle Wilson really got to me. For Daisy, who had love in her life from the time she was little to be glad that another woman experienced Tom's cruelty, felt just wrong. I also wish we got to see Jordan a little bit more, she doesn't really have a character arc. I thought Jay was done really well, very vivid.
I'm not trying to say that Ms. Stenberg should be held responsible for not correcting Scott Fitzgerald's mistakes. I just think it's such a missed opportunity, and the loss of that potential really brought down the book for me. 3 stars
January 27, 2023
4.25/5
Daisy, the iconic figure of my favorite classic tale; all in her perspective. We never got to feel her emotions in the orginal tale. But with this novel being center around her we needless to say got to feel all the emotions she felt that summer. The struggles of who does she love more; how she truly felt about Tom; how Jay made her feel like the only woman on Earth. Another character I was glad to see more of is Jordon. We saw more of her and how much of a friend she is to Daisy; more of sisters in my opinion. However, enough about all that, let us dive into the novel itself.
We start the novel with Daisy remembering back to that summer. The summer that changed her life; opened her eyes and lived through the passion of the past. A great opener. Right off the bat, taking shots at Nick. Although they are family and she loves him, she wished he never wrote a single word of her story, of Jay's story. From the opening page, she explains to us that she'll tell us the truth of what happened. And right on the third page, we begin this tale, back to the cast of characters that I loved.
A feeling I had reading The Great Gastby was that Dasiy was spoiled and money hungry; and in this we do see her have those tendencies and at times I couldn't find myself in the love story that I loved. But Daisy never got carried away and got herself back on track.
Some of the scenes were the same; while others were changed and scenes added. One that comes to mind is when we get a intrude back to 1917, right before Jay goes off to war, and when they meet at a party. Young lovers. Jay promises to never leave her, promises to write to her everyday. Which he holds his promise; but Dasiy couldn't wait. Her mother wouldn't allow her to stay in her room and wait. So she makes her go to a wedding where she ends up meeting her future husband Tom. Which at the time, he seemed to only have good intentions. And for awhile she fell in love with him; they got hitched and moved to New York. All while Dasiy never recieved letters from Jay. Heartbreaking, and later on in the novel we see one more introlude, and it shows her mother opening a letter. From Jay, but she kept it from Daisy.
I could go on and on about this tale, but I think it'd be best; if you read The Great Gastby; to read this novel. Overall, it's a great read.
Daisy, the iconic figure of my favorite classic tale; all in her perspective. We never got to feel her emotions in the orginal tale. But with this novel being center around her we needless to say got to feel all the emotions she felt that summer. The struggles of who does she love more; how she truly felt about Tom; how Jay made her feel like the only woman on Earth. Another character I was glad to see more of is Jordon. We saw more of her and how much of a friend she is to Daisy; more of sisters in my opinion. However, enough about all that, let us dive into the novel itself.
We start the novel with Daisy remembering back to that summer. The summer that changed her life; opened her eyes and lived through the passion of the past. A great opener. Right off the bat, taking shots at Nick. Although they are family and she loves him, she wished he never wrote a single word of her story, of Jay's story. From the opening page, she explains to us that she'll tell us the truth of what happened. And right on the third page, we begin this tale, back to the cast of characters that I loved.
A feeling I had reading The Great Gastby was that Dasiy was spoiled and money hungry; and in this we do see her have those tendencies and at times I couldn't find myself in the love story that I loved. But Daisy never got carried away and got herself back on track.
Some of the scenes were the same; while others were changed and scenes added. One that comes to mind is when we get a intrude back to 1917, right before Jay goes off to war, and when they meet at a party. Young lovers. Jay promises to never leave her, promises to write to her everyday. Which he holds his promise; but Dasiy couldn't wait. Her mother wouldn't allow her to stay in her room and wait. So she makes her go to a wedding where she ends up meeting her future husband Tom. Which at the time, he seemed to only have good intentions. And for awhile she fell in love with him; they got hitched and moved to New York. All while Dasiy never recieved letters from Jay. Heartbreaking, and later on in the novel we see one more introlude, and it shows her mother opening a letter. From Jay, but she kept it from Daisy.
I could go on and on about this tale, but I think it'd be best; if you read The Great Gastby; to read this novel. Overall, it's a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2022
Daisy by Libby Sternberg is the best sequel after reading The Great Gatsby. Getting into one of the main characters' minds was an absolute pleasure. I enjoyed reading the story from Daisy's point of view. It definitely spun a new light on both Diasy herself, her cousin Nick, and on her husband Tom. Tom I greatly disliked. I ended up hating her husband even more so with this story. Nick was a friend to Gatsby but also not that great of a friend. In many ways, Nick falls flat as a friend of the decreased character, Gatsby. Overall, I enjoyed reading this spectacular spin on famous novel.
August 11, 2023
This book was a quick read that complements The Great Gatsby. It helped to flesh out Daisy as an intelligent person, not just the "beautiful little fool" she was painted out to be. However, I felt certain parts were a bit boring as she just went and forth between Jay and Tom, not wanting to abandon her daughter, but knowing that if she left she may never get to see Pamela again, while also understanding that she couldn't stay in a gilded cage whether it was Tom's or Jay's. I'm glad Pamela played a role in Daisy's decisions since she is barely mentioned in The Great Gatsby.
June 26, 2023
A thoroughly engaging and satisfying alternative account of events that took place on Long Island near New York City in the summer of 1925, when Jay Gatsby reappears in the life of Daisy Buchanan, as told by Daisy. Libby Sternberg turns Daisy into a lively, thinking and evolving individual as opposed to the beautiful object she is in Nick Carraway's version. I was convinced and enjoyed Daisy's empowerment.
August 7, 2023
This was an interesting read. I didn't like the new feminist view while keeping the racism. Daisy is two characters in one. The writer wants her to be focused on love, but she is selfish & materialistic. The end was frustrating when she learns the "value of a dollar" and gets a job and is a single mom. She is annoyingly flippant and indecisive. Wouldn't read again. However, I'm glad they made more of a mention of WWI.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2024
The writing is well stylized to the time period. A bit of meandering, much like the inspiration for the story, The Great Gatsby. It was an enjoyable read, though my personal interpretation of Daisy Buchanan is much more vapid than the grace this author gave the character (the author explains in the afterword that she wanted to give Daisy more depth because she felt in the Fitzgerald original, the character wasn't explored thoroughly).
August 14, 2022
Love hearing the events of the story from Daisy’s perspective! It certainly made me stop and reevaluate my opinion of her character. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars was the voice of Daisy seemed off. Daisy seemed to be trying to sound like a woman with money who hadn’t always had money. However, Daisy grew up with money. She wouldn’t have to pretend.
January 14, 2023
The great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time. I think it's all the dreamy idealism of romance. And seeing the idea you have of someone rather than the reality. And it's really well written.
Daisy is also well written. And it makes the women in the story into full fledged characters with flaws but also strengths. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
Daisy is also well written. And it makes the women in the story into full fledged characters with flaws but also strengths. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
January 16, 2023
3.95 there can never be another Great Gatsby..but Libby Sternberg did a marvelous job of retelling the story from Daisy’s point of view, rather than Nick’s. Daisy and Jay’s love story was central theme. However, a strong woman character, Daisy, was developed as a more contemporary woman with views of her own and aspirations of her own.
February 7, 2023
As a fan of The Great Gatsby, this was a treat to stumble across and read! I loved this stronger, smarter version of Daisy. Instead of the vapid party girl, she was troubled, and struggled with love and decision making, but clearly sharp enough to take care of herself and her daughter when it truly mattered.
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May 17, 2023DNF page 76
I just couldn’t get into this retelling of The Great Gatsby from Daisy’s point-of-view. I didn’t feel like there was anything fresh here.
I just couldn’t get into this retelling of The Great Gatsby from Daisy’s point-of-view. I didn’t feel like there was anything fresh here.
November 29, 2023
I loved this book so much! I instantly knew by the cover that I wanted to read this. And by the cover I knew it had something to do with Daisy from the classic Great Gatsby. I thought the author did an amazing job with describing what her story could be. It truly inspired me to pick up Great Gatsby again to give it another read!
December 31, 2022
I really enjoyed this retelling of Gatsby from the perspective of Daisy. I could. not put it down once I began reading the story.
February 19, 2023
This was super fun! Nothing earth shattering, but delightful if you love the great gatsby and wish it had been less of a boys tale
July 23, 2023
It was a great version from Daisy perspective. I like this ending a whole lot better. Highly recommend
May 29, 2025
3.5/5 stars
January 17, 2023
Daisy is a retelling of The Great Gatsby but from Daisy Buchanan’s point of view. It delves a lot deeper into her backstory and her version of events. A fun and quick read!
February 16, 2023
I was slightly nervous to read this book. The Great Gatsby is one of my all time favorites, and how can anyone do justice to F Scott Fitzgerald? But Libby Sternberg did! Daisy is no longer a goddess on a pedestal sitting in the fog across the sound. She is real. She has thoughts. I love how this book captures the essence of that period in time (something we can all relate to in 2023) while respecting the original Great Gatsby and giving a voice to the unspoken. It takes true talent.
September 5, 2022
I thought the premise behind the book interesting and enjoyed the book. However, I struggled with reconciling parts with the original. I know every story has more than one side & The Great Gatsby has more than two. This does give insight to Daisy’s character and much of it is believable, but there are some things that didn’t necessarily work for me, i.e. when Daisy says early in the book that Tom has never physically hurt her. Overall, it is a good and worthwhile read, but probably not something that I will re-read anytime soon.
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