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Contemporary retellings of your favorite classics
Novels that modernize — and revolutionize — the classics you know and love.
Опубликовано 06 сентября 2023
The Chosen and the Beautiful
Nghi Vo“The Great Gatsby,” but queer and with magic. Vo’s captivating reinvention stars tennis pro Jordan Baker, at once a fixture at the glitzy Jazz Age parties due to her lifelong friendship with Daisy, but forever an exoticized outsider because of her Vietnamese heritage. With an intoxicating mix of hedonism, demon blood drinks, and enchantments conjured out of paper, Vo “captures the spirit of Fitzgerald’s original while brilliantly reframing the narrative and subverting expectations at every turn,” writes Publishers Weekly.
So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix
Bethany C. MorrowThis installment of the “Remixed Classics” series centers on the sisters you already know and love from “Little Women.” But now, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March are a Black family living in the Freedpeople’s Colony of Roanoke Island. Like Louisa May Alcott’s story, “So Many Beginnings” includes themes of hope, dreams, and sisterhood, but the fresh perspective is worth celebrating.
Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix
Cherie DimalineContinuing the “Remixed Classics” YA series, which infuses marginalized perspectives into literary classics, Dimaline adds a queer, indigenous spin to “The Secret Garden.” After her parents’ deaths, 15-year-old Mary Lennox moves to her uncle’s estate in Ontario. As she gets to know the manor and her uncle’s Métis (indigenous Canadian) household staff, she’s drawn into an eerie family mystery surrounding her cousin, Olive, who’s hidden away in the attic.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. MaasThis fantasy novel takes themes from “Beauty and the Beast'' and twists them into something entirely new and unexpected. Feyre is a huntress, but when she kills the wrong wolf, she is taken from her family and into the fae realm to pay the price. Only, the fae have secrets and problems of their own. Complete with curses, wicked rulers, dangerous bargains, and monsters, this story explores just how much one will sacrifice for love.
Thornhedge
T. KingfisherKingfisher, who previously reimagined another classic, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” in “What Moves the Dead,” puts a horror spin on a beloved fairy tale. Toadling, raised by the fae, guards a tower that holds a sleeping princess and dark secrets. After centuries, a prince arrives to save the damsel, not realizing his actions could destroy the world. A whimsical and darkly funny novella, “Thornhedge” will surprise you with every twist.
Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Gregory MaguireWe know Dorothy’s account of the Land of Oz, but this strange and dark tale offers a new take on the classic. Follow along as the Wicked Witch of the West explains her side of the story amid a backdrop of sex, drugs, politics, and magic. The Broadway musical is fun, but the book that inspired it is genius.
The Ballad of Black Tom
Victor LaValleLaValle expertly reinvents H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Horror of Red Hook” and addresses the troubling racial and xenophobic representation in the original. Blending horror, historical fiction, and fantasy in 1920s Harlem, the tale follows a Black musician who runs afoul of a sorcerer. This Shirley Jackson and British Fantasy Award winner is an exciting new classic.
Pride: A Pride & Prejudice Remix
Ibi ZoboiThis exuberant YA story updates “Pride and Prejudice” to modern Brooklyn, pitting an Afro Latino teen against the Darcy family, who’ve moved in across the street. Zoboi leaves the “prejudice” out of the title for a reason: Her story features plenty of characters of color full of pride about who they are and where they come from as they deal with the consequences of gentrification.
Incense and Sensibility: A Novel
Sonali DevPart of Dev’s “Rajes” series (standalone stories retelling Jane Austen novels), “Incense and Sensibility” pairs Yash, a fiercely intense and ambitious politician, with his sister’s best friend, India, a yoga teacher. India’s hired to help Yash deal with trauma he’s manifested on the campaign trail, exposing emotions he’s not prepared to face. Dev’s writing is rich and empathic, and her deft portrayal of complicated characters makes this book completely satisfying.
These Violent Delights
Chloe GongGong reinvents “Romeo and Juliet” with a duology set in 1920s Shanghai. The blood feud between the Russian Montagovs and the Chinese Cais is put on the backburner when a sickness sweeps through the streets of the city, apparently originating from a monster. Though not your typical Shakespearean fare, the grittiness and touch of fantasy does surprise and delight. Gong’s “Foul Lady Fortune” is loosely based on another classic, “As You Like It,” so read that one next.
Nutshell
Ian McEwanMoral dilemmas, patricide, and betrayal — sounds like “Hamlet,” right? That’s because it is. Kind of. McEwan (“Atonement”) retells the Shakespearean tragedy from a very unique perspective: a fetus. An unborn infant overhears a plot between his mother and her lover to kill the baby’s father (who happens to be the lover’s brother). “Nutshell” is darkly funny, gripping, and a whole lot shorter than the original.
I, Iago: A Novel
Nicole GallandThis is another Shakespearean retelling from a new point of view. Get inside the mind of “Othello” villain Iago, and all the life experiences that lead to his transformation from sympathetic to despised. Galland’s story gives us a fresh perspective on good and evil.
The Song of Achilles: A Novel
Madeline MillerIn her imaginative reinvention of Homer's epic “The Iliad,” Miller tells the passionate — and ill-fated — love story of Achilles and exiled Prince Patroclus as they wage the Trojan War to avenge Helen of Troy. This entertaining foray into Ancient Greece will satisfy lovers of literature and poetry alike.
Ariadne: A Novel
Jennifer SaintThis story places Greek women at the forefront as it follows Princess Ariadne, who defies her father and the gods by helping Theseus kill her brother, the Minotaur. Unlike the original myth, Saint gives voice to the women characters, including Ariadne and her sister, Phaedra, while examining the long-term consequences of Ariadne’s actions. Saint’s other reinvented Greek classics include “Elektra” and “Atalanta.”
When Stars Come Out
Scarlett St. ClairThis darkly mysterious YA reimagining of the Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice follows young Anora Silby, who can see the dead. Anora desperately wants to keep her powers a secret from her new classmates, but then she’s implicated in a murder. Anora must find the truth while avoiding the attention of a dangerous organization called The Order, not to mention a gossip app wreaking havoc at her school.
Stone Blind: A Novel
Natalie HaynesHaynes adds to her body of Greek myth retellings (“A Thousand Ships,” “The Children of Jocasta”) with “Stone Blind.” The original stories paint Medusa as a monster, but this reimagining questions the very meaning of the word, offering a fresh perspective that reveals the damaging effects of male-perpetrated violence. True to form, Haynes highlights women characters previously pushed aside.
Everything Under: A Novel
Daisy JohnsonJohnson’s debut novel, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker prize, shakes up the myth of Oedipus Rex, one of the oldest and most well-known stories from the ancient Greeks. Eerie and dreamy, the reinterpretation is set on a houseboat in the canals of Oxford, England, where a mother and daughter speak a made-up language, take in a mysterious runaway transgender boy, and are being hunted by a menacing creature.
Anna K: A Love Story
Jenny LeeLee adds the freshness of youth — and a Korean twist — to Tolstoy’s classic “Anna Karenina.” Anna, a Korean American teenager from NYC, avoids the typical teenage drama her friends are always caught up in. That is, until she meets Alexia Vronsky, who turns Anna’s world upside down.
Beowulf: A New Translation
Maria Dahvana HeadleyIf the first word of the text — “Bro!” — doesn’t make it obvious, this is not the same old “Beowulf” you read in high school. Author Headley first reimagined monster Grendel’s mother in her 2018 novel “The Mere Wife.” Now, she’s back with a Hugo Award-winning retelling of the poem as a whole, giving modern context (including a feminist twist) to an age-old tale of male bravado.
Cursed
Frank Miller“Cursed” is a retelling of Arthurian tales with a big twist: Arthur isn’t even the protagonist. Instead, it follows Nimue, a young woman who wields dark magic and, eventually, the sword of legend. Arthur and Merlin assist in her quest for revenge after everyone in her village is killed. The Netflix adaptation stars Katherine Langford (“13 Reasons Why”).
Feral Youth
Shaun David HutchinsonA group of troubled teens attending a youth intervention camp must work together to survive in the woods for three days. This anthology of connected stories by different writers puts a modern spin on “The Canterbury Tales,” with each protagonist sharing a different, increasingly fantastical story about how they ended up in the program. The authors and characters are diverse, but the painful realities of teenhood are universal.
Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold
Bolu BabalolaBabalola (“Honey & Spice”) offers a collection that reimagines classics from around the globe. These short stories were inspired by folklore from Africa, Asia, and beyond, and they give attention to Black love. Modern details bring out each character’s passion while exploring all versions of romance.