brokenrecord's review against another edition
3.0
Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books ever, and I enjoy basically any iteration of the story, so I’m going to enjoy books even marginally inspired by P&P on at least some level. The adaptation of Darcy/Lizzie is also always going to be most important to me; as long as the story gets that right, I don’t really care as much about everything else. So all that being said, I really enjoyed the Darcy/Liz stuff in this book; the rest (particularly everything to do with Lydia) was much more of a mixed bag.
So, the Darcy/Liz stuff:
The stuff having to do with Lydia’s ~fall was basically a total mess.
As for the rest of Liz’s family, I liked how her parents were adapted. I didn’t really understand the purpose of the constant joking about Mary possibly being a lesbian??? The Jane stuff was different but interesting; it made sense for why Chip would be hesitant about continuing their relationship.
So I guess 4 stars for the Liz/Darcy stuff, somewhere around 2 stars for the rest, leaving me at 3 stars? I guess that seems fair? But I did enjoy a lot about this, despite the many, many problems it had, and I’m not sorry I read it.
So, the Darcy/Liz stuff:
Spoiler
At first I really wasn’t sure how I felt about them engaging in hate sex so early on, but I think it ended up working for me? It brought something a little different to their dynamic than you normally get in P&P retellings, and it gave more of a reason for Darcy to think he had a shot with Liz, and it makes a little more sense for the ~proposal scene to be a love declaration after they’ve been hooking up for awhile. And it being a love declaration feels a bit more in spirit with the original than just asking her out on a date would. Beyond that, I just generally really enjoyed all of their interaction. I liked how they started running together, and Darcy calling Liz “My darling,” killed me a little.The stuff having to do with Lydia’s ~fall was basically a total mess.
Spoiler
There were some changes that I liked! I liked that it had nothing to do with Jasper (and even that Darcy’s backstory with Jasper didn’t have anything to do with Georgie). And while it was a nice change that the Lydia stuff didn’t have anything to do with Jasper, the way Darcy helps in this story by talking to their mom to get her to accept the relationship is not really even remotely comparable to what he does in the original (also, I get that him telling their mom that being transgender is a birth defect was just to put it in terms she could accept and understand, but it still made me uncomfortable). It also made zero sense to me as a scandal that would cause Liz to run back to her family. I mean, Darcy’s even tells her he doesn’t understand why she feels she has to leave, and the book tries to justify it, but… it just didn’t work for me. I’m also not sure how I felt about the Georgie anorexia stuff — it seemed out of place with everything else going on? Like there had to be some reason for Darcy to be protective of her and Liz to try to help Georgie out, but I wasn’t a fan of that choice.As for the rest of Liz’s family, I liked how her parents were adapted. I didn’t really understand the purpose of the constant joking about Mary possibly being a lesbian???
Spoiler
I think it was supposed to be like a twist that Lydia’s boyfriend turns out to be transgender, so the joke is that Lydia’s the real lesbian, except, no, Ham’s a dude, and it’s offensive to joke that Lydia’s a lesbian because Ham’s transgender. Also, the epilogue about Mary felt like an odd choice for an ending.So I guess 4 stars for the Liz/Darcy stuff, somewhere around 2 stars for the rest, leaving me at 3 stars? I guess that seems fair? But I did enjoy a lot about this, despite the many, many problems it had, and I’m not sorry I read it.
kjanakie's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
huisinga4's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Fun read. An excellent modern take on Jane Austen
mary412's review against another edition
4.0
Such fun! Not sure if you need to be a Jane Austen fan to enjoy this novel but I certainly did.
theelizart's review against another edition
Antisemitism homophobia etc and was told it gets graphically transphobic as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Antisemitism
Don't bother with it, it only gets worse through the bookricefun's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this parody of Pride and Prejudice. With lots of snappy dialog, it read quickly. While I didn't love all of the characters or their decisions it kept me engaged and felt like a breezy read that boarded on smutty at times.
I think what I enjoyed most about this book is the author's knowledge and love of Cincinnati, a city I've enjoyed living near and visiting many times. The way that she wove the city into the novel, almost like a character itself, made me smile throughout the book. The Freedom Center, Smale Riverfront Park, airport in Kentucky, Mount Adams, and other features are things that locals can identify with quickly. If she would have mentioned Jungle Jim's, I think I would have become giddy, but she hit many other local favorites (though I unfortunately break with Cincinnati convention and do not enjoy Skyline or Gold Star Chili).
Sittenfeld captures the characters of Pride and Prejudice quite well in my opinion. In reading other reviews I notice that people are disappointed that characters are unlikable - well - most of the characters in P&P are quite unlikable, so that does capture a modern essence in my opinion. I was disappointed in the direction of what is traditionally the Wickham story line in P&P. And I think that, like Shakespeare parodies, it is sometimes difficult to translate why interpersonal or social relationships would be high stakes in a modern American setting. So, while I don't love every decision Sittenfeld made to update those situations, I can be sympathetic to how difficult that task can be.
I think what I enjoyed most about this book is the author's knowledge and love of Cincinnati, a city I've enjoyed living near and visiting many times. The way that she wove the city into the novel, almost like a character itself, made me smile throughout the book. The Freedom Center, Smale Riverfront Park, airport in Kentucky, Mount Adams, and other features are things that locals can identify with quickly. If she would have mentioned Jungle Jim's, I think I would have become giddy, but she hit many other local favorites (though I unfortunately break with Cincinnati convention and do not enjoy Skyline or Gold Star Chili).
Sittenfeld captures the characters of Pride and Prejudice quite well in my opinion. In reading other reviews I notice that people are disappointed that characters are unlikable - well - most of the characters in P&P are quite unlikable, so that does capture a modern essence in my opinion. I was disappointed in the direction of what is traditionally the Wickham story line in P&P. And I think that, like Shakespeare parodies, it is sometimes difficult to translate why interpersonal or social relationships would be high stakes in a modern American setting. So, while I don't love every decision Sittenfeld made to update those situations, I can be sympathetic to how difficult that task can be.
ramai's review against another edition
It's not you, it's me. It seems I can't read a modern retelling of my all-time favourite book without visualising the characters in period costume and looking suspiciously like the actors in a certain 1995 BBC television masterpiece. It just won't work for me!
mschwem's review against another edition
3.0
It’s pride and prejudice... but in modern times. Not much else to it, so it’s a fun light read if you’re a big pride and prejudice fan, but it didn’t add any new revelations or complexity for me.
mjdolce's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad for a fun, light read. But I felt like the author spent so much time working on getting her characters from one P&P plot point to the next instead of really developing what could have been interesting updates on characters we know and love.