cogsofencouragement's review against another edition
2.0
I am a huge Jane Austen fan. I read this on the recommendation of a blogger I trusted. I, on the other hand, do not recommend it.
athena2023's review against another edition
3.0
*3.75 stars very clever and funny, the way she has adapted the story with modern dramas fits seamlessly.
jenn_sveda's review against another edition
1.0
Always excited for a modern retelling of Austen, but this book missed the mark for me. I was almost left wondering if the author had ever read the original P&P, or if she just really, really hated every character in the original.
I will start with some positives: I think the inclusion of the Eligible show, and Bingley's participation in the show, was a cute modern update. I almost wish more of the novel focused on this plot point, rather than mentioning it offhand in the beginning and then coming back in for the wedding at the end. I also was a fan of the way Darcy was written - although I think his characterization was a little inconsistent, and there were definitely times when his attitude read less as "socially awkward snob" and more "genuine asshole." The pacing was also a plus for me. I have seen a couple reviews that complained about the length of the novel being padded by chapters that were only a few sentences long, but since I read an e-book, the wasted pages didn't bother me. I think the short chapters made the book feel a little more fast-paced, which is impressive considering how very little actually happens in this book.
I think the true fatal flaws of this book are its characters and its plot. Austen's novels can be lacking in action, but they never feel like they're dragging because the characters are so lively and well-developed. Her heroines are, in my opinion, some of the strongest protagonists crafted in classic literature, and Elizabeth Bennet has always been a particular favorite of mine. This version, "Liz," had nothing in common with her namesake, and I was honestly almost insulted in the way she was portrayed. Even if she hadn't been based on the original Elizabeth Bennet (and she is a shadow of the original character here), I still would have been repelled by her selfish, shallow, ignorant, and frankly immature characterization. She spends a majority of the book pining over the fact that her boyfriend is...married with children, and in fact has been ignoring Liz as a potential romantic partner for the majority of their friendship despite the fact that she is in love with him. This Wickham stand-in, Jasper Wick, has all of the villainous vanity of the original, but completely lacks all the charm and social tact that originally enchanted Elizabeth Bennet. His character in Eligible is so self-centered, arrogant, and downright annoying that even Jane hates him, but for some reason, Liz wastes a significant portion of her life being used and taken advantage of him, showing a disturbing lack of self-preservation, sense, and self-respect. Elizabeth Bennet would be ashamed.
Liz's characterization was by far the greatest sin for me, but the rest of the characters (with the sometimes-exception of Sittenfeld's Darcy) were equally maligned in this book. Jane was almost non-existent, and rather than being portrayed as an empathetic, poised, and genuinely kind individual, she mostly seemed spineless and naive to the point of stupidity. At 40 years old, she's attempting to get pregnant via IVI with no job, no savings, and no real life plan (Jane is a yoga instructor, a profession which can hardly be expected to independently pay rent in NYC, let alone support a child as well). Mary is every bad "feminist" stereotype (think nagging, joyless harpy that has no friends) rolled into one unbearably caustic person. Kitty and Lydia were written so similarly that I genuinely had trouble distinguishing between the two in the beginning of the novel, until Ham arrived to give Lydia some distinction. Lydia and Kitty retain all their youthful selfishness and vanity, but are now in their mid-20s and lack any and all social skill. Mrs. Bennet is no longer the overbearing, out-of-touch, but ultimately well-meaning busybody mother trying to secure her daughters' financial futures; instead, she is violently racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic. Clearly Sittenfeld hated the original Mrs. Bennet. Mr. Bennet is equally unpleasant, morphing from a dry-witted, indulgent but distant father to a bitter, angry old man who ignores his dire financial straits for no real reason other than that he doesn't want to deal with it.
I had quite a bit written out regarding the weakness of the plot - with marriage no longer the sole option for women to maintain a social position, the impulsive and bizarre choices the characters make in this novel to secure romantic relationships seem almost completely unbelievable. Alas, my original comment was accidentally erased, and I am not wasting more of my time on such a thoroughly unenjoyable book. Suffice it to say that the plot hinges on a ham-fisted social commentary that is often overexaggerated, and lacks the subtle wit and keen observations of Austen's original; it feels as though Sittenfeld didn't trust her readers to be able to understand her point without constantly spelling it out via Liz's internal monologues. Overall, it was a quick but disappointing read, needlessly vulgar in the way "edgy and modern" adaptations tend to be, and a shameful attempt to recreate Austen's original.
Also, Georgianna Darcy calls her brother "Fitzy," and I can't imagine any adult human who would be okay with that nickname.
I will start with some positives: I think the inclusion of the Eligible show, and Bingley's participation in the show, was a cute modern update. I almost wish more of the novel focused on this plot point, rather than mentioning it offhand in the beginning and then coming back in for the wedding at the end. I also was a fan of the way Darcy was written - although I think his characterization was a little inconsistent, and there were definitely times when his attitude read less as "socially awkward snob" and more "genuine asshole." The pacing was also a plus for me. I have seen a couple reviews that complained about the length of the novel being padded by chapters that were only a few sentences long, but since I read an e-book, the wasted pages didn't bother me. I think the short chapters made the book feel a little more fast-paced, which is impressive considering how very little actually happens in this book.
I think the true fatal flaws of this book are its characters and its plot. Austen's novels can be lacking in action, but they never feel like they're dragging because the characters are so lively and well-developed. Her heroines are, in my opinion, some of the strongest protagonists crafted in classic literature, and Elizabeth Bennet has always been a particular favorite of mine. This version, "Liz," had nothing in common with her namesake, and I was honestly almost insulted in the way she was portrayed. Even if she hadn't been based on the original Elizabeth Bennet (and she is a shadow of the original character here), I still would have been repelled by her selfish, shallow, ignorant, and frankly immature characterization. She spends a majority of the book pining over the fact that her boyfriend is...married with children, and in fact has been ignoring Liz as a potential romantic partner for the majority of their friendship despite the fact that she is in love with him. This Wickham stand-in, Jasper Wick, has all of the villainous vanity of the original, but completely lacks all the charm and social tact that originally enchanted Elizabeth Bennet. His character in Eligible is so self-centered, arrogant, and downright annoying that even Jane hates him, but for some reason, Liz wastes a significant portion of her life being used and taken advantage of him, showing a disturbing lack of self-preservation, sense, and self-respect. Elizabeth Bennet would be ashamed.
Liz's characterization was by far the greatest sin for me, but the rest of the characters (with the sometimes-exception of Sittenfeld's Darcy) were equally maligned in this book. Jane was almost non-existent, and rather than being portrayed as an empathetic, poised, and genuinely kind individual, she mostly seemed spineless and naive to the point of stupidity. At 40 years old, she's attempting to get pregnant via IVI with no job, no savings, and no real life plan (Jane is a yoga instructor, a profession which can hardly be expected to independently pay rent in NYC, let alone support a child as well). Mary is every bad "feminist" stereotype (think nagging, joyless harpy that has no friends) rolled into one unbearably caustic person. Kitty and Lydia were written so similarly that I genuinely had trouble distinguishing between the two in the beginning of the novel, until Ham arrived to give Lydia some distinction. Lydia and Kitty retain all their youthful selfishness and vanity, but are now in their mid-20s and lack any and all social skill. Mrs. Bennet is no longer the overbearing, out-of-touch, but ultimately well-meaning busybody mother trying to secure her daughters' financial futures; instead, she is violently racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic. Clearly Sittenfeld hated the original Mrs. Bennet. Mr. Bennet is equally unpleasant, morphing from a dry-witted, indulgent but distant father to a bitter, angry old man who ignores his dire financial straits for no real reason other than that he doesn't want to deal with it.
I had quite a bit written out regarding the weakness of the plot - with marriage no longer the sole option for women to maintain a social position, the impulsive and bizarre choices the characters make in this novel to secure romantic relationships seem almost completely unbelievable. Alas, my original comment was accidentally erased, and I am not wasting more of my time on such a thoroughly unenjoyable book. Suffice it to say that the plot hinges on a ham-fisted social commentary that is often overexaggerated, and lacks the subtle wit and keen observations of Austen's original; it feels as though Sittenfeld didn't trust her readers to be able to understand her point without constantly spelling it out via Liz's internal monologues. Overall, it was a quick but disappointing read, needlessly vulgar in the way "edgy and modern" adaptations tend to be, and a shameful attempt to recreate Austen's original.
Also, Georgianna Darcy calls her brother "Fitzy," and I can't imagine any adult human who would be okay with that nickname.
sendusia's review against another edition
1.0
This is a hard no for me. No cheese or enjoyment, just annoyance.
abeth_parker's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not sure what to say other than there is not a life style choice or relationship situation that the author didn't manage to work into the story of the Bennet family from "Pride and Prejudice". I know that one of the complaints about classic literature is that it was all written within a narrow, traditional set of morals. That is not true, but it was often the case. I find it equally vexing, however, when authors do a modern rewrite, and feel that the only solution is to be sure that they address all current topics about sexuality, relationships, etc. I realize that these situations have always occurred in some form, and I know it has always been challenging for people who don't fit the status quo. I'm not arguing that all of the scenarios in the book couldn't exist. But, my goodness, the Bennet family in this retelling would be worthy of a social science thesis paper if they weren't fictional. For me, it came across as a heavy handed dose of "It could happen."
mjsteimle's review against another edition
I'm not above reading the light and fluffy, but I found this downright trashy. I read about 1/4 of the book before deciding that it was a waste of time. I'm kind of surprised that this has gotten as much buzz as it has. In my opinion, if you want a modern re-telling of Pride and Prejudice watch The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
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.