missprint_'s review against another edition
3.0
Zuri Benitez loves her family and her block in Bushwick in equal measure. She is proud to be Afro-Latinx and she is proud to have a part of the fabric of Bushwick long before the neighborhood started to gentrify.
Which is why Zuri wants nothing to do with the Darcy family when they move in across the street even if the brothers are cute. While her older sister Janae falls hard for Ainsley, Zuri cannot stand Darius.
In Zuri's eyes Darius represents everything that's going wrong in Bushwick as new rich families buy up houses and push out poorer families like Zuri's, changing the neighborhood forever. Worse, he is a total snob with absolutely no redeeming qualities.
When Zuri and Darius are repeatedly thrown together, their mutual dislike starts to shift to a hesitant understanding and maybe even something else. With college looming and so many changes in her future, Zuri has to decide if her pride and her prejudices might be stopping her from embracing a wonderful opportunity in Pride (2018) by Ibi Zoboi.
Pride is Zoboi's sophomore novel and a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice.
Pride is a sweet story imbued with Zuri's love for her family, her neighborhood, and her words as Zuri often journals her thoughts as spoken word poems. Zuri is a decidedly modern narrator but in trying to capture teen authenticity this story leans heavily on nicknames (which don't always make sense) and slang that has the potential to date this story very quickly.
In addition to Zuri's evolving relationship with Darius, a lot of this story explores gentrification both as a way to bring classism into the story and also as it relates to Zuri's beloved Bushwick neighborhood. This aspect is the weakest of the story as Zuri's opinions and idealism of the past feel much more authentic for a much older character with a very different life experience. The message and discussion are important but never quite make sense coming from a teenager who would have limited memories at best of the Bushwick of her so-called youth.
Pride is a short novel that stands nicely on its own as a contemporary romance despite limited space to develop the large cast of characters. Readers already familiar with the source material (or one of its numerous adaptations) will catch more of this novel's nuance and shorthand nods to elements from the original
Possible Pairings: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert, Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg, Bookish Boyfriends: A Date with Darcy by Tiffany Schmidt
Which is why Zuri wants nothing to do with the Darcy family when they move in across the street even if the brothers are cute. While her older sister Janae falls hard for Ainsley, Zuri cannot stand Darius.
In Zuri's eyes Darius represents everything that's going wrong in Bushwick as new rich families buy up houses and push out poorer families like Zuri's, changing the neighborhood forever. Worse, he is a total snob with absolutely no redeeming qualities.
When Zuri and Darius are repeatedly thrown together, their mutual dislike starts to shift to a hesitant understanding and maybe even something else. With college looming and so many changes in her future, Zuri has to decide if her pride and her prejudices might be stopping her from embracing a wonderful opportunity in Pride (2018) by Ibi Zoboi.
Pride is Zoboi's sophomore novel and a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice.
Pride is a sweet story imbued with Zuri's love for her family, her neighborhood, and her words as Zuri often journals her thoughts as spoken word poems. Zuri is a decidedly modern narrator but in trying to capture teen authenticity this story leans heavily on nicknames (which don't always make sense) and slang that has the potential to date this story very quickly.
In addition to Zuri's evolving relationship with Darius, a lot of this story explores gentrification both as a way to bring classism into the story and also as it relates to Zuri's beloved Bushwick neighborhood. This aspect is the weakest of the story as Zuri's opinions and idealism of the past feel much more authentic for a much older character with a very different life experience. The message and discussion are important but never quite make sense coming from a teenager who would have limited memories at best of the Bushwick of her so-called youth.
Pride is a short novel that stands nicely on its own as a contemporary romance despite limited space to develop the large cast of characters. Readers already familiar with the source material (or one of its numerous adaptations) will catch more of this novel's nuance and shorthand nods to elements from the original
Possible Pairings: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Finding Yvonne by Brandy Colbert, Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg, Bookish Boyfriends: A Date with Darcy by Tiffany Schmidt
readingbyte's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
drlove2018's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Sexual assault
siria's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of the better reimagining of Pride and Prejudice that I've read. Pride relocates the action to contemporary Brooklyn. Lizzy Bennet is now Zuri Benitez, a Haitian-Dominican teenager whose pride in her working-class, Black/Hispanic neighbourhood is matched by a desire to attend prestigious HBCU, Howard University. Fitzwilliam Darcy becomes Darius Darcy, the bougie Black boy whose family has just moved into the newly renovated brownstone across the street from Zuri's rundown apartment building. Zuri and Darius clash over gentrification and differing ways of being Black, and if you know the original story at all, you know where it goes from there.
I enjoyed Pride most for the sense of place it evokes. Ibi Zoboi's words bring Zuri's neighbourhood alive: noisy, close-knit, full of music and home-cooked food. However, this is a Young Adult book with an emphasis on the young. I didn't know it was YA before I bought it (it was shelved in the general lit section; another odd choice brought to you by Barnes and Noble), and even once I realised that and recalibrated my expectations, I thought Pride was overly simplistic. Some fairly major elements are rushed past quite quickly, the relationship between Zuri and Darius is rather bland and underdeveloped, Zuri doesn't have Lizzy's wit, and the poetry is a bit cringey. I think I would have lapped it up when I was twelve, and I think that age range is probably best placed to appreciate this novel's good points.
I enjoyed Pride most for the sense of place it evokes. Ibi Zoboi's words bring Zuri's neighbourhood alive: noisy, close-knit, full of music and home-cooked food. However, this is a Young Adult book with an emphasis on the young. I didn't know it was YA before I bought it (it was shelved in the general lit section; another odd choice brought to you by Barnes and Noble), and even once I realised that and recalibrated my expectations, I thought Pride was overly simplistic. Some fairly major elements are rushed past quite quickly, the relationship between Zuri and Darius is rather bland and underdeveloped, Zuri doesn't have Lizzy's wit, and the poetry is a bit cringey. I think I would have lapped it up when I was twelve, and I think that age range is probably best placed to appreciate this novel's good points.
spinesnlines's review against another edition
4.0
I mean…how could I not read this. I am a sucker for anything Pride and Prejudice related. I’ve had this for a while, but had not gotten to it. I’m so mad at myself for waiting this long. My top 5 thoughts below the blurb!
What I loved:
-The setting is everything. NYC.
-The characters. I so felt for Zuri. I was pulling for her so hard! I loved the Benitez family, The Darcys and Madrina.
-The topic of gentrification. I think we caught up on a new apartment, new malls, or new housing developments that we forget what came before.
-Quote: “Sometimes love is not enough to keep a community together. There needs to be something more tangible, like fair housing, opportunities, and access to resources. Lifeboats and lifelines are not supposed to just be a way for us to get out. They should be ways to let us stay in and survive. And thrive.”
-I just wish I made more in the ending. I didn’t want it to end!
If you like Pride and Prejudice, I recommend this retelling!
What I loved:
-The setting is everything. NYC.
-The characters. I so felt for Zuri. I was pulling for her so hard! I loved the Benitez family, The Darcys and Madrina.
-The topic of gentrification. I think we caught up on a new apartment, new malls, or new housing developments that we forget what came before.
-Quote: “Sometimes love is not enough to keep a community together. There needs to be something more tangible, like fair housing, opportunities, and access to resources. Lifeboats and lifelines are not supposed to just be a way for us to get out. They should be ways to let us stay in and survive. And thrive.”
-I just wish I made more in the ending. I didn’t want it to end!
If you like Pride and Prejudice, I recommend this retelling!
thissagreads's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
A cute Afro-Latinx love story that also discusses gentrification. But the pace moved slow, and It was incredibly predictable. I decided to finish the book because the narrator SAVED the story and made it interesting enough to want to finish.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
cyberflaneur's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
egiap17's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! Such a great modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice while not being predictable and including relevant real-life issues. Very impressed by Ibi Zoboi.
high_fae's review against another edition
4.0
An overall enjoyable rendering of Jane Austen's [b: Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320399351s/1885.jpg|3060926] in a modern-day era black neighbourhood. I'm generally a sucker for modern AU retellings, and I have loved this one!
arendje's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0