eatingfiction's review against another edition
2.0
I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up The Forgotten Book, but I liked the cover and was intrigued by the title alone. So I dived in.
Aaaand this turns out to be a very unsubtle Pride and Prejudice retelling. Now, I'm not the biggest P&P fan but I know the story fairly well (my mum loves that stuff) and once I figured out which character fit into which role, it wasn't hard to predict the entire plot. This book doesn't take the story and spin it into something new - it is the same core characters, with the same story beats, thrown onto a new setting with some fantasy elements on the side. It's kinda cute; a watered-down, modern-day, magical, fluffy, high-school version of Pride and Prejudice would surely appeal to some. This isn't a badly written book. But it is so not my cup of tea.
The Forgotten Book is set at a German boarding school, and follows Emma and her friends going about their daily teenage drama nonsense and oh yeah, they also have a magic book. Everything written in said book will come true. This is an interesting concept but one that was underutilized. Though, I wanted it to go in a much darker direction, one that was never the intention of this novel and it never pretended to be anything other than it was. Again this is more a case of it not being my taste.
The fantasy element didn't gel all that well with the P&P aspect. Each was its own story, only overlapping because they had the same main characters.
Speaking of which...All the characters had original names except for Darcy. Why rename all the characters except him??? Okay...we all know why. So annoying.
Overall rating: 2.5 stars
Aaaand this turns out to be a very unsubtle Pride and Prejudice retelling. Now, I'm not the biggest P&P fan but I know the story fairly well (my mum loves that stuff) and once I figured out which character fit into which role, it wasn't hard to predict the entire plot. This book doesn't take the story and spin it into something new - it is the same core characters, with the same story beats, thrown onto a new setting with some fantasy elements on the side. It's kinda cute; a watered-down, modern-day, magical, fluffy, high-school version of Pride and Prejudice would surely appeal to some. This isn't a badly written book. But it is so not my cup of tea.
The Forgotten Book is set at a German boarding school, and follows Emma and her friends going about their daily teenage drama nonsense and oh yeah, they also have a magic book. Everything written in said book will come true. This is an interesting concept but one that was underutilized. Though, I wanted it to go in a much darker direction, one that was never the intention of this novel and it never pretended to be anything other than it was. Again this is more a case of it not being my taste.
The fantasy element didn't gel all that well with the P&P aspect. Each was its own story, only overlapping because they had the same main characters.
Speaking of which...All the characters had original names except for Darcy. Why rename all the characters except him??? Okay...we all know why. So annoying.
Overall rating: 2.5 stars
ohhidanielle's review against another edition
2.0
Definitely a modern/fantasy YA retelling of Pride & Prejudice.
As other reviewers have stated, I probably would have liked this more if I wasn’t so well-versed in the original P&P. It has enough similarities to the original to be noticeable but was lacking much of the build-up that makes the original so wonderful. I also didn’t feel invested in the magical book conflict that made this story unique.
As other reviewers have stated, I probably would have liked this more if I wasn’t so well-versed in the original P&P. It has enough similarities to the original to be noticeable but was lacking much of the build-up that makes the original so wonderful. I also didn’t feel invested in the magical book conflict that made this story unique.
al1sa_h's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
paisleypikachu's review against another edition
4.0
Have you ever wanted a mash-up retelling of Jane Austen's Emma AND Pride and Prejudice, with some magic thrown in for fun? Honestly, that isn't a thing I ever knew I wanted. But oh boy am I glad it exists.
THE FORGOTTEN BOOK is exactly what I described above. It draws inspiration from both Emma and Pride and Prejudice - wee! - while weaving it's own magically fun tale. The protagonist, aptly named Emma, captures the spirit of her classic predecessor wonderfully. The way she talks, the things she does, it all fit perfectly with how I would envision a sixteen-year-old modern Emma. And although this time around there isn't a Mr. Knightley to keep her in check, there is a swoony young Darcy whom I promptly fell in love with. As one does where a Mr. Darcy is involved.
This one was a really quick read for me. As with last year's The Book Jumper, I was drawn into the story immediately, and while it wasn't as deep as some of the other fantasy titles out there right now, it was fun and refreshing. The characters were all a hoot, and I feel that the author did a really great job of building a new, quirky world within our own real world. I loved all of the nods to some of my favorite books.
I definitely recommend both of Mechthild Glaser's books, but especially THE FORGOTTEN BOOK. It's a really fun, fast read. And if you're an Austen fan then you're really in for a treat!
THE FORGOTTEN BOOK is exactly what I described above. It draws inspiration from both Emma and Pride and Prejudice - wee! - while weaving it's own magically fun tale. The protagonist, aptly named Emma, captures the spirit of her classic predecessor wonderfully. The way she talks, the things she does, it all fit perfectly with how I would envision a sixteen-year-old modern Emma. And although this time around there isn't a Mr. Knightley to keep her in check, there is a swoony young Darcy whom I promptly fell in love with. As one does where a Mr. Darcy is involved.
This one was a really quick read for me. As with last year's The Book Jumper, I was drawn into the story immediately, and while it wasn't as deep as some of the other fantasy titles out there right now, it was fun and refreshing. The characters were all a hoot, and I feel that the author did a really great job of building a new, quirky world within our own real world. I loved all of the nods to some of my favorite books.
I definitely recommend both of Mechthild Glaser's books, but especially THE FORGOTTEN BOOK. It's a really fun, fast read. And if you're an Austen fan then you're really in for a treat!
mishale1's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my God, this was so entertaining!
This is a (another) modern take on Pride and Prejudice but this story adds a magical realism storyline.
Emma wants to use the old, abandoned school library to form a club with her friends. Her father is high up in the school’s administration, so her request is easily approved.
She finds a magical book in the library. Thankfully she finds it before Darcy shows up and demands that she stop using the library. His family owns the castle where the school is, so his word is final.
At first, Emma is just trying to get her library back. But soon she realizes that there’s something strange about the book she found. It reads like a diary but when she adds a note herself, she realizes that writing in the book actually makes events happen.
She gets a little power hungry for a bit but then realizes the diary might hold the key to Darcy’s sister’s disappearance four years earlier. The more she reads, the more she learns about a mysterious faun creature.
This book was quite exciting. It hit a good stride and the action did not slow down until a nice resolution was reached at the end.
I very much enjoyed this. I definitely have to read The Book Jumper now!
This is a (another) modern take on Pride and Prejudice but this story adds a magical realism storyline.
Emma wants to use the old, abandoned school library to form a club with her friends. Her father is high up in the school’s administration, so her request is easily approved.
She finds a magical book in the library. Thankfully she finds it before Darcy shows up and demands that she stop using the library. His family owns the castle where the school is, so his word is final.
At first, Emma is just trying to get her library back. But soon she realizes that there’s something strange about the book she found. It reads like a diary but when she adds a note herself, she realizes that writing in the book actually makes events happen.
She gets a little power hungry for a bit but then realizes the diary might hold the key to Darcy’s sister’s disappearance four years earlier. The more she reads, the more she learns about a mysterious faun creature.
This book was quite exciting. It hit a good stride and the action did not slow down until a nice resolution was reached at the end.
I very much enjoyed this. I definitely have to read The Book Jumper now!
thesongofbooks's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
shawnas_booktime's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so good! We follow a 16 year old girl named Emma who vows to make this school year her year, going to get her crush and become the most popular girl. She then while cleaning out an old library finds an old book, and finds out its a diary and she decides to write in it, only to find it has power to make happen whatever you write happen. She meets Darcy who has come to the school to investigate the disappearance of his sister. Emma isn't the only one who knows about the book, and it could be dangerous if it were to fall into the wrong hands. Her only ally is Darcy, whom she cannot stand. This book is magical and beautifully written, and it is a Pride and Prejudice retelling with a magical element. I took a star off only for the pacing, sometimes the pacing was a bit slow, but once you sat and read it read like a charm.
justenjoy's review against another edition
3.0
"Was I seriously sitting here with an antique book wondering whether there was really such a thing as magic?"
doubleinfinitybyella's review against another edition
4.0
Zjistila jsem, že mi Goodreads nějak vyhodil hodnocení, takže teď absolutně netuším, kdy jsem to četla :D
bookishowl13's review against another edition
3.0
A play on Pride and Prejudice... liked it, but her other book The Book Jumper was better.