I really like Pride and Prejudice, so I was excited to win this retelling. This book changes the setting to modern-day Texas. Instead of neighborhood dances, the activity is a debutante ball. Twins Megan and Julia are both accepted as debs because their family is a legacy. The problem is that Megan is not very girly. She prefers playing soccer, which gets her into some trouble and put on debutante probation. If she can’t prove herself, she will be kicked out and disgrace her family. […]
Is It Me?
Am I a curmudgeon? Have I lost the ability to take delight in simple pleasures and enjoy things at face value? Is Eligible a charming, quick, witty read, or a slog through utter minutiae and plot threads that go nowhere? I found I was doubting myself as I read this, doubting my ability to discern whether a book was good or crap, even, dear readers, doubting my own taste level. You already know the story of Eligible, it’s Pride and Prejudice moved to the present […]
When The End of the World Comes, I Want to Be in Cincinnati
I know people have mixed feelings about this reboot of Pride and Prejudice but I heartily enjoyed it, and I think Jane Austen would have too. Though I never was fully able to forget this was an homage, Sittenfeld does a good job of playing with how the dynamics of Austen’s insular novel world would translate to a 21st century American context. Austen was poking sly fun at her characters, and Sittenfeld does likewise. Instead of being set in the English countryside, this novel is set […]