Member Reviews
A fun modern take on Pride and Prejudice. While this was part of a series that planned to retell all of Jane Austen's novels, it seems to have stalled out. Recommended for fans of Jane Austen and Curtis Sittenfeld.
Thank you to random house and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Curtis sittenfeld is one of my favorite authors. She retells pride and prejudice using saying shows which are so prevalent this days. I really enjoyed the story and characters and it was a quick read for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for gifting me a digital ARC of this modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld - 4 stars!
When Mr. Bennett has a health scare, Liz and Jane come back to Cincinnati from NYC to help out, even though Kitty, Lydia and Mary live there. Mrs. Bennett is just anxious to marry off at least one daughter. At a July 4th BBQ, Chip, fresh off a Bachelor-type reality show, takes interest in Jane, who is keeping a big secret from everyone. At the same party, Liz meets Fitzwilliam Darcy, with much less enthusiasm.
This was just so much fun. I loved Mr, Bennett's humor and even though I sadly don't remember details of Pride and Prejudice, I thought this modern telling was just so much fun. I'm sorry it languished on my TBR pile for so long!
FIIIIIIIIIIINALLY read my most outstanding ARC, and was not disappointed. I like that Eligible touched on the major plot points of Pride and Prejudice, but didn't follow them religiously. This was a ball of fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Although I have read and enjoyed several other Curtis Sitttenfeld novels, previous to this one, I was rather apprehensive about reading Eligible once I found that it was a "modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice", as I had never read that book. The only Jane Austen book I have ever read was Jane Eyre, in high school, when I really did not want to be reading what I was forced to read, so therefore all I remember is not liking the book. I am sure I would probably feel very differently about it at this point in time.
I was very, very pleasantly surprised by this book and found it hard to stop reading. Curtis Sittenfeld's writing is sharp and clever and his characterization is beyond reproach. There were many important characters in this book and I felt like each if them was represented in a fully formed way.
I cannot really compare this book to its inspiration, since I never read it, but can tell you that this is an entertaining and enjoyable book and I think most people would love it.
My favorite author is a very nuanced category, but I enjoy Curtis Sittenfeld (apart from her last book) and was not disappointed when I was given the opportunity to read it.
I came to read Pride and Prejudice late in life, but I was not disappointed--especially because this takes place in CINCINNATI!!!!!! Skyline Chili and beautiful churches (and a really nice basketball team) almost made me move there once, but I am happy that I ended up not moving there. It seems to be pretty hard to find a good match, at least according to Sittenfeld.
Great take on a story that's 'been told.'
This was read to satisfy #29 of the LEP Reading Challenge--Written by your favorite author.
I really enjoyed this one. I thought this was a fun and fresh take on the Pride and Prejudice story. Definitely one to reread again.
This story is a modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice. While it does not strictly adhere to the ages and stages of the original characters, it is a light, fun retelling. A die-hard fan of P&P may be a bit disappointed, but I found it to be an entertaining read and well worth the time.
I really enjoyed this funny and smart take on modern Life. Curtis Sittenfeld never disappoints me. Her writing is some of the best out there, bright and unexpected.
An enjoyable modern take on Pride and Prejudice. I wasn't sure about the reality show premise but it won me over. Worth the read.
Sittenfeld accomplishes what so few authors can successfully accomplish: a modern rendering of the well-loved and cherished novel, Pride and Prejudice. The way Sittenfeld lines up the plot points and twists and subject-matter to mirror the original Pride and Prejudice is absolutely skillful, creative, and spot-on. Her characters are consistent with Austen's version, but modern, and the chemistry between Liz and Darcy is steamy. I've read this novel twice and I look forward to reading it a third time! It is well-done and I recommend it to all my fellow readers--especially to my fellow Austenites.
Such a smart, witty Jane Austen adaptation! I would follow these characters anywhere—didn't want it to end.
While there were some excellently written parts of Eligible, for me, it is the weakest of the Austen project books in terms of bringing Austen’s characters to life in a modern setting. I gave Eligible only 1.5 stars out of five.
If you want to see a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice done well, I recommend you rather take a look elsewhere
It only took me almost two years to finally read this, but I had no doubt that I eventually would. And I knew once I did read it, I would wonder why it had taken me so long. I love Curtis Sittenfeld's writing, and Eligible was no exception. Pride and Prejudiceis one of my all-time favorite novels, and I love a good retelling! I was so happy that Sittenfeld had managed to maintain the true tone of all the characters created by Jane Austen, while successfully carrying them into the present day. Happy to finally mark this on off my tbr list!
I just adored this book! A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, it was tremendous fun to read, and I couldn't put it down. I always enjoy Curtis Sittenfeld's writing; she has a real knack for bringing characters to life. Interestingly, I only read Pride and Prejudice for the first time last year, and unlike most of the people I know who read it in their youth, I only liked it rather than loved it. So you may want to take it with a grain of salt when I say, in what might be sacrilege to some, that I enjoyed this version far more than the original. 4.5 stars.
I am actually shocked at how much I enjoyed this book – probably one of the more entertaining “chick-lit” books I’ve read over the last few years, BUT this may have more to do with the fact it was a retelling of one of my favorite classics, Pride & Prejudice. I also may have enjoyed this one more than normal because it is set in Cincinnati Ohio, which is about 1 hour from where I live in real life. Basically, I may be a little biased here.
I’d call this book a guilty pleasure type of book, or “fluffy” if you will. You really cannot go into this book expecting a piece of literary gold like the original P&P, but rather think of it as a more modern “watered-down” story inspired by a great classic. It reminded me of those awful reality TV shows we watch that are mindless drama and entertainment. Speaking of reality TV, this book includes a reality show where many of the characters end up participating. I found myself laughing at the “over the top” nature of the show, but with some of the reality shows I’ve seen aired on television, the portrayal probably wasn’t too farfetched.
Judging it from a retelling perspective, I’d say Sittenfeld did a great job staying true to the spirit of the original story while bringing it up to date and adding enough new elements. I’ve said it a hundred times, good retellings are hard to achieve. I feel like Eligible is a very balanced retelling.
Much like the original, I enjoyed the family dynamics and the focus on the Bennet sisters and their differences. If you thought there was family drama in the original P&P, than buckle your seatbelts because Eligible is family drama to the extreme. I would expect nothing less in a family with FIVE girls. Also like the original, Elizabeth was my favorite character. I really felt for her throughout the book. Being the responsible & level-headed child in the family is exhausting. Not that I know from experience, just an assumption.
Despite the fact that it was very readable & I enjoyed the retelling aspects, there felt like there were some problematic issues. I felt like some of the diversity was included for the sake of diversity – a transgender character, a bi-racial couple, a woman who decides to get pregnant via a sperm donor… While I was happy to see some diversity included in the story, It felt like these characters were thrown into the story provide drama, which didn’t feel right to me.
Another issue that I had with this book was that the final chapter felt oddly placed. The entire book is told through Elizabeth’s perspective, however the final chapter shifts to one of her younger sister’s perspective. While I appreciated the insight into that particular character, I didn’t like how the book ended on that note.
Overall, this book was mindless entertainment that succeeded in getting me to chuckle on occasion. Personally, I like my books with more depth to them, BUT if you are a fan of “chick lit” or need a mindless beach read, then this might be up your alley.
*3.5 Stars*
*Big thanks to Random House for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A fun re-visit of Jane Austen's classic tale with a modern spin - Eligible will make many die-hard Pride and Prejudice fans deeply smile - and entice neophytes into read the classic.
This was a great modern take on Austen. Loved everything about this book!
Such a great book if you are a fan of hers you will love this one!
Thus far, The Austen Project has been a major let-down. When I found out the next story was going to tackle ‘Pride and Prejudice’ I braced myself for another disappointment. Thankfully ‘Eligible‘ by Curtis Sittenfeld is by far the best of the series, but it’s still not my favorite Austen-inspired story.
In this modern-adaptation of the classic story, Darcy and Liz still have some good chemistry, but Jane and Bingley are the more interesting twist.
Chip Bingley is world-famous thanks to an appearance on ‘Eligible,’ a tv dating show much like the ‘Bachelor.’ His sister is his troublesome manager, and Dr. Darcy is less-than-thrilled to be in Cincinnati.
Liz and her sister, both in their late thirties, aren’t our typical Bennets either. While their younger sisters may be busy being addicted to CrossFit (well, except Mary, who keeps her life a little more shrouded). Jane is undergoing fertility treatments because she’s a modern woman that doesn’t need a man to have a child. Liz is a magazine writer, a typical romance heroine career choice, but also the force trying to keep her crumbling family together.
As events unfold, we watch the Bennets spin toward financial ruin and thrown into the spotlight of reality tv.
Story: https://drunkausten.wordpress.com/2016/06/15/book-review-eligible/