Because of a slow weekend and a bout of insomnia, I flew through this modern day retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
The novel has kept the same essence of the original and it’s main conflict, but the story is tweaked for present day problems. For example, Mrs. Bennett is still trying to marry off her five daughters, especially Jane and Liz who are approaching forty. The characters’ personalities stay fairly intact: Lydia is still a highly emotional flirt, Kitty still rides her sister’s coattails, Mary is serious and studious, Liz is outspoken and witty, and Jane is demure and reserved. However, some situations are updated, like the family’s savings being depleted by Mr. Bennett’s heart attack and surgery coupled with Mrs. Bennett’s online shopping addiction. Fitzwilliam Darcy is a prestigious brain surgeon which adds to his aloof attitude. Bingley is also a doctor but is famous for his appearance on a Bachelor-type dating show where he was “trying to find love.” The main story revolves around Jane and Bingley’s relationship but also follows Liz’s love confusion while also trying to detangle her family’s financial problems.
This story has a lot of culturally debated topics in it, from racist comments from Liz’s parents to transgender people to to premarital sex to the obsessive nature of cross-fit and paleo diets. If you are against a little shock factor (or if you don’t want to hear Lydia and Kitty yell out inappropriately sexual Charades guesses), then you may want to skip this one because it does get a little crass. I found it fascinating because I love, love, love Pride and Prejudice (as I state in my blog HERE) and because it’s written in the same style as the original story. The sentences are sometimes long winded, but the chapters are really short and easier to digest than the original story.
This book says it’s the fourth in a series, but don’t be fooled. The series is other Jane Austen books retold with modern twists, so you do not have to read them in order.
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