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hornborra's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming
skudiklier's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm really not sure how I feel about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed reading it, and was very invested in what was going to happen. I wasn't at all bored by it because I knew how Pride and Prejudice goes, or anything like that.
On the other hand, for the first third of the book I hated all of the characters, and I still don't really like most of them by the end. There's a lot of transphobia, fatphobia, racism, and homophobia. Some of these are very clearly faults of the characters, but others are less easily dismissed. (More details on each of these under the spoiler warning.)
Transphobia: a major plot point in the novel is when a character is revealed to be trans, and this is treated very badly by almost every character. This is actually the one spoiler I knew ahead of time, because I'm trans and I read a little bit about this part of the book before starting it. But what I didn't realize is that even Lizzy was going to be weird and transphobic about it. She does quickly learn what she said/did was wrong, and becomes better towards the end of the book. But still, that section was frustrating and I didn't like it. It feels way out of proportion for her to fly home because of this, and to be honest I think Darcy forgives her too easily for this. Overall though it's clear Sittenfeld meant the transphobia to be a fault of the characters, and she herself doesn't agree with that, and so on and so on. I'm glad it was so clearly disputed in the book. But I still wouldn't have made that this big of a deal in the book at all.
Fatphobia: the fatphobia is one of the bigger issues I have with the book, as it's both blatant and not super clearly disagreed with. Lizzy as the narrator repeatedly says things like how she tries not to get caught up in diet talk, but that she's not completely successful. The characters' fatphobia is made fun of in some ways but reinforced in others. Charlotte is the only fat character that I can think of who is presented in a positive light, but she's repeatedly called unattractive--by the characters, but still. I think all of the characters who are portrayed as attractive are straight size, if not actively thin.
Racism: part of me wants to say the racism is disputed in similar ways to the transphobia, but I know I might also just be less focused on that since I'm white. Lizzy does definitely point out that several characters are racist, and this is seen as bad, and it's clear neither Lizzy as the narrator nor Sittenfeld as the author think any of the racism is okay. However, the casual racism just scattered throughout the book was still obviously not great, and I'm not sure how much of it was necessary or relevant to the plot.
Homophobia/lesbophobia: the homophobia was pretty bad in the beginning, and got a little better later on. I feel it could have been addressed more clearly, rather than just being accepted as normal, but I have less issue with the homophobia than with the rest of the things listed above. Lizzy's sisters are kind of awful about it though, and if you don't feel like reading a bunch of "haha you're a lesbian" "no I'm not" interactions, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Overall, I'm pretty torn on if I liked this book or would recommend it. In general I like Sittenfeld's writing, but the more of her books I read, I'm not sure if I should want to read them. I don't think this was a terrible retelling of Pride and Prejudice, though it's definitely a different story with different characters. I was also not super convinced by Darcy's character in general; I feel like in the beginning he was an almost irredeemable asshole, and then later he just sort of became nice and interesting. I don't buy that that's the same person with the same motivations.
On the other hand, for the first third of the book I hated all of the characters, and I still don't really like most of them by the end. There's a lot of transphobia, fatphobia, racism, and homophobia. Some of these are very clearly faults of the characters, but others are less easily dismissed. (More details on each of these under the spoiler warning.)
Transphobia: a major plot point in the novel is when a character is revealed to be trans, and this is treated very badly by almost every character. This is actually the one spoiler I knew ahead of time, because I'm trans and I read a little bit about this part of the book before starting it. But what I didn't realize is that even Lizzy was going to be weird and transphobic about it. She does quickly learn what she said/did was wrong, and becomes better towards the end of the book. But still, that section was frustrating and I didn't like it. It feels way out of proportion for her to fly home because of this, and to be honest I think Darcy forgives her too easily for this. Overall though it's clear Sittenfeld meant the transphobia to be a fault of the characters, and she herself doesn't agree with that, and so on and so on. I'm glad it was so clearly disputed in the book. But I still wouldn't have made that this big of a deal in the book at all.
Fatphobia: the fatphobia is one of the bigger issues I have with the book, as it's both blatant and not super clearly disagreed with. Lizzy as the narrator repeatedly says things like how she tries not to get caught up in diet talk, but that she's not completely successful. The characters' fatphobia is made fun of in some ways but reinforced in others. Charlotte is the only fat character that I can think of who is presented in a positive light, but she's repeatedly called unattractive--by the characters, but still. I think all of the characters who are portrayed as attractive are straight size, if not actively thin.
Racism: part of me wants to say the racism is disputed in similar ways to the transphobia, but I know I might also just be less focused on that since I'm white. Lizzy does definitely point out that several characters are racist, and this is seen as bad, and it's clear neither Lizzy as the narrator nor Sittenfeld as the author think any of the racism is okay. However, the casual racism just scattered throughout the book was still obviously not great, and I'm not sure how much of it was necessary or relevant to the plot.
Homophobia/lesbophobia: the homophobia was pretty bad in the beginning, and got a little better later on. I feel it could have been addressed more clearly, rather than just being accepted as normal, but I have less issue with the homophobia than with the rest of the things listed above. Lizzy's sisters are kind of awful about it though, and if you don't feel like reading a bunch of "haha you're a lesbian" "no I'm not" interactions, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Overall, I'm pretty torn on if I liked this book or would recommend it. In general I like Sittenfeld's writing, but the more of her books I read, I'm not sure if I should want to read them. I don't think this was a terrible retelling of Pride and Prejudice, though it's definitely a different story with different characters. I was also not super convinced by Darcy's character in general; I feel like in the beginning he was an almost irredeemable asshole, and then later he just sort of became nice and interesting. I don't buy that that's the same person with the same motivations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, Sexism, Transphobia, Racism, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Classism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Hate crime, Addiction, Incest, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, and Pregnancy
Minor: Violence, Murder, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Alcoholism, Death, Vomit, Ableism, Outing, and Mental illness
transphobic slur (t slur)tiasreads's review
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Homophobia
Minor: Eating disorder and Racial slurs
tay_af's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
It is a truth universally acknowledged that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should, and this book should not exist. It is maybe the worst book I’ve ever read. It featured an egregious misunderstanding of character dynamics and fundamental (and lovable) traits. Its attempts toward diversity were sloppy and self congratulatory at best, and more often, explicitly racist, homophobic, and transphobic in the execution, no matter how well intentioned it may have been. It’s insanely fatphobic as well: for instance, Charlotte Lucas’s undesirability which, in the original book, is principally linked to her lack of fortune and the fact that she is no great beauty, is replaced by a high paying job that cannot counter the fact she’s plus size. It’s a clear example in the need for sensitivity readers, even from authors who mean well. Beyond that, the writing is in general mediocre to abysmal, with terrible description and exposition. You have to try really hard to make Pride and Prejudice this bad, honestly. I could go on for days about it, but suffice to say, there are no redeeming qualities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Fatphobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Pregnancy and Racial slurs
Minor: Antisemitism and Acephobia/Arophobia
juvonh's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Sittenfeld’s Eligible tries hard to contextualize Austen’s Pride and Prejudice onto a modern mindset of a diverse society. However, it does a terrible job, as the most despicable characters are given sexist and racists voices, yet are never criticized, let alone penalized. Not once is Mrs. Bennet corrected on her outrageously racist and sexist opinions. Instead, her remarks are simply downplayed and ignored. Even when she reacts in an antagonistic fashion towards her son-in-law because of his gender transition, it is Ham who is encouraged to resolve her issues. When Darcy miraculously manages to convince Mrs. Bennet to change her mind, it is by arguing that Ham’s sexuality is a medical issue. Additionally, black characters are seemingly thrown into the picture for the mere purpose of being black and present (though they don‘t gain any agency nor voice). Several times their complexion is named without any consequence. For example, at Bingley’s dinner party, there is an “attractive woman, also black” (118) who Liz immediately presumes to be engaged to Keith (also black). This is of course confirmed. Even the juxtaposition of Lydia’s elopement in both novels is problematic: Wickham’s threateting role in P&P (of a selfish, dangerous character who has it in his power to ruin the entire Bennet family) translates to Ham, a loving and friendly trans character. As a whole, Sittenfeld’s novel reads as a racist and trabsphobic mess.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Transphobia
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