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bookish_emily's review against another edition
4.0
I always enjoy Shakespeare adaptations, and it was especially fun to read one set in my native Baltimore. Anne Tyler does a great job bringing the classic story of The Taming of the Shrew into the modern world, maintaining the essence of the story while smoothing out some of the misogynistic edges to make it palatable for female readers. An enjoyable summer read!
jrmarr's review against another edition
3.0
A little ridiculous at times, but I imagine the original story is also a little ridiculous. Very readable, but again I'm not sure I really like any of Tyler's characters. But perhaps that's the point.
baoluong's review against another edition
2.0
such an abrupt ending, the ending speech about men's feelings was so out of left field and made no sense in context since all the men in her life seemed like they had no trouble making their feelings more important than hers, plus there were so many unresolved sexism that i find it hard to believe that she didn't just trade one man to boss her around to another
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katie_l21's review against another edition
4.0
A very entertaining retelling of 'The Taming of the Shrew'. While I typically don't enjoy romance books, this was the exception.
readingpisces's review against another edition
1.0
I'm not saying it is a bad book by any means. I just didn't enjoy the process of reading the story. Sadly couldn't find a real connection with any of the characters.
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Another modern take on Shakespeare - very appropriate setting, good playing with the misogyny of the original.
'Taming of the Shrew' is the one Shakespeare play I've come away from the theatre loathing. Some I've admittedly not understood fully, some I've found overblown or unrealistic (twins! hidden identities!) but the woman-hating in this just repulsed me. And yet '10 Things I Hate About You' is one of my favourite films. I was also willing to give Vinegar Girl a whirl, knowing how well Shakespeare translates to the modern world.
I was dubious as to how the misogyny would be re-written for the twenty-first century, but actually, I was very happy with the way it was included.
The story of a sour, sharp-tongued harridan becomes the story of a sarcastic, coasting woman, daughter to an oblivious, detached scientist. Kate lives with her researcher father, having stayed at home and unwittingly become a bit of a housewife to his needs and those of her teenage sister Bunny, a fairly vacuous high-school student. While Kate teeters on the verge of insulting one parent too many at the preschool daycare she works at, her father's Russian research assistant is about to get deported... unless Dr Battista can find a way to keep him in the country...
And so the set-up of shrew and potential marriage partner is arranged. Tyler very sweetly gives us scenes of battling wits and words, though not as brashly as Shakespeare's two. Kate for me was only ever a woman who knows she's not fulfilled her potential but still angry at the situation she finds herself in.
Dr Battista is given the sexist part to play, and because he's got his head in the clouds of Academia, he can get away with this. Pyotr is not Petruchio (thank goodness or I don't think I could have read the whole thing), he's not quite unwilling but he's certainly a gentleman and a good match for the unbending Kate.
It doesn't quite fit, having Kate bend to her father's wishes, doesn't quite suit the character Tyler builds up, but it has to happen for the plot to work.
Bunny is very much a secondary character but does manage to rise about pure stereotype.
It's a short novel, and I enjoyed it very much as a 'listen'. The narration worked well as an audiobook, with some great accents for Pyotr and the Battista family. The original structure is recognisable from this, but it brings a fresh and contemporary spin on the story, a very welcome one.
'Taming of the Shrew' is the one Shakespeare play I've come away from the theatre loathing. Some I've admittedly not understood fully, some I've found overblown or unrealistic (twins! hidden identities!) but the woman-hating in this just repulsed me. And yet '10 Things I Hate About You' is one of my favourite films. I was also willing to give Vinegar Girl a whirl, knowing how well Shakespeare translates to the modern world.
I was dubious as to how the misogyny would be re-written for the twenty-first century, but actually, I was very happy with the way it was included.
The story of a sour, sharp-tongued harridan becomes the story of a sarcastic, coasting woman, daughter to an oblivious, detached scientist. Kate lives with her researcher father, having stayed at home and unwittingly become a bit of a housewife to his needs and those of her teenage sister Bunny, a fairly vacuous high-school student. While Kate teeters on the verge of insulting one parent too many at the preschool daycare she works at, her father's Russian research assistant is about to get deported... unless Dr Battista can find a way to keep him in the country...
And so the set-up of shrew and potential marriage partner is arranged. Tyler very sweetly gives us scenes of battling wits and words, though not as brashly as Shakespeare's two. Kate for me was only ever a woman who knows she's not fulfilled her potential but still angry at the situation she finds herself in.
Dr Battista is given the sexist part to play, and because he's got his head in the clouds of Academia, he can get away with this. Pyotr is not Petruchio (thank goodness or I don't think I could have read the whole thing), he's not quite unwilling but he's certainly a gentleman and a good match for the unbending Kate.
It doesn't quite fit, having Kate bend to her father's wishes, doesn't quite suit the character Tyler builds up, but it has to happen for the plot to work.
Bunny is very much a secondary character but does manage to rise about pure stereotype.
It's a short novel, and I enjoyed it very much as a 'listen'. The narration worked well as an audiobook, with some great accents for Pyotr and the Battista family. The original structure is recognisable from this, but it brings a fresh and contemporary spin on the story, a very welcome one.
lbarsk's review against another edition
4.0
SO GOOD! I literally read this in like two hours. Anne Tyler's prose is excellent, and her way of crafting characters so that you understand EXACTLY who they are without actually belaboring the point is AMAZING. I've never been 100% comfortable with Taming of the Shrew because of its "is it feminist or is it not feminist" situation, but this was a really solid retelling.
Also, there were times throughout the book when I was like DANG, I AM THE VINEGAR GIRL, so that was a little brutally accurate but much appreciated. The ONLY thing that made me really raise my eyebrows was Kate's speech at the end about how women are actually "more free" than men because we're allowed to express our emotions (lol... what about... all... the systemic oppression women face... that sounds fake but okay), HOWEVER I know that was included because this was an actual Retelling Of The Shakespeare so I'll let it slide.
Finally, I'm only SOMETIMES one for an epilogue (we all know to which book series I'm referring) but this epilogue was ADORABLE AND PERFECT.
Also, there were times throughout the book when I was like DANG, I AM THE VINEGAR GIRL, so that was a little brutally accurate but much appreciated. The ONLY thing that made me really raise my eyebrows was Kate's speech at the end about how women are actually "more free" than men because we're allowed to express our emotions (lol... what about... all... the systemic oppression women face... that sounds fake but okay), HOWEVER I know that was included because this was an actual Retelling Of The Shakespeare so I'll let it slide.
Finally, I'm only SOMETIMES one for an epilogue (we all know to which book series I'm referring) but this epilogue was ADORABLE AND PERFECT.
msilkwolfe's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining and fun. I had both the audio and a physical copy from the library and found myself gravitating to the audio. There were a few insensitive comments about immigrants and it was very gender binary at times.
oblatecordon's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0