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marshmallowbooks's review against another edition
3.0
How would you respond if your father asked you to marry his genius lab partner whose work visa is about to run out before their breakthrough scientific work is complete??
This book and its characters are quirky. I haven't read a lot of Anne Tyler, just one other book which also had some quirky characters. As a reader, I don't quirk the same way. And that's okay.
This book and its characters are quirky. I haven't read a lot of Anne Tyler, just one other book which also had some quirky characters. As a reader, I don't quirk the same way. And that's okay.
daria_nedelcu19's review against another edition
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Enjoyment 2/10
Concept 5/10
Execution 8/10
Writing 8/10
Plot & Logic 2/10
Pacing & Structure 7/10
Characters 5/10
Intrigue 5/10
Rating: 2.48/5
Concept 5/10
Execution 8/10
Writing 8/10
Plot & Logic 2/10
Pacing & Structure 7/10
Characters 5/10
Intrigue 5/10
Rating: 2.48/5
krp6's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
khuizenga's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure I buy all the justifications and internal logic in this book, but it’s an adaptation of a thorny play made amusing to a modern reader. I thoroughly enjoyed parts of it, although I wished it had gone further in fleshing out a few of the characters, and there are a few ways I wanted to tweak the end, but that’s just the ex theater nerd in me trying to add more backstory and character depth. Enjoyable enough, and I love the whole “vinegar girl” idea.
readerkat8's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Part of the Hogarth series of Shakespeare retellings.
Vinegar Girl is loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew. Kate Baptista is stalled in life - a college dropout, at home taking care of her neglectful father and spoiled younger sister Bianca "Bunny", and working as a teacher's aide in a preschool.
Until her father propositions her to marry his lab assistant Pyotr to secure his green card.
For some reason Kate agrees and comes to see the marriage as real instead of just pretend for the authorities.
This book had promise but there was only a loose association with The Taming of the Shrew, and the biggest flaw was how the book defanged Kate - not because she was "tamed," but from the very beginning. There was none of the fire and determination that makes the orginal Katherine her own woman.
Pyotr was the only character with any real redeeming characteristics; the others just seemed like caricatures that morphed to fit a given scene.
I listened to the audiobook and the narration was good.
Vinegar Girl is loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew. Kate Baptista is stalled in life - a college dropout, at home taking care of her neglectful father and spoiled younger sister Bianca "Bunny", and working as a teacher's aide in a preschool.
Until her father propositions her to marry his lab assistant Pyotr to secure his green card.
For some reason Kate agrees and comes to see the marriage as real instead of just pretend for the authorities.
This book had promise but there was only a loose association with The Taming of the Shrew, and the biggest flaw was how the book defanged Kate - not because she was "tamed," but from the very beginning. There was none of the fire and determination that makes the orginal Katherine her own woman.
Pyotr was the only character with any real redeeming characteristics; the others just seemed like caricatures that morphed to fit a given scene.
I listened to the audiobook and the narration was good.
cemoses's review against another edition
4.0
A big problem with this book is that it is supposed to be a modern Taming of the Shrew. I did not see Kate as being a shrew; rather she is socially awkward and heading towards being a stereotypical old maid. I also did not believe that someone as sarcastic as Kate would be kept as a teaching assistant (in some office environments I think someone who is a little bitchy might thrive).
However, things improve during the second half of the book when she plans on getting married. It becomes a light fun book.
However, things improve during the second half of the book when she plans on getting married. It becomes a light fun book.
somuchreadingtodo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
chemwitch's review against another edition
1.0
Full disclosure: I have never read/do not know the Shakespeare version of The Taming of the Shrew. So I didn't know what I was getting into here.
Plot. So I know this is a re-telling. I don't know how it's set up in the original. I won't spend too much time going over the plot, because this isn't what bothered me and because I don't know enough about the original to really say, but it didn't feel super believable in this book. But that could have been because of the other problems? Or maybe this story doesn't lend itself well to re-telling?
The real shit-show in this book is the characters. So let's break them down, shall we?
Side characters. HONESTLY. Every character I may have liked was a side character. And was not presented in a flattering light. At. All. Bunny, our protagonist's younger sister, is fifteen years old. She is constantly presented as stupid, boy-crazy, trying too hard, and did I mention stupid? Yeah, let's present a teenage girl as stupid (and even have her father say so!) because that's not a horrible and entirely-played-out way to do things.
Adam, Katie's... crush? Maybe? He has no character. Literally. He gets maybe 1 page total. I'm not sure if we're supposed to root for him? I didn't even remember he existed for most of the book. I'm not sure why he was even in the book, really.
Pyotr. He was presented as the stereotypical foreigner. The fact that he doesn't speak English correctly is constantly played on and used for (not funny) laughs. He really didn't have much character besides this. We're led to believe he's invaluable to Katie's father, but the two rarely interact. We're led to believe he's very intelligent, but he mostly just makes jokes the entire time. We're led to believe he's a good match for Katie, but the two are polar opposites and she doesn't really like him? At all? We see Pyotr at two times - "funny" and "completely rude". I didn't like him at either of those times.
The father. Terrible. Not a believable character. Not a relatable character. Not a good father. Deserves to have his children never speak to him again. And this is never addressed. He is (a) never there for his kids, (b) relies on Katie for everything, putting an insane amount of pressure on her, (c) literally insults both his children at Katie's wedding, and (d) is generally just the worst. And this is never addressed. He literally says he was smarter than Katie's mother. We're led to believe he has never told Katie her mother loved her. He was the worst and thinking of his character alternatively makes my blood boil or makes me laugh because his whole "overworked scientist" shtick is so... meh. Also, at one point he freaks out about mercury in tuna. So.... there's that.
And the terrible cherry on top?
We have Katie. She was horrible. She was awful to her sister, who is, I repeat, only FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. To co-workers. To actual, four-year-old children. To her other family. To Pyotr. To pretty much everyone except her father, who actually deserved it.
She constantly moped about how different she was, oh poor sad Katie, I can't keep my mouth shut or just try being nice to people. I'm (and picture me gritting my teeth) not like other girls. (This is never explicity stated but it may as well be.) I'm ~special~ because I say what I think. Except when she is hurt by her father and then just avoids him instead of... saying what she thinks. Or when she doesn't talk to him about the fact that she's doubting the marriage. Or when she doesn't talk to Pyotr... in the entirety of the book. They have maybe 2 conversations and she hates both of them.
I actively rooted against her half the time, because she was so awful. Pyotr didn't have too much character, but Jesus, he didn't deserve to be married to her. That visa isn't worth it, my man. Bunny tries to tell her that she thinks this marriage is wrong, that her father is using her (which he is!) but Katie brushes her off. This isn't ever resolved. I mean, we see that the marriage works out so, take that Bunny! But I felt she raised some valid concerns... and she's just brushed off as a spoiled kid.
Also, she goes on this weird tirade at the end about how men feel like they have to hide their emotions, and they have it pretty hard and women have it easier, because... Pyotr and her dad both once said to her things were kind of hard? I mean I get the idea of toxic masculinity, so some valid points, but with the amount of girl-hate in this book it just felt disgusting.
So yeah. The plot wasn't believable (which I get it's a Shakespeare story, but I just felt the modern re-telling didn't really work), but the characters were the WORST.
This review has gone on way too long. So we're wrapping it up here.
TL;DR - I hated this book. As in, there was not a single aspect of it I enjoyed. And also, there was girl-hate. So there's that.
Plot. So I know this is a re-telling. I don't know how it's set up in the original. I won't spend too much time going over the plot, because this isn't what bothered me and because I don't know enough about the original to really say, but it didn't feel super believable in this book. But that could have been because of the other problems? Or maybe this story doesn't lend itself well to re-telling?
The real shit-show in this book is the characters. So let's break them down, shall we?
Side characters. HONESTLY. Every character I may have liked was a side character. And was not presented in a flattering light. At. All. Bunny, our protagonist's younger sister, is fifteen years old. She is constantly presented as stupid, boy-crazy, trying too hard, and did I mention stupid? Yeah, let's present a teenage girl as stupid (and even have her father say so!) because that's not a horrible and entirely-played-out way to do things.
Adam, Katie's... crush? Maybe? He has no character. Literally. He gets maybe 1 page total. I'm not sure if we're supposed to root for him? I didn't even remember he existed for most of the book. I'm not sure why he was even in the book, really.
Pyotr. He was presented as the stereotypical foreigner. The fact that he doesn't speak English correctly is constantly played on and used for (not funny) laughs. He really didn't have much character besides this. We're led to believe he's invaluable to Katie's father, but the two rarely interact. We're led to believe he's very intelligent, but he mostly just makes jokes the entire time. We're led to believe he's a good match for Katie, but the two are polar opposites and she doesn't really like him? At all? We see Pyotr at two times - "funny" and "completely rude". I didn't like him at either of those times.
The father. Terrible. Not a believable character. Not a relatable character. Not a good father. Deserves to have his children never speak to him again. And this is never addressed. He is (a) never there for his kids, (b) relies on Katie for everything, putting an insane amount of pressure on her, (c) literally insults both his children at Katie's wedding, and (d) is generally just the worst. And this is never addressed. He literally says he was smarter than Katie's mother. We're led to believe he has never told Katie her mother loved her. He was the worst and thinking of his character alternatively makes my blood boil or makes me laugh because his whole "overworked scientist" shtick is so... meh. Also, at one point he freaks out about mercury in tuna. So.... there's that.
And the terrible cherry on top?
We have Katie. She was horrible. She was awful to her sister, who is, I repeat, only FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. To co-workers. To actual, four-year-old children. To her other family. To Pyotr. To pretty much everyone except her father, who actually deserved it.
She constantly moped about how different she was, oh poor sad Katie, I can't keep my mouth shut or just try being nice to people. I'm (and picture me gritting my teeth) not like other girls. (This is never explicity stated but it may as well be.) I'm ~special~ because I say what I think. Except when she is hurt by her father and then just avoids him instead of... saying what she thinks. Or when she doesn't talk to him about the fact that she's doubting the marriage. Or when she doesn't talk to Pyotr... in the entirety of the book. They have maybe 2 conversations and she hates both of them.
I actively rooted against her half the time, because she was so awful. Pyotr didn't have too much character, but Jesus, he didn't deserve to be married to her. That visa isn't worth it, my man. Bunny tries to tell her that she thinks this marriage is wrong, that her father is using her (which he is!) but Katie brushes her off. This isn't ever resolved. I mean, we see that the marriage works out so, take that Bunny! But I felt she raised some valid concerns... and she's just brushed off as a spoiled kid.
Also, she goes on this weird tirade at the end about how men feel like they have to hide their emotions, and they have it pretty hard and women have it easier, because... Pyotr and her dad both once said to her things were kind of hard? I mean I get the idea of toxic masculinity, so some valid points, but with the amount of girl-hate in this book it just felt disgusting.
So yeah. The plot wasn't believable (which I get it's a Shakespeare story, but I just felt the modern re-telling didn't really work), but the characters were the WORST.
This review has gone on way too long. So we're wrapping it up here.
TL;DR - I hated this book. As in, there was not a single aspect of it I enjoyed. And also, there was girl-hate. So there's that.
kari13's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cecsheehan's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely delightful read that I gobbled up! Even though we all know the plot, Tyler's characters are unique (and often prickly) enough to add some dimension and intrigue along the way. This was exactly the lighthearted book I was looking for during a tiring and stressful moment of life and it delivered. I've added at least one more Anne Tyler book to my "Want to Read" shelf as a result.