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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
desi pride & prejudice retelling!!!
i met the author in June 2023, and she signed my copy with "more pride, less prejudice" (+ she was so, so sweet). the main character of debating darcy is bengali-american and touches on issues like sexism (especially in male-dominated fields) and class differences.
this book plays a lot with the 2005 movie, so pride & prejudice enjoyers will get a kick out of references. however, the dialogue isn't how modern-day high schoolers would speak. i know it's in reference to the way they spoke in Jane Austen's time, but it's hard to take seriously. i found myself cringing a few times and eventually decided to not take it so seriously.
also, for my darcy appreciators: darcy is just as awkward and pining in this book as pride & prejudice <3
i met the author in June 2023, and she signed my copy with "more pride, less prejudice" (+ she was so, so sweet). the main character of debating darcy is bengali-american and touches on issues like sexism (especially in male-dominated fields) and class differences.
this book plays a lot with the 2005 movie, so pride & prejudice enjoyers will get a kick out of references. however, the dialogue isn't how modern-day high schoolers would speak. i know it's in reference to the way they spoke in Jane Austen's time, but it's hard to take seriously. i found myself cringing a few times and eventually decided to not take it so seriously.
also, for my darcy appreciators: darcy is just as awkward and pining in this book as pride & prejudice <3
A new take on Pride & Prejudice- throw in debate, classism, misunderstandings, and so much more. The story follows Leela Bose (Elizabeth) a speech competitor who loves a good laugh and goes to public school. When she meets Firoze Darcy (Darcy), a debater from an elite private school, they both get off on the wrong foot and thus begins our story. When Darcy makes a comment about Leela not doing debate she takes it upon herself to switch out and join the debate team and she is in for more than she bargained for. Throw in two flirty teammates, a gay best friend who has a crush on Darcy’s friend Bingley, an annoying Collin and her best friend Tomi and soon Leela and Darcy will be facing off against each other constantly butting heads. And of course we can’t forget a lot of other classic characters that get a modern spin. This was a fun new take on a classic story. I love Pride and Prejudice and I am always looking for new adaptations to read and this was a pleasant one to read. I would recommend it for fans of Pride and Prejudice! Leela is a bit more juvenile and a bit more prejudice but Darcy comes off as more awkward and misunderstood. They both are highschoolers so a lot can be forgiven in their attitudes. The story is pretty short but it covers a lot of the main parts of the original so props to the author for managing to get so much of it down. Truly a fun take on a classic!
I’m always excited to read any adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and there’s much to love about this version set in the cutthroat world of high school debate competitions.
One of the best things about transposing a classic into a different setting is finding a setting that just works beautifully, and what I loved most about this novel was all the the little ways that P&P mapped perfectly onto the world of competitive forensics. The tension between rich private schools and underfunded public schools, the sexism and rape culture baked into the judging system, substituting a military school for the regiment, using the notion of found family rather than literal family, the love of debate itself at the heart of the Lizzie and Darcy characters…it all worked and I found it delightful.
What didn’t work for me? Lately I’ve noticed that some YA books incorporate progressive ideals seamlessly, in ways that serve character development, while some YA books do so in ways that feel as though they’re moving through a checklist. This book occasionally — not always, but occasionally — felt like the latter to me. The story is wonderfully inclusive and that fact alone could have stood on its own merits if the author had trusted her audience more, without having her protagonist’s inner monologue spelling out for us precisely what lessons we should take from every scene.
That said, this is great fun for teen rom com fans, and for Jane Austen fans it’s an extra treat.
One of the best things about transposing a classic into a different setting is finding a setting that just works beautifully, and what I loved most about this novel was all the the little ways that P&P mapped perfectly onto the world of competitive forensics. The tension between rich private schools and underfunded public schools, the sexism and rape culture baked into the judging system, substituting a military school for the regiment, using the notion of found family rather than literal family, the love of debate itself at the heart of the Lizzie and Darcy characters…it all worked and I found it delightful.
What didn’t work for me? Lately I’ve noticed that some YA books incorporate progressive ideals seamlessly, in ways that serve character development, while some YA books do so in ways that feel as though they’re moving through a checklist. This book occasionally — not always, but occasionally — felt like the latter to me. The story is wonderfully inclusive and that fact alone could have stood on its own merits if the author had trusted her audience more, without having her protagonist’s inner monologue spelling out for us precisely what lessons we should take from every scene.
That said, this is great fun for teen rom com fans, and for Jane Austen fans it’s an extra treat.
OK
so
2.5 stars
I mean this was solidly readable. But I have a lot of gripes.
Firstly I found the characters pretty......unengaging and undeveloped. I think Jay was the best of the bunch. They all felt more like caricatures or archetypes than actual characters; I didn't care much about any of them. I'm not sure if Jay was actually better or if he just reminds me of my bestie so I like him more.
Leela annoyed the heck out of me. She was so freaking dramatic over everything. So irrational. I couldn't root for her because she was absolutely ridiculous. I don't know why Darcy even liked her, honestly.
Like.......she was pissed off at Darcy for arguing the negative side of a debate?
That's.....literally the point of debate?
You argue sides even if you don't agree with them and learn how to build a good argument and be convincing regardless?
Like this was their main point of contention and it was ridiculous, regardless of whether or not he believed what he was arguing.
Also...there was one point when she was in the hotel hallway talking to Darcy and Collin (sp? I listened to the audiobook) and Collin went to his room, mentioned the world isn't as safe for women, and told her that if she needed anything he'd be on the other side of the door. And she was exasperated. And like...I get that Collin is annoying, but seriously? Dude, he's genuinely concerned for your well-being. He doesn't know Darcy; he could easily assault her in the empty hallway and she's all exasperated? I don't care how annoying someone is, I would appreciate this gesture from them so get off your high horse Leela. I mean, I don't even let my guy friends walk to their cars without making sure they get there safe so she needs to chill the frick out.
I also felt like a lot just...didn't translate well from regency era to modern debate era. I read a lot of retellings, and the good ones are the ones that are so thoroughly developed and disguised that you barely notice that it's a retelling. Or the ones where the plot is clearly the same, but the characters are developed. But this one.....the characters weren't particularly developed and there were too many direct quotes that didn't work in the modern era. Or there were scenes that weren't changed enough to fit.
Like...Darcy's love confession was a near exact quote. Wouldn't have been as bad but because he actually said he loved her and not 'liked' her, it wasn't particularly believable and made him sound silly. They'd interacted maybe 3 times, they're young, its a different era. You definitely do not love her, Darcy. You sound ridiculous.
Or when he sent an email (as opposed to the letter from the original book) explaining his side of things and Leela became very depressy because....she couldn't do anything about the situation and it was too late?
Girl. This isn't the regency era where you can't arrange a meeting with him, don't know if you'll see him again, and genuinely have no control over the situation.
Just.....reply to the freaking email stop wallowing in your emotions and take control of your life.
Also the family situation was translated to a debate team, which is fine. But it made it weird when she took things so personally when people spoke about other members of her team that she isn't close with. And...I don't understand how poor behavior by one person on the team reflects poorly on her. She isn't even friends with them.
Also....this was really political. A lot of books are political now and I'm not mad about it; books and literature have always been a vessel for emotional growth or social statements. The problem is that it was soooooooo preachy. And because Leela is also overdramatic as frick it was irritating. I almost dropped the book 30 minutes till the end because it was so preachy and felt so silly because I didn't feel like half of the 'examples' she used for social problems were legitimate. Yes, there are problems. But sometimes the problems are just things that you need to ignore and move on from because people are gonna be stupid and mean and that's just how it is.
Ok I've ranted a lot I apologize. I did say it's readable and I promise it is. I don't regret reading it at all. There were some things I liked.
What I really liked was how Lydia didn't get with the Wickham equivalent. Instead, she manipulated him into showing how he is literally a predatory rapist, recorded their conversation, and used it for good.
Good going, Lydia! Props to you, girl!
So yeah I really liked that twist.
I just wish there were more twists and that the story was translated better into a modern high school setting.
Also this felt way closer to middle grade than YA, with the exception of the whole 'Lydia uncovering a predator' thing.
so
2.5 stars
I mean this was solidly readable. But I have a lot of gripes.
Firstly I found the characters pretty......unengaging and undeveloped. I think Jay was the best of the bunch. They all felt more like caricatures or archetypes than actual characters; I didn't care much about any of them. I'm not sure if Jay was actually better or if he just reminds me of my bestie so I like him more.
Leela annoyed the heck out of me. She was so freaking dramatic over everything. So irrational. I couldn't root for her because she was absolutely ridiculous. I don't know why Darcy even liked her, honestly.
Like.......she was pissed off at Darcy for arguing the negative side of a debate?
That's.....literally the point of debate?
You argue sides even if you don't agree with them and learn how to build a good argument and be convincing regardless?
Like this was their main point of contention and it was ridiculous, regardless of whether or not he believed what he was arguing.
Also...there was one point when she was in the hotel hallway talking to Darcy and Collin (sp? I listened to the audiobook) and Collin went to his room, mentioned the world isn't as safe for women, and told her that if she needed anything he'd be on the other side of the door. And she was exasperated. And like...I get that Collin is annoying, but seriously? Dude, he's genuinely concerned for your well-being. He doesn't know Darcy; he could easily assault her in the empty hallway and she's all exasperated? I don't care how annoying someone is, I would appreciate this gesture from them so get off your high horse Leela. I mean, I don't even let my guy friends walk to their cars without making sure they get there safe so she needs to chill the frick out.
I also felt like a lot just...didn't translate well from regency era to modern debate era. I read a lot of retellings, and the good ones are the ones that are so thoroughly developed and disguised that you barely notice that it's a retelling. Or the ones where the plot is clearly the same, but the characters are developed. But this one.....the characters weren't particularly developed and there were too many direct quotes that didn't work in the modern era. Or there were scenes that weren't changed enough to fit.
Like...Darcy's love confession was a near exact quote. Wouldn't have been as bad but because he actually said he loved her and not 'liked' her, it wasn't particularly believable and made him sound silly. They'd interacted maybe 3 times, they're young, its a different era. You definitely do not love her, Darcy. You sound ridiculous.
Or when he sent an email (as opposed to the letter from the original book) explaining his side of things and Leela became very depressy because....she couldn't do anything about the situation and it was too late?
Girl. This isn't the regency era where you can't arrange a meeting with him, don't know if you'll see him again, and genuinely have no control over the situation.
Just.....reply to the freaking email stop wallowing in your emotions and take control of your life.
Also the family situation was translated to a debate team, which is fine. But it made it weird when she took things so personally when people spoke about other members of her team that she isn't close with. And...I don't understand how poor behavior by one person on the team reflects poorly on her. She isn't even friends with them.
Also....this was really political. A lot of books are political now and I'm not mad about it; books and literature have always been a vessel for emotional growth or social statements. The problem is that it was soooooooo preachy. And because Leela is also overdramatic as frick it was irritating. I almost dropped the book 30 minutes till the end because it was so preachy and felt so silly because I didn't feel like half of the 'examples' she used for social problems were legitimate. Yes, there are problems. But sometimes the problems are just things that you need to ignore and move on from because people are gonna be stupid and mean and that's just how it is.
Ok I've ranted a lot I apologize. I did say it's readable and I promise it is. I don't regret reading it at all. There were some things I liked.
What I really liked was how Lydia didn't get with the Wickham equivalent. Instead, she manipulated him into showing how he is literally a predatory rapist, recorded their conversation, and used it for good.
Good going, Lydia! Props to you, girl!
So yeah I really liked that twist.
I just wish there were more twists and that the story was translated better into a modern high school setting.
Also this felt way closer to middle grade than YA, with the exception of the whole 'Lydia uncovering a predator' thing.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a high school forensics season? HECK YES! I had to read this one before the new season starts at the end of the month. FYI: this forensics is speech and debate, not CSI.
Was honestly excited to read this book because I am always a sucker for more representation and I’m a huge fan of Pride and Prejudice, but I was just cringing at every other page. The dialogue felt a bit unnatural as it threw in social commentary in just regular conversations that had nothing to do with the topic at hand and it felt….? Weird? Like the conversations felt really inauthentic at times because of this like girl where did that come from
I love rivals to lovers, I love south asian stories but the authors desire to combine a mix of modern references and speech and Jane Austen verbatim quotes fell flat and made me cringe.