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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
subtitle: The Taming of the Shrew retold /also 10 Things I Hate About You. Retelling, set in Baltimore as all/most of Tyler's work, lively and fun; epilogue a treat.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was okay, as far as books go. In general, this is not my type of novel. I prefer suspense or horror or fantasy or science fiction. I've never been really into normal-life books, but I really wanted to see where Anne Tyler took this retelling of The Taming of the Shrew.
In The Taming of the Shrew, I absolutely hated Petruchio. He is a sexist jerk who treats Kate like she is an object or a pet to be domesticated. Petruchio's modern counterpart, Pyotr, is much more tolerable. Pyotr seems to have some sense of humility and, at times, seems to recognize the error of his ways. I also find he is a much kinder man and a little less misogynistic, though he can still be rude and sexist at times. He's just a bit more forgivable, in my opinion.
Both the old and new Kate seem to bring out mixed emotions in me. For one, the character of Kate is a bit of a feminist icon. She refuses to submit to men and refuses to bow down to social norm. However, she is also unnecessarily rude at times and irks me often. But I do feel bad for her, in both the play and this modern retelling, and understand why she does what she does.
Bianca and the father were both not really relevant for me. In other words, yes they were important to the story, but I didn't really have strong feelings about either character. They both were very faulty and problematic, but not to a degree that would enrage me. I feel more strongly about their counterparts. Bunny aggravates the hell out of me. She's a spoiled brat who only wants to be caring when something major happens. Louis was obviously neurotic and he obviously has his priorities out of whack. But he has good intentions and only does what he does out of passion.
Overall, an interesting way of putting a modern twist on a classic play. I expected better, if I'm being honest, but it wasn't terrible either. It was very much okay.
In The Taming of the Shrew, I absolutely hated Petruchio. He is a sexist jerk who treats Kate like she is an object or a pet to be domesticated. Petruchio's modern counterpart, Pyotr, is much more tolerable. Pyotr seems to have some sense of humility and, at times, seems to recognize the error of his ways. I also find he is a much kinder man and a little less misogynistic, though he can still be rude and sexist at times. He's just a bit more forgivable, in my opinion.
Both the old and new Kate seem to bring out mixed emotions in me. For one, the character of Kate is a bit of a feminist icon. She refuses to submit to men and refuses to bow down to social norm. However, she is also unnecessarily rude at times and irks me often. But I do feel bad for her, in both the play and this modern retelling, and understand why she does what she does.
Bianca and the father were both not really relevant for me. In other words, yes they were important to the story, but I didn't really have strong feelings about either character. They both were very faulty and problematic, but not to a degree that would enrage me. I feel more strongly about their counterparts. Bunny aggravates the hell out of me. She's a spoiled brat who only wants to be caring when something major happens. Louis was obviously neurotic and he obviously has his priorities out of whack. But he has good intentions and only does what he does out of passion.
Overall, an interesting way of putting a modern twist on a classic play. I expected better, if I'm being honest, but it wasn't terrible either. It was very much okay.
I received a copy of this via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
A re-telling of The Taming of the Shrew, this is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series.
The story is a quick read, with some interesting characters. I do feel that we didn't hear enough about some of the secondary characte, like Kate's sister Bunny. Her moments were often comedic, and I don't think her relationship with Kate was developed enough.
The ending felt a little abrupt, although I did appreciate the epilogue.
I recommend this if you are looking for something quick and light to read.
A re-telling of The Taming of the Shrew, this is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series.
The story is a quick read, with some interesting characters. I do feel that we didn't hear enough about some of the secondary characte, like Kate's sister Bunny. Her moments were often comedic, and I don't think her relationship with Kate was developed enough.
The ending felt a little abrupt, although I did appreciate the epilogue.
I recommend this if you are looking for something quick and light to read.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Taming of the Shrew was a comedy of manners where a father tries to get his headstrong daughter married off to a man who intends to 'tame' her. Vinegar Girl is a part of the 'Hogarth Shakespeare' project where modern authors were commissioned to re-imagine some of his most popular works.
Vinegar Girl is the story of Kate Battista, a 29 year old college dropout who is a teacher's assistant in a pre-primary school and keeps house for her scientist father and a sister 14 years her junior. She's never had a boyfriend, can't summon the enthusiasm to create a new life for herself, yet is justly annoyed when her father tries to get her to marry his assistant so immigration issues can be sorted out. You alternate between being annoyed with her because of her passive acceptance of her boring life, and being sorry for her because of how underappreciated she is. The similarity to the plot of the Shakespearian play is quite superficial, but both are a slightly humorous look at the prevailing customs and attitudes of their time. The 14 year old sister who claims to be vegetarian (or vegan- even she is not sure which), while secretly raiding her sister's stash of beef jerky. The teachers in Kate's school who had written her off, but changed when she turned up with an engagement ring one day. The father who doesn't seem to notice his daughter till the taxes are due and he wonders when she is going to file them for him. Each of the characters were exaggerated in a very Shakespearian way. The best part of the book, for me, was it's underlying message on the unrealistic expectations that society places on men.
A re-telling of the story might have been politically incorrect in today's context, but this re-imagining was fun to read. I am going to hunt out some of the other books in the series.
Vinegar Girl is the story of Kate Battista, a 29 year old college dropout who is a teacher's assistant in a pre-primary school and keeps house for her scientist father and a sister 14 years her junior. She's never had a boyfriend, can't summon the enthusiasm to create a new life for herself, yet is justly annoyed when her father tries to get her to marry his assistant so immigration issues can be sorted out. You alternate between being annoyed with her because of her passive acceptance of her boring life, and being sorry for her because of how underappreciated she is. The similarity to the plot of the Shakespearian play is quite superficial, but both are a slightly humorous look at the prevailing customs and attitudes of their time. The 14 year old sister who claims to be vegetarian (or vegan- even she is not sure which), while secretly raiding her sister's stash of beef jerky. The teachers in Kate's school who had written her off, but changed when she turned up with an engagement ring one day. The father who doesn't seem to notice his daughter till the taxes are due and he wonders when she is going to file them for him. Each of the characters were exaggerated in a very Shakespearian way. The best part of the book, for me, was it's underlying message on the unrealistic expectations that society places on men.
A re-telling of the story might have been politically incorrect in today's context, but this re-imagining was fun to read. I am going to hunt out some of the other books in the series.
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fun modern adaptation!