Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld

21 reviews

chalkletters's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

As an adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, I knew going in that I was going to enjoy the story of Eligible. All the traditional elements are there: overbearing and hysterical Mrs Bennet, dry Mr Bennet, obliging Jane and giggling Lydia. So the real question for this review, then, is whether or not I liked the modernisation. And, actually, I'm not entirely sure that I did. 

Some bits were clever! Instead of walking to Netherfield when Jane is ill, Liz has no car and so runs to the nearest hospital when Jane is taken in — which, of course, still has the same result of Caroline and Darcy looking at her as if she has two heads and a muddy petticoat. But other elements were modernised in ways I didn't really understand. I won't spoil it, but the conclusion to Mary Bennet's plot line was particularly head-scratching. 

I can't honestly say I liked the characters, either. Liz is a journalist, rather than a lover of literature, and I'm not sure she picks up a book from one end of Eligible to the next. Instead, she is noted as a gossip who asks people startling questions about themselves. It's more modern, but it also makes me like her less. Although I enjoyed seeing what the updates were, and Liz's relationship with her mother, I didn't get a lot else out of this book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia

Minor: Eating disorder