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A review by apauliner
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
I loved the idea of it. Presumably, P&P retelling are not a rare breed but I never know the authors beforehand and having been positively enchanted by Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy, I gave Eligible a try with hope.
Unfortunately, and unlike the source material, Eligible was published in 2016 and already did not age well.
Mrs Bennet in the 21st century probably would have been just as problematic as she is depicted here, but also maybe there was a way to make her obnoxious without making her racist and transphobic. On that matter, I think I recognise the author’s good intentions regarding the trans character, but as we say, hell is paved with good intentions and this particular subplot was kind of hellish.
The reality TV subplot was a bit contrived, but I definitely enjoyed reading about Liz & Darcy’s sexual tension in a very open way.
The author’s attempt to mimic Austen's style in a modern way was a double edged sword: it flowed nicely, it was charming, but it also lacked emotional depth and I did not feel as engaged as I would have liked, especially with my two favourite characters in English literature.
Overall, I thought most of the adaptation choices were interesting and kept me on edge even though I know the original story by heart. But the unnecessary transphobic drama and the dry style made it less funny and less gripping than it should have been.
I still heartily recommend Romantic Comedy, but I wouldn’t give this too much time and if you want a funny romance novel with tropes like enemies to lovers and slow burn, just go for the original novel. After all, Prejudice is the OG romcom, a gem of wit, yearning and true love.
Unfortunately, and unlike the source material, Eligible was published in 2016 and already did not age well.
Mrs Bennet in the 21st century probably would have been just as problematic as she is depicted here, but also maybe there was a way to make her obnoxious without making her racist and transphobic. On that matter, I think I recognise the author’s good intentions regarding the trans character, but as we say, hell is paved with good intentions and this particular subplot was kind of hellish.
The reality TV subplot was a bit contrived, but I definitely enjoyed reading about Liz & Darcy’s sexual tension in a very open way.
The author’s attempt to mimic Austen's style in a modern way was a double edged sword: it flowed nicely, it was charming, but it also lacked emotional depth and I did not feel as engaged as I would have liked, especially with my two favourite characters in English literature.
Overall, I thought most of the adaptation choices were interesting and kept me on edge even though I know the original story by heart. But the unnecessary transphobic drama and the dry style made it less funny and less gripping than it should have been.
I still heartily recommend Romantic Comedy, but I wouldn’t give this too much time and if you want a funny romance novel with tropes like enemies to lovers and slow burn, just go for the original novel. After all, Prejudice is the OG romcom, a gem of wit, yearning and true love.