Eligible


Title and Author: Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
Type: Modern Retelling
Perspective: Third Person and Elizabeth
Romance Level: Crass (not even very romantic sex)
Recommended: No, 2 stars
Summary: Liz Bennet is a New York magazine writer, home in Cincinnati after her father's heart surgery. Her quirky family needs her help in caring for her father, managing her mother and eventually supporting her sisters is all kinds of ways. In Cincinnati, she meets Darcy, a brilliant neurosurgeon, who's social skills leave something to be desired, insults her during their first meeting. Of course, the two work out their differences, but it take most of the book to get there. This creative and funny rendition.

Pros:
* The author was creative in coming up with events and relationships that are as similar as can be found to the original in a modern context.
* The characters are so quirky that it is entertaining.

Cons:
* None of these characters is likable, even Elizabeth. Her family is so useless, it is hard to like anyone except perhaps Jane (and even then she is so wishy-washy).
* Liz is over-the-top rude to Darcy. It is hard to imagine why he likes her.
* Sittenfeld writes in a crass way that is off-putting for me. Die hard fans of the original probably won't like Darcy and Elizabeth having hate sex, long before they communicate much with each other. I read one other book by her and I won't read any more.
* It was really hard to believe how long it took her to Google Darcy (and she never did Google Wickham after all that).
* There really isn't a modern equivalent of Lydia eloping with Wickham and Darcy saving the day. This part of the plot doesn't even come close to the original.

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