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Eligible
A Novel
eBook - 2016
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Wonderfully tender and hilariously funny, Eligible tackles gender, class, courtship, and family as Curtis Sittenfeld reaffirms herself as one of the most dazzling authors writing today.
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND THE TIMES (UK)
This version of the Bennet family--and Mr. Darcy--is one that you have and haven't met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help--and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray.
Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master's degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won't discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane's fortieth birthday fast approaches.
Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible . At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip's friend neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . .
And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.
Praise for Eligible
"Even the most ardent Austenite will soon find herself seduced." -- O: The Oprah Magazine
"Blissful . . . Sittenfeld modernizes the classic in such a stylish, witty way you'd guess even Jane Austen would be pleased." -- People (book of the week)
"[A] sparkling, fresh contemporary retelling." -- Entertainment Weekly
"[Sittenfeld] is the ideal modern-day reinterpreter. Her special skill lies not just in her clear, clean writing, but in her general amusement about the world, her arch, pithy, dropped-mike observations about behavior, character and motivation. She can spot hypocrisy, cant, self-contradiction and absurdity ten miles away. She's the one you want to leave the party with, so she can explain what really happened. . . . Not since Clueless, which transported Emma to Beverly Hills, has Austen been so delightedly interpreted. . . . Sittenfeld writes so well--her sentences are so good and her story so satisfying. . . . As a reader, let me just say: Three cheers for Curtis Sittenfeld and her astute, sharp and ebullient anthropological interest in the human condition." --Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review
"A clever, uproarious evolution of Austen's story." -- The Denver Post
"If there exists a more perfect pairing than Curtis Sittenfeld and Jane Austen, we dare you to find it. . . . Sittenfeld makes an already irresistible story even more beguiling and charming." -- Elle
"A playful, wickedly smart retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice ." -- BuzzFeed
"Sittenfeld is an obvious choice to re-create Jane Austen's comedy of manners. [She] is a master at dissecting social norms to reveal the truths of human nature underneath." --The Millions
"A hugely entertaining and surprisingly unpredictable book, bursting with wit and charm." -- The Irish Times
"An unputdownable retelling of the beloved classic." -- PopSugar
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND THE TIMES (UK)
This version of the Bennet family--and Mr. Darcy--is one that you have and haven't met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help--and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray.
Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master's degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won't discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane's fortieth birthday fast approaches.
Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible . At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip's friend neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . .
And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.
Praise for Eligible
"Even the most ardent Austenite will soon find herself seduced." -- O: The Oprah Magazine
"Blissful . . . Sittenfeld modernizes the classic in such a stylish, witty way you'd guess even Jane Austen would be pleased." -- People (book of the week)
"[A] sparkling, fresh contemporary retelling." -- Entertainment Weekly
"[Sittenfeld] is the ideal modern-day reinterpreter. Her special skill lies not just in her clear, clean writing, but in her general amusement about the world, her arch, pithy, dropped-mike observations about behavior, character and motivation. She can spot hypocrisy, cant, self-contradiction and absurdity ten miles away. She's the one you want to leave the party with, so she can explain what really happened. . . . Not since Clueless, which transported Emma to Beverly Hills, has Austen been so delightedly interpreted. . . . Sittenfeld writes so well--her sentences are so good and her story so satisfying. . . . As a reader, let me just say: Three cheers for Curtis Sittenfeld and her astute, sharp and ebullient anthropological interest in the human condition." --Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review
"A clever, uproarious evolution of Austen's story." -- The Denver Post
"If there exists a more perfect pairing than Curtis Sittenfeld and Jane Austen, we dare you to find it. . . . Sittenfeld makes an already irresistible story even more beguiling and charming." -- Elle
"A playful, wickedly smart retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice ." -- BuzzFeed
"Sittenfeld is an obvious choice to re-create Jane Austen's comedy of manners. [She] is a master at dissecting social norms to reveal the truths of human nature underneath." --The Millions
"A hugely entertaining and surprisingly unpredictable book, bursting with wit and charm." -- The Irish Times
"An unputdownable retelling of the beloved classic." -- PopSugar
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Publisher:
New York :, Random House,, [2016]
ISBN:
9780812997613
Branch Call Number:
Online eBook
Characteristics:
1 online resource
text file, rda
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SPL_Brittany
May 21, 2016
Fourth book in the Austen Project, Curtis Sittenfeld brings us a modern retelling of Jane Austens’ Pride and Prejudice, and transports us both time and place to the United States in the 21st century. Liz Bennet is a magazine writer in New York, who, like her older Yoga instructor sister Jane, is in her late thirties. They are called home to Cincinnati when their father has a health scare and discover their childhood home crumbling and family in disarray. Liz and Jane decide to stay home to help take care of their father, while Mrs. Bennet is busy planning and organizing a social event for her Ladies group, and worrying about getting her daughters married. The youngest sisters are too busy to get jobs let alone help out at home. Kitty and Lydia are occupied with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets, while Mary is holed up in her room earning her third degree online.
At a Fourth of July barbeque hosted by the Lucases, the Bennet’s are introduced to Chip Bingley, a doctor who recently was on the reality dating show Eligible, and his friend Mr. Darcy - a neurosurgeon who also works at the same hospital. On first impressions, Chip and Jane take an immediate interest in each other, while Darcy reveals himself to be less than charming, to an eavesdropping Liz.
Fans of Jane Austen will enjoy Sittenfeld’s hilarious modern adaptation of a beloved classic, tackling gender, class, courtship and family. Readers will enjoy the authors’ leisurely pace and snarky banter between Liz and Darcy as well as a few plot surprises!
Shelf Life Review in the Stratford Gazette May 2016
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Comment
Add a CommentI was really disappointed in this book. The whole thing is overblown. Just one of the weird situations might have - more delicately handled - been funny. Ladling melodrama atop melodrama made it nauseating as well as boring.
The characters all lack charm. Vulgarity is their defining attribute. Austen’s Kitty, Lydia and Mrs. Bennett were vulgar - but there’s vulgar and there’s VULGAR. It was hard to care what might become of any one of Sittenfeld’s characters, including Jane, Mr. Bennett and especially Lizzie.
Jane Austen said of her work that it was like using a very fine brush to paint details onto an ivory miniature. This author slings buckets of virulently-coloured paints at a very large, coarse-grained canvas.
I only read the first 30 pages of this book but would not recommend it as the language and situations were inappropriate although common in today's world.
A quick, lighthearted retelling of "Pride and Prejudice" set in contemporary Cincinnati. Lots of laughs!
My first reaction to this book was an eyeroll (seriously, another Pride and Prejudice retelling?!) but some friends recommended it so I gave it a chance. And I’m glad I did! Eligible is such a fun read, and keeps you hooked even if you know the general plot points from the original. The modernization actually works really well; Sittenfeld made the right changes where needed to make the story work in the 21st century. Although the characters are much more unlikeable in this version (they can be mean and vicious where the originals were just kind of dumb and harmless), it doesn’t ruin the reading experience. And Elizabeth and Darcy are still a great couple!
I am such a fan of the original Pride and Prejudice that I had a difficult time liking this book at all. It was sort of vapid and vulgar.
The most enjoyable book I have read in a long time! A smart and funny read, I absolutely loved it.
I had a hard time getting into this book (something about the very short chapters and large family), but ended up loving it. I became very invested in the characters and their story. Romantic and fun.
I admit trepidation when I first approached this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Sittenfeld's style is witty and engaging, and she does a fine job of resetting the story in the 21st century with all its very un-18th century problems. She gives all the characters the foibles and flaws that Austen did making them familiar, endearing and frustrating all at the same time If you are an Austen purist, you may want to avoid this book - it will make you mad! But maybe not -- give it a try!
You have to know going in that this is not your traditional "Pride and Prejudice". Sittenfeld really brings the Bennets into the modern world and not everything in the story is the same. The characters grew on me and I'm not gonna lie but this Darcy is one of my favorites to date. And, I thoroughly enjoyed the reality tv aspect of the whole thing.
I enjoyed the book, but missed Austen's wicked sense of humor about class and manners. Where Austen is more like a series of masterful miniatures, this book is more like a garish light-sculpture.