This is an interesting modern day interpretation of Pride and Prejudice. I had no problem with the introduction of mobile phones, reality TV and artificial insemination to the storyline – but I really could not get to grips with calling Elizabeth Bennett ‘Liz’.
Well written and amusing but this traditionalist prefers the original.

The basics of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett in a modern day setting.Crisp dialogue and interesting characters but not quite the story .

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books. I have read it countless number of times and so when the opportunity to review this book came up on Netgalley I had to say yes as I was so intrigued. Despite the fact that if you know the story you know roughly what is going to happen this book delighted me. It was engaging and so cleverly executed that despite associating the characters with those from Pride and Prejudice they grew on their own. The adaptation to modern day was done seamlessly and also raised important cultural issues today.

I thought this book was a joy to read and would definitely recommend it to others.

Whilst not normally being a romance fan, i couldn't resist this retake of a the classic pride and prejudice.
Well thought out differences between the original, compelling characters and lots of laughs!

A witty, fast-paced interpretation of much-loved classic
So why do I feel so conflicted? Pride and Prejudice brought into the 21st century, with all the old social mores correspondingly translated into modern day scenarios, how delicious!
Maybe the characters were simply too superficial to grow fond of (as in my favourite Jane Austin), the wit too brittle and most definitely the chapters too short (ready-made film script maybe?).
I enjoyed it, was amused and entertained, and loved comparing the plots and characters old and new. But I didn't feel invested in the characters or care too much about their dilemmas. Except for Mr Bennett, given all the best one-liners and scene stealer extraordinaire!
I did find myself laughing out loud and perhaps should regard it as a cleverly constructed and well written romantic novel (not my favourite genre) and award it four stars as a pleasurable read.

A clever, but heartless modernisation of Pride and Prejudice. Liz Bennet is now 38, and works for a magazine in New York. She's sleeping with the married man she's been in love with since her early 20s, while Jane, newly turned 40, is using donor sperm to try to get pregnant. Kitty and Lydia are Paleo-loving Crossfit junkies, and Mary may-or-may-not be gay. Oh, and Mrs Bennet has a shopping problem and Mr Bennet is willfully ignoring his house and family crumbling around them. Enter Chip Bingley, reality TV star and doctor, and his friend, super-surgeon Mr Darcy...

What follows is romp through suburban Cincinnati life, featuring all the characters you know and love, but without the reasons to love them. Mrs Bennet is a racist, Republican homophobe, Lydia spends half the book picking on Mary for her lesbianism (which, even when the PLOT TWIST [which itself feels like a throwaway nod to try to make the story 'relevant'] occurs, does not excuse her vile behaviour) and Charlotte Lucas is frequently fat shamed. Liz Bennet cheerfully sleeps with a man who is married, buying into the 'we're like brother and sister' story, and Jane is possibly more vacuous than in the original. It's an entertaining read, but it left me feeling a bit dirty - as though I'd listened to gossip about someone I knew and liked.

Overall, it lacks the humanity that the original possesses, instead coming across as a kind of sneering, knowing takedown of a story fundamentally about women trying to navigate a world that is prejudiced against them. Rather than support the idea of strong women, this story makes them into caricatures.

This was a great summer's day read. I liked being reminded of the characters and story of Pride and Prejudice but you shouldn't go into reading thinking that it will remain faithful. I really liked Liz though!

I was thrilled to get my hands on Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. As a mad Jane-Austen fan, I was excited to read the latest modern retelling of a classic tale. Though the books have received mixed reviews, I joyfully read and reread Northanger Abbey from Val McDermid and rather enjoyed Sittenfeld´s interpretation of Pride and Prejudice for the modern age.

I felt that changing of the setting of Pride and Prejudice from England to America was a great idea and it was rather fun to have thetelevision show - 'Eligible' as a thread running through the novel. I also felt it was a good idea to make the ages of the girls older than the original novel. It made Mrs Bennet´s longing for husbands for the children more logical and desperate for this modern age.

The Bennet sisters were well described and I felt that Elizabeth´s role as a journalist suited her very well. She was free spirited and independent, just as Austen described in the original. Darcy´s characterisation as the dashing but reserved millionaire surgeon suited, as was his hilarious declaration of love,
'You´re not beautiful, and you aren´t nearly as funny as you think you are. You´re a gossip fiend who tries to pass off your nosiness as anthropological interest in the human condition. And your family, obviously, is a disgrace. Yet in spite of all common sense, I can´t stop thinking about you.'

The book includes a character of a different ethnicity and presents a transgender character with sensitivity however I feel that it´s a shame that not more characters are different in the novel. Wouldn´t it have been something special, if the Bennet family was African-American and Mr Darcy had Korean-American parents?

The problem with these modern reboots of Jane Austen´s novels are that the original are classics. Two hundred years later, they are beloved of readers all over the world. There are so many sequels or spinoffs to the classic, Pride and Prejudie and whilst this one stands out for it´s sparkling plot and witty dialogue, are these modern retellings necessary when the originals are still so popular?

Eligible was the first book I have read from Curtis Sittenfeld and I am sure it will not be the last. Thankyou to NetGalley for provided me a free copy of the novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

Great fun, quite a slight summery read, but a good modern update of Pride and Prejudice that won't offend Austen fans and is good enough to stand alone for those who haven't read the original.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

When Liz and Jane Bennet received a phone call informing them of their father’s ill health, neither thought twice about getting on the next plane to Cincinnati. If only they knew about the curveballs that life was going to suddenly throw at them…!

Jane had not expected that her trip home would mean she would meet the love of her life. Jane is instantly smitten with the charming doctor/reality TV star, Chip Bingley and who could blame her? Chip is charming, funny and nice. If only his best friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy, had a little more of his good humour.

Liz had never met such a disagreeable man as Darcy. He was everything she hated —pretentious, rude and arrogant. So why does her heart flutter just a little when he looks her way?

I am a big Jane Austen fan, and I was looking forward to reading Curtis Sittenfeld’s modern take on Austen’s classic work, Pride and Prejudice. I was not disappointed. Eligible is a fast paced read that follows the plot of Pride and Prejudice quite closely, with a few very modern day twists.

I adored the characterisation of Liz. She is a very strong-willed woman, in her late 30’s, who is very career oriented. Her love life, however, resembles something of a train-wreck. She longs to be in a caring relationship with a man she loves and who loves her in return, but instead, she is in a relationship with a man who is married and, as it turns out, has a very questionable past.

When Liz returned to her families home to help care for her sick father, she never expected to meet a man such as Darcy. Initially, she finds him repulsive, but as she gets better acquainted with him, she begins to wonder if maybe she had just found her soul mate.

Eligible is such an enjoyable read, with many unexpected plot twists. Ms Sittenfeld’s has successfully kept the spirit of Pride and Prejudice alive. All of the characters were portrayed in the way I expected them to be depicted. Mr Bennet is the long-suffering father, who will do anything for a quiet life. Mrs Bennet can only think of social engagement and marrying her daughters (who are a lot older in this book, then in Austen’s classic). Lydia and Kitty are just as I imagined them to be — they are giggly, rude and very much into CrossFit! Mary is still the studious one, but has swapped the piano for a PHD. Jane is sweet and desperate for a family. Bingley has a gorgeous and lovable personality. Darcy is portrayed just as he should be (I still picture Colin Firth when I think of him!) and Mr Collins is a computer wiz!

I am not too sure what Jane Austen would have made of this book, but I certainly enjoyed it. Bravo, Ms Sittenfeld.

I Highly Recommend.

* I received a copy of this book from the Publishers, via NetGalley, for review consideration.*

This is a fabulous modern re-interpretation of the famous Pride and Prejudice retelling. It is set in the US, in Cincinnat. I liked the characters, oh so familiar. A great and entertaining addition to the so many retellings of this well known and tender tale. I defy anyone to not love this one. So highly recommended.