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.
Just when you think you’ve read every conceivable
version of Pride and Prejudice possible, along comes a refreshing new take that
makes you fall in love with Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy all over again.
Curtis Sittenfeld’s take is indeed quite modern, complete with careers for the
elder Bennett girls, crossfit, a reality show, and diversity in the form of
trans and black characters. Sittenfeld
roughly follows the original narrative while still bringing Austen’s classic
story to the 21st century realistically. Eligible is sharp, witty
and charming.
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