Eligible
Books | Fiction / Literary
3.4
(552)
Curtis Sittenfeld
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
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More Details:
Author
Curtis Sittenfeld
Pages
528
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published Date
2017-04-18
ISBN
0812980344 9780812980349
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"Four and half stars for me! I really enjoyed this."
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Adelaide Ponte Usdin
"I'd being meaning to read a Sittenfeld novel and I'm a sucker for Jane Austen adaptations, so this seemed like a natural choice. Sittenfeld writes well, and manages to give some unexpected twists to the familiar story: Bingley is a sweet but slightly vapid reality show star; Lydia and Kitty are Cross-Fit enthusiasts; Jane is a 39 year old yoga instructor; Liz a frustrated New York journalist. The elder Bennets are fading country club elites in Cincinnati, greatly despised by the snobbish Caroline Bingley. Cleverest of all: the notorious Wickham is split into two characters: Wick, Liz's unreliable sometimes boyfriend; and Ham, Lydia's crossfit trainer who will give the Bennett family cause for concern, but not for the reasons you'd think.<br/><br/>This was a pleasant enough way to pass the time and far superior to Joanna Trollope's ludicrous <i>Sense and Sensibility</i>. Still, I can't quite see the point. The Austen Project seeks to demonstrate that these classic stories are relevant and timeless; astute readers already know this, yet I can't imagine new readers will be drawn to Austen based on these tepid imitations."
"I hate that the goodreads rating system goes from "really liked it" to "it was amazing." I would rate this one "really, really liked it." To me amazing means life changing and/or thought provoking, and it certainly wasn't that. But I thoroughly enjoyed the story and trying to see what would be thrown in next to give it a more modern sensibility. I just found it very entertaining and there are a lot of times that this is the only thing I am looking for in a book.<br/><br/>As an aside, I did not like Prep at all and had therefore not read any more of Sittenfeld's books. I picked this one up because of my love for all things Austen. I may just have to give Sittenfeld's other books a try."
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Lauren
"Super-fun modern update of Pride and Prejudice. "
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Sarah Moore
"This was a really entertaining read and exactly what I needed since everything I have been reading has been pretty dark recently. I read it in 2 days, and that is only because work got in the way - I would have easily finished this book in one sitting if I could have. This is a perfect summer read if you need something light. The book kind of goes off the rails towards the end, but I didn't care at all. I wasn't expecting fine literature with this one."
"I'm not sure who should get the full credit for this fabulous story: Jane Austen for writing such a classic tale whose elements are so easily translated to the modern world, or Curtis Sittenfeld for so expertly making a 200 year old story fit the culture and mindset of today's 21st century population and tackling a lot of today's hot button issues in doing so. Regardless, since I think it's pretty much half and half, it was one of the funniest and most engaging novels I've read this year. My Cincinnati friends in particular would enjoy since it's set there, which is another aspect of this book that I find hilarious"
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Allie Peduto
"I inhaled this book - refreshing take on a classic. Laughed aloud. Sittenfeld is one of my favorite authors."
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Andrea Gonzalez