By Curtis Sittenfeld
“Fred!” the nurse said, though they had never met. “How are we today?” Reading the nurse’s name tag, Mr. Bennet replied with fake enthusiasm, “Bernard! We’re mourning the death of manners and the rise of overly familiar discourse. How are you?”
Retellings of and sequels to Austen novels number into the hundreds in film and literature. They usually range from terrible to not too bad with a few real gems. This one is 4 stars. Would have been 5 but for a too drawn-out tacked-on ending. The book could have been 75 pages shorter. Eligible is a very clever, and funny homage to Pride and Prejudice set in 2013. Elizabeth is a 38-year-old journalist, who along with her sister Jane, a mellow, sentimental, kind-hearted yoga instructor whose biological clock is ticking, goes home to her Cincinnati home to make sure her caustic, cynical, but lazy ivory tower father is cared for after his heart attack. God knows, the rest of their family would probably kill him with their incompetency and neglect. Lydia and Kitty still live at home though in their 20s, supported by what’s left of their inherited money, which Mr. and the shopping-addicted Mrs. Bennet have frittered away over the years. Mr. Bennet’s medical bills have thrown the Bennets to the brink of bankruptcy. The 2 girls are idle, though beautiful and toned due to their dedication to CrossFit. They are potty-mouthed and have no filters. Mary is an unpleasant recluse, and working on her 3rd master’s degree, with no thought of getting a real job and becoming self-supporting.
The book parallels the original as well as it possibly could, although does get off track towards the end. Part of the pleasure of this book was anticipating what Curtis would do with characters and situations that you knew were coming. It mirrors the overall tone and diction of the original as well. When it went astray was when she diverged too far from the Austen story when the family went west to film their parts in the reality series.
Lady Catharine de Bourgh has no relation to Darcy in this one but is a lauded 80-year-old feminist icon, Kathy, whom Elizabeth seeks to interview throughout much of the book. Her character is a surprise. Think Gloria Steinem. Georgy is a Stanford student: sheltered, shy, and anorexic. “Chip” Bingley is a doctor by profession but seems to gravitate toward reality TV stardom (The Bachelor) as he is really a bit of a dim-bulb. He would rather try to parlay his fame into a medical TV talk show than actually be a doctor. His friend, Darcy, is an old-money renowned San Francisco surgeon in Cincinnati to head a new brain surgery facility. Elizabeth’s long-time toxic (married) boyfriend of 25 years is Jasper Witt, whose dirty secrets are ultimately exposed by his fellow Stanford schoolmate, Darcy. Everyone is there, plus some fresh new characters, but with a modern spin. They are so well-realized, and sometimes so out of the box and witty, that the book actually gives fresh insights into Austen’s original characters. Some plot and character threads proceed as expected, and some take some unlooked-for twists and turns. By the end, Elizabeth sorts out her family’s financial problems, and all of the sisters are happily pared off and standing on their own two feet, including Mary. Except she prefers bowling to romance.
June 23, 2016
Rebekah's Readings and Watchings 
Let me ask you something I’ve wondered about. What about a modern rewriting of the Austen novels to make them more palatable to 21st century readers’ tastes? I don’t mean using slang or anachronisms…..absolutely NO DEPARTURE!!! from the basic….just a clearing up and smoothing of the sentence structure and grammar perhaps. I can’t read them as written but I bet I and many others would in “translation”; it worked out okay for the Bible.;-) It would be fun to fool with wouldn’t it? (And I bet you’re going to tell me it’s already been tried?)
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I don’t think it’s been done and it’s a brave soul who would attempt it. Her deft use of language would lose a lot, imo.
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Of course I haven’t thought it through but mainly I think I’m thinking sentence structure so that the words flowed more easily and one(me)wouldn’t have to read a sentence over and over. Also I was thinking monetarily, a beautifully bound gift set for a Janeite’s grandchildren as a way of a more palatable introduction? It would have to be totally true to the original or I wouldn’t sign my name to it! 🙂 I guess her stuff is in the public domain? I’m watching Emma(2009)again and this time I’m marveling once again at Tamsin Greig’s absolute brilliance and at what a super job Ms. Taylor did, often mutely with just her expressions. Man!!! Now, if you haven’t gotten to watch this you should start at 26:30(and if you start at 21:00 you won’t be sorry, it’s for your own good after all;-) and watch Emma and Mr Elton in the carriage after the party…..I think it’s the reason I thought well I’ll be damned, I think I’ve been missing something……which led to all this joy.
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Yes, I understand. You really have to read slowly and check for understanding. I’m reading The Jane Austen Society right now and two lifelong devotees are debating exactly what Jane meant by a particular sentence! Love all the Emmas and Tamsin was great, but nothing beats Sophie Thompson’s portrayal, for me.🙂
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Just looked at this. I ended up watching the whole thing. Kate Mosse’s argument for Bronte was compelling, but I was really surprised at the swing in votes. Enjoyed it ver much, obs.
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Oh thank goodness…..I want only to please you. 🙂 ❤ It was the bit from "Emma" that started everything, and then you took over. It certainly has been a revelation.
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Oops I forgot to add wouldn’t it be fine if all discourse could be that civil!!!! Please let me slip one more very short thing in on you that I keep wanting to share because I think you’ll like it. Scroll down to “Silence”. It really got me.
Click to access issue_251.pdf
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Can’t wait to check her out then! Hang on….okay I watched the Box Hill fiasco and I’m not immediately sold but I do get it. I guess I’m going to watch the movie. I haven’t so far because I think I’m thinking look there’s Gweneth Paltrow playing Emma! I hadn’t seen Romola Garai before so she became Emma. Of course I had seen her, but I didn’t remember, in that *&^%#$#(#@!!!!! “Atonement”.
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I’ve never seen Atonement and avoid it like the plague. Paltrow was great as Emma, Although like most who play her she makes her much too lovable. I think she really nails Box Hill.
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Forewarned is forearmed. I hadn’t the luxury…….I stumbled in to it completely in the dark because another theater was full. Later, wouldn’t you know, at the same place I saw “Bright Star” and suffered some more. But I would watch them both a second time, smeared with honey and being devoured by ants before I’ll watch “500 Days of Summer” again!!!! 🙂
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