Book Review: Eligible

~ Emily Bourque
“There’s a belief that to take care of someone else, or to let someone else take care of you—that both are inherently unfeminist. I don’t agree. There’s no shame in devoting yourself to another person, as long as he devotes himself to you in return.” 
― Curtis Sittenfeld, Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice
Book Title: Eligible
Author: Curtis Sittenfeld
Publication Date: 2013
Genres: Adult Fiction, Retellings, Chick Lit
Goodreads Rating: 3.64 Stars
My Rating: 4 Stars

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.
 

1. I regret not picking this up sooner. Two of my friends (on two separate occasions) recommended this book to me. Both of these friends LOVE Pride and Prejudice. And I just… don’t. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy the book or the story, but I’m not a huge Austen fan (bring on the rotten tomatoes, I deserve them). So when my two friends recommended this book to me, I figured it was more a sentiment of them loving P&P and less because the book was good. So I let it sit on my bookshelf for weeks (months? oops, sorry Steph) and put it off. However, after a heavy binging of our most recent book club book, and all of our furniture being moved out of our house for floor work, I was stuck with no books except this one, so I finally picked it up. And it took me completely by surprise.

2. Amp up the modern. This book was adorable, and hilarious, and a completely modern take on P&P. While P&P is characteristic of it’s time, Eligible took the story line and put it in a modern setting, with a bit of casual sex, some IVF, feminist icons, and a bit of transgender and multicultural characters (all of which Mrs. Bennet is frantically opposed to, of course). The characters stay true to P&P while taking on the characteristics of people living in this century.

3. Don’t read the bad reviews. It is important to note that these are modern day characters. They sleep around a bit. They go on reality shows. They Google-stalk their love interests. So many of the bad reviews on Goodreads come from people who are just APPALLED by the bad behavior displayed by Austen’s characters. Um… these girls are in their late-30s and they live in 2013. I’m ok with a bit of bad behavior because they are grown-ass women who aren’t afraid to admit their mistakes.

4. But seriously, this was such a fun book. The writing was hilarious. The author did such a good job of keeping every word relevant and putting the characters in situations that brought out the best of their character. I fell in love with Darcy just a bit more in this book than I ever did in P&P, and Liz Bennet is now on my list of favorite literary women. I was laughing at loud at some points, which doesn’t happen often. I wanted to keep picking up this book, and it kept me up way past my bedtime last night.

If you are looking for an entertaining light read (and don’t mind a bit of sacrilege when it comes to Pride and Prejudice), this is the book for you!
“Time seemed, as it always does in adulthood after a particular stretch has concluded, no matter how ponderous or unpleasant the stretch was to endure, to have passed quickly indeed.”

“Such compliments–they were thrilling but almost impossible to absorb in this quantity, at this pace. It was like she was being pelted with magnificent hail, and she wished she could save the individual stones to examine later, but they’d exist with such potency only now, in this moment.”

“Sometimes it amazes me how much these defining parts of our lives hinge on chance.”

“He seemed simultaneously like a stranger and someone she knew extremely well; there was either an enormous amount to say or nothing at all.”

“’There’s no better investment than your cleavage.’ Charlotte smirked. ‘I believe they teach that in business school.’”

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Published by Emily Bourque