Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice

Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld

20 reviews

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

here’s a horrible secret… i have never read Pride and Prejudice. this is my first experience with it (outside the 2000s movie) and i am genuinely obsessed. this is definitely not the type of book i would normally go for, so i am very proud i actually read it!

this book was recommended to me by my Children’s Book Council mentor and took me a few months to get to. boy am i glad i did. it was a perfect time capsule of 2013 culture—from the white, republican parents, to the confusion about trransgender people, to the classism and social hierarchy, AND the fashion/fitness trends… this was a trip.

equal parts cringey and charming, the story itself was fun to read and experience alongside the quirky cast of characters. i loved the tweaks that the author made to each character, but that the overall story remained largely the same. of course, i loved darcy most ardently. wink.

because of the slight transphobia and extremely datedness of the book, i cant give it a full five stars. it was extremely slow (but so is the original, i hear) and very character driven, so i got lost at a few points trying to determine where the story was headed. however, i cringed, i laughed out loud, i cried, i swooned, and i shouted… and those are all signs of a good book.

bonus—this semi-viral tweet came from my listening to this audiobook:
“instead of enemies to lovers, i'm looking for haters to lovers. two people with bad attitudes whose relationship is wholly based off their mutual, yet completely unjustified, disrespect for one another. two people who antagonize each other until it somehow turns into love.”

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madisonhendric's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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rileykjones01's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

breaking news to everyone who was offended by these characters that’s the fucking point

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kearstinreading's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Eligible holds the promise of a modern and entertaining take on the timeless classic, Pride and Prejudice. With Liz as a magazine writer and Jane as a yoga instructor, the story's contemporary setting in New York City seems like an intriguing backdrop. However, as the plot unfolds, it quickly becomes apparent that this modern-day adaptation is far from being a favorite of mine.

The book starts with Liz and Jane rushing back to their family home in Cincinnati due to their father's health scare, only to discover a once-idyllic place now falling apart with financial problems, and a mother who seems unwilling to address them.

My initial excitement to dive into this book gradually turned into disappointment, mainly due to some questionable authorial choices. It feels as though the author tried to incorporate multiple storylines and character traits to cater to a broader audience. Unfortunately, these attempts went horribly wrong. The novel is marred by instances of transphobia, homophobia, fatphobia, and references to eating disorders. Even beloved characters express opinions and say things that are not just out of character but also offensive, making you wonder why you ever rooted for them in the first place.

While I managed to finish the book, it's a read I wish I hadn't undertaken. The inclusion of these controversial plotlines is deeply disappointing and significantly detracts from the enjoyment of this modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

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finesilkflower's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This is my first time giving a book zero stars! I was already leaning toward giving this book a low star rating because it does all the things I find most cringey and unappealing in a modern Pride & Prejudice retelling - like going for a "Jane Austen type" archaic and pithy narrative voice but just sounding like a pretentious college essay. Then it took an out-of-nowhere hard turn into some truly vile transphobia. The plot of P&P famously hinges on a guy who initially seemed attractive turning out to be a cad; Sittenfeld swaps the heel turn from "ruining a girl's reputation" to "being transgender." That is it. That's the reveal, the guy's big crime, that immediately causes a family emergency and makes the main characters run around trying to "save" the daughter who's dating him. This is one of the most straight-up transantagonist pieces of media I have ever encountered. And I've watched "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective."

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alireads's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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danidimuzio's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book left a very weird taste in my mouth. Difficult to know if some of the offensive content would have been offensive 10 years ago or would have been written today. The characters are significantly less likable than Austen’s originals, and Darcy’s capitulation in particular, though inevitable, still felt random and unexplained.

It’s fine as a cheesy romance novel but I don’t think it reflects kindly on the source material and the way race and gender are discussed do make me think I’d have been better off not reading it.

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