The Book Club One with Eligible

Last time, I left off thinking I would read Pride and Prejudice {a.k.a. P&P} next. However, in my search for this classic, I found a parody, which was said to have a P&P storyline set in the current era. Who doesn't love a spin on their favorite classic? 
So I got some wine, hopefully you've got cheese. Let's do this. 

Book #3

I started out with pretty high hopes for this book. She's the Man is one of my favorite movies, and the fact that it's a parody of Twelfth Night by Shakespeare makes it just so much better. That was what I was expecting out of Eligible, but it wasn't what I got. 
First of all, I do not like Liz, Jane, or their parents in this book, but I do like Kitty and Lydia, which is basically the exact opposite of how I view P&P. 
I didn't like Liz because she is supposed to give zero you know whats about guys, but Sittenfeld made Liz's character highly dependent and involved in her love life. Jane has never been my favorite, but I like her even less in this 2000s version of P&P. In the name of not ruining things for you, I will just say that she and I probably wouldn't get along. 
Furthermore, I always loved the way that Mr. and Mrs. Bennett interact in P&P. They make sarcastic comments to each other, but I always thought it was cute and funny while still loving. In this version, they basically can't stand each other at all and make terrible decisions in general. 
On the other hand, Kitty, Mary, and Lydia are hilarious. I would definitely be friends with them as they are described as being crude and unaware of what is socially acceptable. Also, there is no Wickham, WHAT? I know right. We love to hate Wickham, but then he isn't there! I feel like Sittenfeld could have made Jasper into the Wickham character easily, which makes his absence more annoying to me. 
I also HATE the way that Liz and Darcy begin their relationship. For this part, I think that the author was just trying too hard to understand modern women and put it into their perspective. I just personally am not a fan of how he wrote that aspect of the story.
There were some parts he got right of course. I feel like he wove the end together pretty well and also nailed the attitude of their mother towards their marrying men from prominent families. I also liked the relationships between Liz and Georgie and Liz and Caroline Bennett who is called "bitchily gorgeous," which was definitely my favorite line of the book. I will have to find someone to use this on, because I think it is hilariously satisfying to say. 
While I won't read this book again myself, I would recommend it to anyone who likes Pride and Prejudice. I found it pretty interesting to compare the storylines, and there were still moments when I was completely unsure of what was going to happen. I'm a big fan of the element of surprise. However, I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone, so I give it three stars. 
★★★☆☆

Up Next:
Truly Madly Guilty
By Liane Moriarty

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