Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld 4 Stars - a very enjoyable modern day Pride and Prejudice

Eligible: A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Curtis Sittenfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a crazy Jane Austen Fan Fiction (JAFF) reader. I have literally read hundreds of books based on her writing. I belong to 5 fan fiction websites where I read JAFF, specifically based on Pride and Prejudice. My preference has always been to read Regency variations, rewrites or alternates. I often comment that I have a hard time reading modern JAFF, but occasionally I find one I enjoy. Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld is one of those exceptions. I really enjoyed it!

First off, there is not a lot of variation from the original in Eligible, other than the modern setting. But, in order to stay true to the original, Sittenfeld had to come up with some pretty interesting situations in order to make it fit. For example, what mother in today's world worries about a 20 and 22 year old daughter who is not married? None. So, in Eligible, Elizabeth is 38 and Jane is just shy of 40. Now, Mrs. Bennett is definitely desperate and Jane, at least, is feeling her biological clock ticking. This is just one example of the very interesting plot twists Sittenfeld applies so that we get the feel of the original P&P - the same kind of angst and understanding of why what is happening is of concern to anyone. I found some of these hilarious and others very poignant.

So, what kind of man is particularly of interest to match-making mamas in today's world? Why, doctors, of course. And, Bingley was the male contestant on a reality show called Eligible, which is pretty much the fictional version of The Bachelor. Instead of the militia, who do Kitty and Lydia spend their time with? Men at a gym, of course, and they are paleo, too! I can't give you too many more examples, as it would fall into the category of spoilers, but it is just so much fun to read the creative situations the author has determined to have us experience the same feelings as the original.

Another important factor in staying true to JA is to tell the story almost totally from Elizabeth's perspective. Darcy says little, and we never hear his thoughts, just like in P&P. Jane Austen said she couldn't write from the man's perspective as she had no idea how a man thought, or what men said to each other when no women were present. So, she didn't write that. Sittenfeld has done the same, and very effectively.

There is a fair amount of sex in this version, which is kind of to be expected in a modern version. But, the hate sex is kind of interesting. I'm not sure I quite liked this Elizabeth as much as the original, and Lydia was even more annoying, but otherwise, this was a really enjoyable read. I certainly can recommend it to my JAFF loving friends. A solid 4 stars and maybe even 4 1/2.

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