Eligible, by Curtis Sittenfeld
I enjoyed the previous book I read by Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy, and I generally enjoy a good alternative take on Jane Austen, so picking up Eligible was an easy choice. In this modern re-telling, the five Bennet sisters are considerably older than they are in Pride and Prejudice, ranging in age from mid-20s to nearly 40. That does make it more noteworthy, even in 21st century American culture, that none of them has married, had kids, or is in any kind of long-term relationship. Only Liz and Jane have flown the next to live on their own, but they return home when Mr. Bennet has a heart attack, to help their hapless mother and sisters through his recovery.
From there, some things unspool as you would expect — sweet Jane meets rich and handsome Chip Bingley; snarky Liz meets aloof and disdainful (and rich) Fitzwilliam Darcy, and various hijinks ensue. Some things are different — there’s a Wickham-esque character, for sure, but he doesn’t play the same role in Lydia’s story — in fact, the crisis that in Pride and Prejudice is triggered by Lydia’s running away with Wickham, plays out very differently here. And, of course, the fact that much of the story of the Bennet family intersects with a dating-reality show called Eligible gives it a distinctly modern flair.
Although I didn’t think this was a perfect book by any means, I did enjoy reading it. One small content warning: there is a transgender character, and the way even our sympathetic heroine Liz speaks and thinks about that character involves using terms and asking questions that would be considered offensive by most trans people. However, the book is set in 2013 and was released in 2016, and I think it’s pretty accurate to how even well-meaning cis people thought and spoke about trans people 10 years ago — and Liz does make an effort to educate herself in the book and recognizes that some of her words were hurtful and not the right terms to use. Still, it’s a bit jarring to pick up and read today and realize how much attitudes have changed in a decade. Apart from that one caveat, this is a fun, light romp through a modern re-imagining of Austen.
