Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

Eligible: A modern re-telling of Pride and Prejudice is Curtis Sittenfeld's fifth novel; however, it is the first Sittenfeld novel that I've read. Eligible is part of a series of modern re-tellings of Jane Austen's works; previously Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Northanger Abbey have all been updated and re-told by such well known authors as Alexander McCall Smith and Val McDermid. I haven't read any of the other modern re-tellings--but I may give them a try. Of all the Jane Austen adaptations, Pride and Prejudice is the one I love best and with which I'm most familiar. By now you all know of my fondness for Jane Austen adaptations and British period dramas.

For various reasons from the first chapter I was not sure whether I would finish this novel or not. But at some point a switch flipped, and I was all in with the story. It's a fast read due to short (sometimes very short) chapters. The story has been transplanted from the English countryside to Cincinnati, OH, (you read that right), and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and Lydia are still insufferable. Wick[ham] is still a cad, only he has managed to worm his way into Liz'z life and affections for the better part of a decade, stringing her along even as he dates and marries (and has a child with) other women (!!!). I didn't really understand how Liz ended up in this 'friendship' with Wick in the first place as far as allowing him to string her along for long as he did.

Liz and Jane are in their late 30's, and after living in New York City for over a decade, have returned home to Cincinnati to care for their father following cardiac surgery precipitated by a cardiac episode. The girls return to the family home where their three adult younger sisters have yet to leave the nest only to find the situation more dire than expected.

The family home is in a state of dilapidated disrepair, their mother's shopping addition has run unchecked for years, the family's in debt up to their eyeballs thanks to Mr. B's mismanagement of the family finances (which was his ONE freakin' job, okay), and now they have hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills because there was no health insurance to cover Mr. B's medical emergency (because the man let it and his life insurance policy lapse a while ago). Meanwhile Mrs. B.'s only concerns are keeping up appearances, maintaining their excessive lifestyle, indulging the younger girls, marrying off her still single older daughters, and denying the family's financial crisis. Mr. B. has no will to do anything to fix the mess he helped create so it falls to Liz to wrangle her parents' debts, mete out tough love to her younger sisters, and whip the family home into shape for a quick sale. All of which she must do while dealing (variously) with a visiting (step) cousin who decides to hit on her, coming to terms with Wick's duplicity, and helping Jane through a broken heart and impending single motherhood.

And I haven't even touched on the reality show element and Liz's relationship with Darcy. Ultimately I think both fans of Pride and Prejudice as well as readers not familiar with the story will enjoy this book. While knowing the story of Pride and Prejudice adds an extra layer to the story, it's not necessarily required to enjoy reading it--there's enough family drama for that.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie

In The Woods by Tana French

"What I warn you to remember is that I am a detective. Our relationship with the truth is fundamental, but cracked, refracting confusingly like fragmented glass. It is the core of our careers, the endgame of every move we make, and we pursue it with strategies painstakingly constructed of lies ... and every variation on deception. The truth is the most desirable woman in the world and we are the most jealous lovers, reflexively denying anyone else the slightest glimpse of her. We betray her routinely ... This is my job ... What I am telling you, before you begin my story, is this--two things: I crave truth. And I lie." opening lines of In The Woods chapter 1, pages 3-4 In The Woods by Tana French, an Irish writer, is an extremely well-written and well-crafted mystery novel. The downside is that this is French's debut novel, and her website (located at http://www.tanafrench.com/ ) does not off...

Broken by Karin Slaughter

Before I begin the formal review there are a few things I need to get off my chest in the wake of finishing this book; I'll do so without giving away too many (or any) spoilers. The OUTRAGE!: the identity of Detective Lena Adams' new beau; the low depths to which Grant County's interim chief has sunk and brought the police force down with him; agent Will Trent's wife, Angie's, sixth sense/nasty habit of reappearing in his life just when he's slipping away from her. Thank God for small miracles though because while Angie was certainly referred to during the book, the broad didn't make an appearance. One sign that I've become way too invested in these characters is that I'd like to employ John Connolly's odd pair of assassins, Louis and Angel, to contract out a hit on Angie; do you think Karin Slaughter and John Connolly could work out a special cross over? Hallelujah: Dr. Sara Linton and agent Will Trent are both back. There is no hallelujah fo...

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is the first book by this author that I've read. I'm not sure how I first came across it, but it's been on my books-to-read list for a while. Recently my library acquired a copy, and since I was between books, I thought, hmm, let me try this one and see if it sticks. Sometimes when I'm between books I have a problem starting and actually sticking with a book to the end. The historical part of the story of Orphan Train is actually inspired by true events. There really was a train in the 1920's that took orphaned children from the Children's Aid Society in New York City out to the Midwest in a quest to find families to place them in. Some of these children are still alive today. However, I don't think that the characters of Molly and Vivian are based on any real life people. Molly Ayer has spent the last nine years bouncing among over a dozen different foster homes. She's developed a tough shell and a ...

A Series Of (Un)Fortunate Reviews

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