Eligible

This is a tough one to rate. For instance, some characters are perfectly updated from Austen's era (e.g., Mr. Bennett, Lydia and Kitty, Chip Bingley), and the plot is good, of course, because it's Austen. But because it's Austen, Sittenfeld has the unenviable task of retaining the perfection of the characters of Darcy and Elizabeth and updating them for the modern era. She didn't succeed there, but she made a fairly good effort in transmuting them into their 21st century versions. (There's something to be said for an Elizabeth Bennett who can get drunk).

HUGE EXCEPTION TO THE RELATIVELY GOOD RATING: the modern twist of turning duplicitous, villainous cad Wickham into a male suitor who reveals himself to be transgender was . . . unfortunate. A gross and moreover poorly made attempt at a parallel.

Overall, it was worth a read – and it really is a compulsively readable book, even if it ultimately just made me want to re-read Pride and Prejudice for the real thing.