NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Wonderfully tender and hilariously funny, Eligible tackles gender, class, courtship, and family as Curtis Sittenfeld reaffirms herself as one of the most dazzling authors writing today.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR AND THE TIMES (UK) This version of the Bennet family—and Mr. Darcy—is one that you have and haven’t met before: Liz is a magazine writer in … you have and haven’t met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help—and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray.
Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master’s degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won’t discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane’s fortieth birthday fast approaches.
Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip’s friend neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . .
And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.
Praise for Eligible
“Even the most ardent Austenite will soon find herself seduced.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“Blissful . . . Sittenfeld modernizes the classic in such a stylish, witty way you’d guess even Jane Austen would be pleased.”—People (book of the week)
“[A] sparkling, fresh contemporary retelling.”—Entertainment Weekly
“[Sittenfeld] is the ideal modern-day reinterpreter. Her special skill lies not just in her clear, clean writing, but in her general amusement about the world, her arch, pithy, dropped-mike observations about behavior, character and motivation. She can spot hypocrisy, cant, self-contradiction and absurdity ten miles away. She’s the one you want to leave the party with, so she can explain what really happened. . . . Not since Clueless, which transported Emma to Beverly Hills, has Austen been so delightedly interpreted. . . . Sittenfeld writes so well—her sentences are so good and her story so satisfying. . . . As a reader, let me just say: Three cheers for Curtis Sittenfeld and her astute, sharp and ebullient anthropological interest in the human condition.”—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review
“A clever, uproarious evolution of Austen’s story.”—The Denver Post
“If there exists a more perfect pairing than Curtis Sittenfeld and Jane Austen, we dare you to find it. . . . Sittenfeld makes an already irresistible story even more beguiling and charming.”—Elle
“A playful, wickedly smart retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.”—BuzzFeed
“Sittenfeld is an obvious choice to re-create Jane Austen’s comedy of manners. [She] is a master at dissecting social norms to reveal the truths of human nature underneath.”—The Millions
“A hugely entertaining and surprisingly unpredictable book, bursting with wit and charm.”—The Irish Times
“An unputdownable retelling of the beloved classic.”—PopSugar
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I was intrigued by the premise: “a modern retelling of “Pride & Prejudice” with the setting changed to 21st century Cincinnati. The Bennets still have 5 daughters they’re anxious to marry off, but in this case the 2 eldest, Jane & Lizzie, are both nearly 40 so the prospects are rather dim; the youngest, Kitty & Lydia are as frivolous as their 18th-century counterparts; Mary, the middle daughter is more computer-nerd than bookworm, having earned 2 master’s degrees online, working on a 3rd, & disappearing on a mysterious errand on Tuesday nights. The scene is enlivened somewhat by the appearance of 2 “eligible” men of a suitable age for the older Bennet girls. True to the original, former reality TV star Chip Bingley soon connects with Jane, while his friend Darcy makes a poor first impression on Liz & vice versa. Unfortunately, I lost interest around that point but struggled on for a bit, following the rule of giving a book a fair chance to hold my interest, but (unless there’s a compelling reason, e.g. passing a test on required reading) not wasting my time if I don’t like it.
Of course, tastes differ & “Eligible” isn’t really bad. It may appeal to other readers; but life is short & if I had unlimited time, I’d rather re-read “War and Peace”–or maybe something by Jane Austen.
I always finish books, no matter how bad they are. Could not finish this one. If you love Jane Austen do not read this book.
Now this is a nice re-telling of Pride and Prejudice.
This book has wonderfully complex characters. I absolutely enjoyed it.
Interesting update on “Pride and Prejudice “ to modern times, with Jane and Liz as New York City working girls who left home (Cincinnati) after college 15 years before. Their younger sisters, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, are still living at home with their parents in a large house that is not being kept up. When Mr. Bennet has a heart attack, Jane and Liz rush home to help with their father’s care. At the hospital they meet two physicians, Chip Bingham and Fitzwilliam Darcy, who seem to be friendly and arrogant, respectively. Chip takes Jane out and the pair hit it off immediately. Darcy and Liz act like antagonists from the beginning. As anyone knows who has read the original, pride and prejudice must be overcome for all to turn out as it should to have a happy ending for all. The real fun is seeing how the author makes a modern sexy complement to the prim Regency romance. She does it very well.
Disappointed
It is a fairly realistic seeming modern version of P&P, however, I felt that making the characters so modern, so immoral, really detracted from the significance of the love story in the original.
A fun read with a happy ending for all
I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, and I thoroughly enjoyed this modern take on Pride and Prejudice!
Writing was at times forced. As a fan of Pride and Prejudice, it was an enjoyable read.
This is a fresh take on the Austen classic. I’m not a huge Austen fan but really enjoyed this. It’s a funny, easy read.
Over-the-top parody of Pride and Prejudice. Mildly entertaining.
While the twists were somewhat interesting and an occasional chuckle, was too contrived.
An interesting, modern take on Pride and Prejudice, but if you know the original story, you know this plot. Not sure if I can recommend it.
Jane Austen is turning over in her grave! Making Lizzy a slut is not my idea of modernizing a character. Also, Lizzy’$ devotion to Jane was one of the most beautiful examples of sisterly love ever. Now Lizzy is so busy bossing her family around that she barely has time to mention Jane except in passing. And why would Lydia be the sister with compassion and a degree if intelligence? We do get every bit of political correctness known to man in one single family. Ridiculous!
This was a wonderful retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I loved the modern twists of a familiar story. There were quite a few character actions that came as a shock, but it developed the story and made it more believable.
While this wasn’t a bad book, I can definitely understand how it’s a disappointment to some. For obvious reasons, most of the conflict in Pride and Prejudice couldn’t happen in the modern world, so Curtis Sittenfeld had to devise new conflict.
I would have liked to see Lady Catherine better incorporated or removed entirely, as she’s mostly an unimportant fringe character in this.
Reading about Mrs. Bennet’s prejudices adjusted for the modern world is rather uncomfortable, but I’m willing to bet if I had been around when P&P was first released Mrs. Bennet would have been very uncomfortable then as well.
If you can divorce yourself from expectations that this is another P&P, you can enjoy the book. I did. If you can’t then this isn’t the book for you.
Loved this book. I’ve never been an over-the-top Jane Austen fan, but this “update” was fun to read. As usual, this author wrote a story that kept me reading.
I’m honestly still not sure what I think of this book overall. It is a good imagining of what the Bennet family would look like today. The characterizations are spot on for most of the cast. I’m just not sure about Liz Bennet. I didn’t dislike her, but I didn’t like her. She didn’t seem true to the spirit of Austen’s heroine. But I would recommend this, it’s a fun read.
“Well before his arrival in Cincinnati, everyone knew that Chip Bingley was looking for a wife.”
Said Chip had been on the television reality show Eligible, hoping to find love, and broke all the girls’ hearts by marrying none of them. His Hollywood career over, he went back to practice medicine in a new town.
For Mrs. Bennet, Chip’s arrival in Cincinnati was perfect timing. The two eldest Bennet daughters, Jane nearly forty and Liz not far behind, were returning home to help out after Mr. Bennet’s coronary artery bypass surgery. After all, Mrs. Bennet couldn’t handle an invalid AND chair the Women’s League fundraising luncheon. As far as Mrs. Bennet was concerned, having a medical man in the family would be a perk.
Only Liz knows that Jane opted for artificial insemination after the break up of her last relationship. Liz writes for a magazine and has no plans for children. But she has been in love with her ‘best friend’ Jasper Wick for years, although they never became a ‘couple’ until after Jasper’s married. Fourteen years Liz waited for him to realize they were meant for each other. Jasper had no intention of divorcing his wife, so Liz becomes his ‘best friend’ with benefits.
Liz soon discovers not only mom but dear old dad needs ‘handling,’ beginning with mom’s shopping addiction and the huge medical bills piling up because dad was uninsured. Living at home still are Mary, in graduate school, and freeloaders Kitty and Lydia, in their early twenties.
The Bennet family are invited to the Lucas’s house to meet Chip, where, of course, his friend Darcy snubs Liz. Meanwhile, ‘cousin Willie’ has made millions and shows up looking for a wife, and a snarky Caroline Bingley warns Liz off.
You know the story–just not this version of the story. Everything is updated: the daughter’s ages, their sex lives, and the problems they face are very 21st c. Racism, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and the artificial reality of television make appearances.
It is a very funny novel, and overall a very clever updating of Austen. I especially loved Sittenfeld’s version of Mr. Bennet.
“I don’t suppose that any of you can appreciate the terror a man might feel being so outnumbered,” Mr. Bennet said. “I often weep, and there are only six of you.”
I thought the updated scene of Liz trying to get to an ailing Jane was handled well; in the original, Liz walks through dirty lanes and fields, arriving in most unfashionable condition. Sittenfeld has Liz jog across town, arriving drenched in sweat. Each version of Liz shows how she places family bonds above social approbation, and in each she proves herself to be healthy, active, fit, and glowing.
Showing my age, and early monogamy, it was discomforting to read about all the premarital sex going on. All the sexual tension between Darcy and Elizabeth? I sure missed that. And where Austen’s Liz has her own pride, Sittenfeld’s Liz is a terrible drunk. Not my favorite handling of this character.
Eligible also misses the darker side of Austen: the soldier’s camp gathered because of the looming war with France, Liz’s challenge to the social hierarchy by not kowtowing to her social superiors, the church held in thrall by those who hold the living to the point of the Rev. Mr. Collins being instructed on what to preach. And Wick is an almost comic philanderer, Liz willing to settle for his terms, when Wickham was a seducer of a young heiress, a liar, a gambler, and an gold-digging opportunist–very evil qualities in Austen’s day.
But I applaud Sittenfeld’s novel for picking up on Austen’s witty social jabs and the bright and sparkling aspect of the original.
I obtained a copy of the book through my local public library.