Staff Pick
Eligible is a very, very clever retelling of one of my favorite stories of all time. At times — okay, most of the time — I hated the characters, in particular the Bennett parents, but they're all superbly written. Believable and pitiful, sympathetic and sociopathic, there's an incredible display of humanity's best and worst in this novel. I wouldn't recommend this novel for a superfan of Pride & Prejudice, the greatest romance of all time, but it would certainly be worthwhile for readers who appreciate complex characters and classic retellings. Recommended By McKenzie W., Powells.com
If you love Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy (or even if you don’t), you will adore the new Liz Bennet, a Manhattan-dwelling magazine writer, and the new Fitzwilliam Darcy, a grouchy neurosurgeon. It is a thoroughly modern retelling of one of literature’s most compelling duos. Recommended By Moses M., Powells.com
I don't delve into the classic retelling genre very often, but when I heard Curtis Sittenfeld had rewritten Pride and Prejudice and made the mythic Mr. Darcy a neurosurgeon, I felt I had to give Eligible a whirl. Liz Bennet is a journalist living in New York when she's forced to temporarily relocate to her hometown of Cincinnati while her father recuperates from surgery. Here she navigates her mother's snobbery and addiction to trash TV and catalog shopping, her younger sisters' refusal to leave the family stead, and the romantic throes and "hate sex" in her relationship with Darcy. Though nothing will compare to the wit and snark of Jane Austen's original, Sittenfeld's work is charming and worthy of a read. Recommended By Emily L., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Wonderfully tender and hilariously funny, Eligible both honors and updates Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Tackling gender, class, courtship, and family, Curtis Sittenfeld reaffirms herself as one of the most dazzling authors writing today.
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 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.
Review
"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
Review
"The modernization of this classic story allows for a greater and more humorous range of incompetency and quirks....Delight in this tale for its hilarious and endearing family drama." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Endlessly amusing....Her take on Austen’s iconic characters is skillful, her pacing excellent, and her dialog highly entertaining....Austen fans will adore this new offering, a wonderful addition to the genre." Library Journal
Review
"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)
Review
"Even the most ardent Austenite will soon find herself seduced." O: The Oprah Magazine
Synopsis
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.
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 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 forEligible
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"
About the Author
Curtis Sittenfeld is the bestselling author of the novels Prep, The Man of My Dreams, American Wife, and Sisterland, which have been translated into twenty-five languages. Her nonfiction has been published widely, including in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Time, and Glamour, and broadcast on public radio’s This American Life. A native of Cincinnati, she currently lives with her family in St. Louis.