Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Five: Eligible

So when I discovered that Curtis Sittenfeld was writing a modern version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice--and that somehow this retelling would take Austen's fairly short novel and expand it to nearly 500 pages--I was intrigued.  Having finally gotten my hands on a copy from the library, I enjoyed reading it so much that, sooner or later, I'll probably just buy myself a copy of it!  Not having actually read anything by Sittenfeld, but being generally familiar with the kind of books she writes, I was worried that Eligible would be too gritty or edgy a rendering of Pride and Prejudice for my taste, but I was pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the narration (not that it's sappy; it has its edgy moments, but they're not overwhelming nor do they detract from the overall mood).  Without giving too much away, all of the Bennett sisters have been aged up (ranging from 23 to 40 years old when our story begins) and the brunt of the story is set in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Darcy is a neurosurgeon; Liz writes for a NYC-based women's magazine.  Chip Bingley rose to fame on reality TV show Eligible (essentially The Bachelor), while Jane is a "penniless" yoga instructor.  Different enough from the original to keep me guessing at what exactly would happen next, but close enough to Pride and Prejudice to be thoroughly and immensely satisfying, I could hardly tear myself away from Eligible, and it left me with a lot to think over.  Whether you like Pride and Prejudice or you're just looking for a good, solid piece of realistic fiction, you'll definitely want to try Eligible.