Eligible: A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice


Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
51
Narrator
16
Release Date
April 2016
Duration
13 hours 22 minutes
Summary
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 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
Reviews
Profile Avatar
Anonymous

I found the narrator somewhat annoying, Liz's voice was just too bright and perky and some of the men's voice scenes just didn't sound right. The novel itself was clever, a bit of a stretch to think of the older Bennet girls as almost 40 and unmarried, But I got the book out of the library so I could finish it without having to listen to it the rest of the way.

Profile Avatar
Julie S.

Very cute and clever update. Great tension with Darcy. Some of the PC aspects a bit annoying like she threw on one to many things. Narrator a little annoying with various voices.

Profile Avatar
Linda B.

I loved this retelling of one of my all time favorite Jane Austen books. Modern day reflection of those getting older with kid clock ticking added to “the bachelor “ show made for a fun read.

Profile Avatar
Anonymous

I recently finished listening to the audiobook which may have been part of my problem with the way too chipper narrator. Although the story was one I wanted that was hard to put down, I felt myself wanting more depth of character. I was incredulous that Lizzie would have gotten over Jasper so easily and then wanted to marry Darcy after “hate *******” him 4 times. While marrying someone who shows strength of character, is rich, and is chivalrous would be reasons for a woman to marry two hundred plus years ago they no longer ring true today. The same went for Jane and Chip. We know they want to get married after knowing each other 3? weeks or so and then pine for each other for several months. The best way to enjoy the book, in my opinion, is to treat it like a beach read. To truly update Pride and Prejudice and keep to main story line, maybe give the characters more time to suss our their relationship like we do now. If you don’t give it much thought, it is a fun read.

Profile Avatar
Chauntall Jones

Intrigued on the update storyline plot similar to original outcome it was entertaining but somewhat disappointing with the over-detail of mundane events and Liz's irritating character voice.

Profile Avatar
Kalyn Starkey

The storyline was dull and the narrator was incredibly annoying.

Profile Avatar
Vanessa Carley

I was interested in listening to this because I enjoy Pride and Prejudice, including remakes. This version was enjoyable, the narration was ok. I didn't like the voice the narrator created for Elizabeth. She made her sound high-pitched which gave off an air-head-like tone. Elizabeth Bennett is anything but an air-head so for me the voice gor her was the least enjoyable but overall, I'm not disappointed.

Profile Avatar
Danielle Audette

Easy read as an audiobook. Entertaining to say the least.

1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$22.50
View Cart