After getting my wife to reread this at last I'm reading it again myself. It's such a fun adaptation.

Retelling of the classic Pride and Prejudice that takes place in modern day Pakistan. I really enjoyed this is a beautiful blend of Austin's story and a modern Pakistani family that fell from luxury and money to almost nothing. The lives of the Bennet and the Binat family run pretty much parallel with each other. I especially loved that Alys (Lizzy) loved Austin and would talk about her all the time. Alys and Jena (Jane) are English Lit. teachers at the local girls school, The British School of Dilipabad, and both looked down on because they haven't married yet. Mari, Qitty and Lady (Lydia) are pretty similar to their counterparts, Mari strict and overly religious, Qitty struggles with her weight and the constant reminder from everyone about how she would be prettier if she lost weight, and then there is Lady selfish, spoiled, crass, and wild. Mr and Mrs Binat aren't far off from the originals either.

Dealing with the social injustices the Binat's deal with aren't that different from the ones the Bennet's faced and Alys' feminist views and opinions are quite a bit more harsh than Lizzy's and I completely understand why Alys needed to be a bit more jaded than Lizzy. Kamal writes a more indepth family background for the Binat's but it also gives fuel to the fire when Wickaam feeds Alys his lies about Darsee. Mmmm Valentine Darsee, not only did he uphold the Darsy imagery as prideful, sexy, a good friend and brother he proved to be very intelligent and forward thinking. Alys and Darsee are able to talk about literature and a multitude of other topics even when Alys didn't like him she found he was easy to talk to.     

Overall, I really did love how this one played out and what Kamal did to the story to make it her own. It definitely shows that Jane Austen's works can be adapted to fit different cultures because of how relatable the characters and situations are. I enjoyed reading it because the similarities and the differences between the original and this one and I loved learning new things about a culture I knew nothing about before. It was easy to picture the beautiful Binat sisters in my mind and hear their voices in my head, which they all had British accents because apparently that's the default setting for accents in my brain. It was an excellent retelling of a classic story through the eyes of a different culture.   

In this modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice,  the way people know that Chip Bingley, an ER doctor "in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” is that two years before, he appeared on a Bacheloresque dating show called Eligible (without selecting either of the two female contestants who made it to the final episode).  The Bennet family in this version of P & P reside in a ramshackle Tudor home in Cincinatti, Ohio, and of course Mrs. Bennet is convinced that Dr. Bingley will be just right for one of her daughters.  Jane Bennet, who will be turning 40 in the fall, is a yoga instructor who has been attempting to become pregnant via donor sperm and artificial insemination.  Liz, age 38, is a writer for a magazine called Mascara.  Both Liz and Jane live in NYC, but they fly out to their ancestral home when their father has a health scare.  The youngest three daughters have never left the nest.  Mary, age 30, is a misanthrope working on her third online master's degree.  Lydia and Kitty, both in their 20s, work service jobs on and off, but put most of their energy into their Crossfit workouts.

Readers of Jane Austen's original will know the broad strokes of the plotlines, but Curtis Sittenfeld changes things up enough to keep the narrative fresh.  There is, of course, a Fitzwilliam Darcy, in this case a neurosurgeon, who must overcome his pride while Liz Bennet makes a journey to get past her own prejudice.  

This book was a "staff pick" chosen for week two of the Albany Public Library summer-reading program.  Onto week three (non-fiction)!

Pride and Prejudice Sequels: 3 Jane Aust...

Three stories that occur after the wedding of Darcy and Lizzie.  The first is Miss Darcy's New Companion.  Georgiana thinks her brother wants her to marry their neighbor who has eyes on her companion, Lucy.  I enjoyed this story.  I liked how Georgiana knew her own mind and knew that she and Lord Fane would not work.  I also liked how Lucy is attracted to Lord Fane but knows he needs an heiress and tries to stay away from him.  Mr. Collins, of course, is a pain in the behind and almost ruins everything.

The second story is Miss Darcy's Secret Love tells of Georgiana's secret love from childhood.  Captain Farrington is the brother of Lord Fane.  He wants to marry a Spanish lady but his troth is not accepted by the lady's father.  Home on leave he realizes where is heart truly is.  I like the easy familiarity between Georgiana and the Captain.  I also like how she tries to do what she thinks her brother wants her to do but eavesdroppers never get it right and, once again, Mr. Collins is in the middle of the action which helps resolve it all.

The final story is The Liberation of Miss DeBourgh which tells of Anne's marriage to Lord Seaton.  He does not treat her as an invalid and she discovers that she is stronger than she suspected.  I liked their mutual like of thoroughbreds.  I liked that Anne could talk intelligently about horses and racing and that Lord Seaton respected her opinion.

The characters were good.  The stories remained in the voice of Austen's time.  Very enjoyable read.

This is my favorite book of hers. The geography is correct about Pittsburgh. I loved it! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is fun and funny! I could not put it down and read it in two days (I had to sleep.) Mr. Darcy is in it and there are twists and turns that keep it lively and rollicking.

Flip gets a massage and is told to think of any book she wants. She tells the masseuse one book but thinks of Pride and Prejudice and ends up there where things go topsy-turvy. Now she must correct her mistake and she takes a visiting professor of Jane Austen with her, to help her talk sense into the characters back then. Add her ex-husband and his current girlfriend and what more could go wrong?

I enjoyed the characters both modern and Austen time. I loved the time travel. The story was so much fun! I also liked Flip's revenge. Could not have happened to a better man. Flip is funny and her interactions with Magnus are a delight. She's not sure whether to kill him or love him.

Let's just say this is a keeper so I don't ruin it for others.