Helpful Score: 2
Originally posted at: http://theirishbanana.blogspot.com/
I know Im totally going against the grain here, but I truly did not like this book. I desperately wanted to, but I just couldnt. I will admit that Ive never read Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice, but I am familiar with the storyline. And honestly, I feel like now Ive read it.
Heres what I did like: I liked the way Eulberg managed to weave all the characters from Austens novel into this. Her ability to keep the original names of the characters in her updated version amused me (Mr. Collins is now Colin, a drab but sweet boy who is mostly clueless). The idea of the storyline itself is golden, and I love the idea of a modern retelling of a class April Lindners Jane was one of my favorite reads this year. However, I felt Eulberg fell short when it came to executing the dialogue and setting the scene.
It was apparent within the first few chapters that this wasnt your typical YA book because of the lines the characters spoke. I have never known a teenage girl to ever use the word daft in everyday speech unless reading from a book aloud in class. The characters spoke like they had been transplanted from the 1800s into the modern age. I have a very hard time finding a book enjoyable when I know that this isnt how teenagers talk (and I dont mean in a Dawsons Creek kind of way). Eulberg also didnt take the time to explain her settings. Characters walked through blank rooms, speaking contrived lines that, quite frankly, got annoying after a while. I also am not a fan of the insta-romance. It seemed like Elizabeth and Darcy fell for each other in the span of 20 pages. There were mentionings of them taking walks together, but that was it. The reader isnt privy to these chats, so it makes their love seem abrupt and disjointed.
In all, it almost felt like a high school creative writing assignment. Like a teacher handed a student a classic and said, Here. Read this and rewrite it for your generation. The potential was there, and despite the lack of setting and weak dialogue, Eulberg is a good writer. But think this story would have benefitted from another 100-200 pages more to flesh out the story.
I know Im totally going against the grain here, but I truly did not like this book. I desperately wanted to, but I just couldnt. I will admit that Ive never read Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice, but I am familiar with the storyline. And honestly, I feel like now Ive read it.
Heres what I did like: I liked the way Eulberg managed to weave all the characters from Austens novel into this. Her ability to keep the original names of the characters in her updated version amused me (Mr. Collins is now Colin, a drab but sweet boy who is mostly clueless). The idea of the storyline itself is golden, and I love the idea of a modern retelling of a class April Lindners Jane was one of my favorite reads this year. However, I felt Eulberg fell short when it came to executing the dialogue and setting the scene.
It was apparent within the first few chapters that this wasnt your typical YA book because of the lines the characters spoke. I have never known a teenage girl to ever use the word daft in everyday speech unless reading from a book aloud in class. The characters spoke like they had been transplanted from the 1800s into the modern age. I have a very hard time finding a book enjoyable when I know that this isnt how teenagers talk (and I dont mean in a Dawsons Creek kind of way). Eulberg also didnt take the time to explain her settings. Characters walked through blank rooms, speaking contrived lines that, quite frankly, got annoying after a while. I also am not a fan of the insta-romance. It seemed like Elizabeth and Darcy fell for each other in the span of 20 pages. There were mentionings of them taking walks together, but that was it. The reader isnt privy to these chats, so it makes their love seem abrupt and disjointed.
In all, it almost felt like a high school creative writing assignment. Like a teacher handed a student a classic and said, Here. Read this and rewrite it for your generation. The potential was there, and despite the lack of setting and weak dialogue, Eulberg is a good writer. But think this story would have benefitted from another 100-200 pages more to flesh out the story.
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Lizzie hates her high school, Longbourn Academy. It's full of snobby girls who refuse to give her a chance because she doesn't come from their world. Lizzie's there on a musical scholarship. The other girls make her life miserable at every turn - all except Charlotte, the other scholarship student, and Jane, her roommate.
During the second semester, everyone becomes obsessed with prom. The girls wear designer dresses and date only the best boys from Pemberley Academy. Jane hopes to go with Charles, who just returned from a semester abroad. Jane can't wait to see him.
Soon, they're together all the time. Jane persuades Lizzie to hang out with them, even though she and Charles's best friend, Will, didn't get off on the right foot.
When Lizzie meets Wick, and Lydia, Jane's younger sister, makes a spectacle of herself at an upperclassman party, Charles begins to pull away. Jane's devastated. Lizzie tries to console her, but she's involved in her own drama with Wick, Will Darcy, and the snotty girls who live to torment her.
I'm a Jane Austen freak and I love prom novels, so I was super-excited to read this. I also loved THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, Eulberg's debut novel. PROM & PREJUDICE was amazing. I devoured it as soon as it arrived. I LOVED the book. I loved the differences and the similarities between PRIDE & PREJUDICE. I loved Lizzie and Jane's relationship. I loved EVERYTHING.
As soon as I finished reading, I gave a happy sigh of contentment. It was simply...magical!
Lizzie hates her high school, Longbourn Academy. It's full of snobby girls who refuse to give her a chance because she doesn't come from their world. Lizzie's there on a musical scholarship. The other girls make her life miserable at every turn - all except Charlotte, the other scholarship student, and Jane, her roommate.
During the second semester, everyone becomes obsessed with prom. The girls wear designer dresses and date only the best boys from Pemberley Academy. Jane hopes to go with Charles, who just returned from a semester abroad. Jane can't wait to see him.
Soon, they're together all the time. Jane persuades Lizzie to hang out with them, even though she and Charles's best friend, Will, didn't get off on the right foot.
When Lizzie meets Wick, and Lydia, Jane's younger sister, makes a spectacle of herself at an upperclassman party, Charles begins to pull away. Jane's devastated. Lizzie tries to console her, but she's involved in her own drama with Wick, Will Darcy, and the snotty girls who live to torment her.
I'm a Jane Austen freak and I love prom novels, so I was super-excited to read this. I also loved THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, Eulberg's debut novel. PROM & PREJUDICE was amazing. I devoured it as soon as it arrived. I LOVED the book. I loved the differences and the similarities between PRIDE & PREJUDICE. I loved Lizzie and Jane's relationship. I loved EVERYTHING.
As soon as I finished reading, I gave a happy sigh of contentment. It was simply...magical!
