Courtesy of Random House
Curtis Sittenfeld, Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride and Prejudice (Random House, April 2016)
This book came about after The Austen Project contacted the St. Louis–based Sittenfeld and asked whether she’d like to try her hand at retelling Austen’s tale—Mr. Darcy remixed, if you will. Of course, being an Austen fan (like all fiction writers worth her salt!), Sittenfeld took on the challenge.
The story begins in modern-day New York City, where Liz Bennet (a magazine editor) is living in the fast lane and sister Jane (who teaches yoga) cruising along in just a slightly slower one. When problems arise with their family back in Cincinnati (sorry, no St. Louis storyline this time round, kids), the sisters return home to find their parents, younger siblings, and family home awhirl with chaos. And of course Ma Bennet is freaking out because Liz is almost 40 and still single. Then, in a purely 21st-century twist, Sittenfeld introduces a suitor…by way of reality TV.
See also: Talking to Novelist Curtis Sittenfeld About Her New Novel, "Sisterland"
In less capable hands, this could come off as cheesy (and to Austen devotees, borderline sacrilege) but as The Washington Post notes, “Novelists get called master storytellers all the time, but Sittenfeld really is one.” The book has evoked a chorus of effusive and four-starred blurbs from such outlets as Booklist, The Millions, Elle, The Boston Globe, and Publisher’s Weekly. Sittenfeld launches the book in St. Louis on May 2 with an event at The Improv Shop (510 N. Euclid). It promises to be more than just a reading—billed as “A Night Out With Curtis Sittenfeld,” it’s co-sponsored by Left Bank Books, Maryville Talks Books, St. Louis Public Radio, and HEC-TV. We don’t know whether klieg lights are involved, but there’s an open bar—and though it’s free, you have to RSVP.
Get all the details at left-bank.com/sittenfeld.
