Eligible: A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice

Here we have Pride and Prejudice for a modern, sexually liberated crowd. The Bennet sisters are still facing financial trouble, this time a little more immediate, since Mr. Bennet’s seemingly never ending supply of money proved insufficient to support both his wife’s shopping addiction and bypass surgery without health insurance. Liz and Jane, the only two sisters to strike out on their own, return to Cincinnati to help care for their father during his recovery and help save the family from financial ruin. And if they can find love along the way, even better. Enter Chip Bingley, ER doctor and reality TV star, and his best friend, the arrogant neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy.

The story and characters remain astonishingly true to Austen’s original, despite the many updates, modifications, and additions. They are all a bit older than their Regency counterparts—Jane has been aged to nearly forty to make a convincing modern “spinster.” Even the style is remarkably similar to Austen’s—short chapters with minimal description and packed with witty dialogue. Although I miss the sweetness of Austen’s morality (where characters do not jump directly into bed with each other), I would still recommend this to adult Austen fans looking for a fresh new version.