Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Epic Fail by Claire LaZebnik

Elise and her family have just moved to Los Angeles for her mother's new job as principal of Elise and her sisters' new school. There they meet sweet Chase who falls for Elise's older sister Julianna. But it's Chase's best friend Derek that causes Elise the most trouble. As the son of two very famous movie stars, Derek seems proud and aloof though drawn to Elise for some reason. And she is determined not to fall for him because of those very reasons.

So this is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. If you know that story you know what happens in this one. I like how the names were translated and the characters were remade. I feel like the dialogue was too stilted in places and some of the plot points could have been polished more. I get that the author wanted to do Pride and Prejudice in high school. It's just it could have been done a little smoother. Still it was a fun book and I always enjoy retellings of my favorite classics. Elise and Derek have the same old problems with one being rich and, in this case, famous or at least fame adjacent, and the other determined to be above that all. I like how the Wickham/Lydia thing was translated with Wesley and the younger sister Layla. And how the Bennet were portrayed though Anne is once again left out. Why is she the Bennet sister most likely to not make it into an adaption? Anyway, this was a fun read and I liked it as a P&P retelling.

2 comments:

  1. I just got this one from the library, looking forward to checking it out, especially after having watched The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Thanks for your thoughts!

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  2. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on it, sounds a good book. I'm looking forward to reading this book!

    Ann@Blogging E-books

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