*DNF review alert. If you don't think they should exist, do not read this*
Jocelyn and Sylvia, two middle-aged women, one never married and the other c*DNF review alert. If you don't think they should exist, do not read this*
Jocelyn and Sylvia, two middle-aged women, one never married and the other crying rivers because she just got divorced; Bernadette, a sixty-seven year-old Liz Taylor; Prudie, a French teacher that shares her thoughts in French whether you speak it or not; Allegra, Sylvia's daughter, a thirty year-old lesbian who cannot get a happy relationship, and Grigg, a guy that... I don't know what to say about this choice. All these people start a Jane Austen book club.
This book starts slow and I don't think its pace ever changes (I couldn't finish this thing; I couldn't find the energy, so I put an end to this weird self-inflicted pain).
While I was reading this book, I couldn't stop thinking that if you are going to write about this outstanding author or her works, without a gram of her wit and fine humor, then please, do not do it. Save a tree and your dignity. Fowler's writing style can't get any drier. Let's be honest, some of these characters, from different points of view, have experienced failure; they might be considered “losers”, though that is a harsh word so let's call them... “non-winners”. My point is, there are clever ways of describing non-winners, however, Fowler picked the dullest ways possible. They lacked development, in my opinion. Funny thing, there are many unnecessary and over-detailed anecdotes that tried to explain some... context?, but they only made me forget about the whole plot (okay, let's imagine there is a plot). So this Daria-on-Valium kind of writing really bored me. And that is a big problem for me because I prefer writing over plot. I can deal with an average plot, but the writing must be good. And this is certainly not the case.
Like I said, all these people are members of a Jane Austen book club, so you could imagine all the witty comments you will read. “No animal passion”, Allegra said about Emma. Really? Just find some Sade Book Club, there's some “animal” for you to enjoy. I found some other very insightful remarks like “Emma is a snob”. Yeah, mind-blowing. A couple of lines later, I was reading some Jocelyn's story about tennis and yadda yadda yadda. Then, back to the book. And so on. And so on... I was lost. (Cohesion, coherence, connection?) It is a literary technique, sure, but if you are going to use it, you have to be very crafty to pull that off, lady. And again, this is not the case. I was frankly annoyed by all this. And one of my rules in life (that helps me preserve my mental health) is to not force myself to read something I am not enjoying. I don't have to prove anything to anyone, really. So, if by, let's say, page 50, I feel like I couldn't care less about the whole story, then adiós.
Anyway, there is a movie based on this book. It is one of those chick-flicks you can watch on a Sunday afternoon; I didn't like it that much. Feel free to ask, "then why did you read the book?" Because I have read somewhere that the screenplay had little to do with the book. So, I thought it was going to be better. Poor child! Let's just say that you might want to watch the movie and leave it at that. I found it much more entertaining than the book. Sacrilege, I know, but in this case, it is the sad truth.
There is nothing new for me to say about this novel. I should just say I loved it. Period. But, whenever I hear people saying they don't get this noveThere is nothing new for me to say about this novel. I should just say I loved it. Period. But, whenever I hear people saying they don't get this novel, or that they don't find it amusing nor witty, I feel bad; they are missing so much. This is not just an ordinary love story about a poor girl who married the rich guy like a 2 p.m. soup opera. There is so much between the lines. First, the social context in which this novel was written. In Austen's time, marriage was a market. For a woman, money came from a father or a husband. So, you could really understand Mrs. Bennett's suffering. Speaking of her, she is one of the most colorful characters in the novel. Austen's wit and charm while describing all of them... just brilliant. What a funny, sarcastic and smart writer, trapped in the 18th century, when a female writer, any working woman, actually, wasn't appropriate, at all.
There is a little bit of everything in this novel. Silly, negligent and kind of sweet parents, a biblical sister among the other nice and whimsical ones, an annoying Mr. Collins, elopements, people who not always are what they seem, a pair of wicked sisters, detailed descriptions about society, people, and landscapes in 18th century England, dances (although every savage can dance), and a true journey of self-discovery. In top of all that, she created one of the most beloved heroines in universal literature, Elizabeth Bennet, whose wit, charm and honesty make you fall in love with her from page one. She is funny but also has a somewhat sad vision of the world, a real one:
There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.
I love a strong female character whose mind is not full of pink and weddings just for the sake of being married. However, Elizabeth is not flawless; she tends to judge people before getting to know them. This novel shows her growth as a person, as well as Darcy's, the “proud” of the title. (You didn't see that one coming, huh?) Anyway, I said I didn't have anything new to said, so, yes, I was right. Pride and Prejudice may not be a truly original story, but the way Austen wrote it, her unique, ironic and honest writing style prevents you from taking a nap at page 100. At least, I didn't. I finished this book in two days. For me, that is fast; I tend to read and re-read every sentence, make a sandwich, bake a cake, and then there's work and that kind of unavoidable stuff of life, so, not a lot of free time for me, like the old days...
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