Miłość, kłamstwa i Lizzie

21st Century Austen #4

by Rosie Rushton, Karolina Sobiepanek (Translator)

Jaki obraz ukazałby się naszym oczom, gdyby życiowe i miłosne kłopoty młodych bohaterek "Dumy i uprzedzenia" Jane Austen przenieść w wiek dwudziesty pierwszy?
Pani Bennet odziedziczyła znaczną sumę pieniędzy, wystarczającą by wraz z rodziną mogła zamieszkać w takim otoczeniu, o jakim zawsze marzyła. Jej córki nawet się nie obejrzały, kiedy w nowym miejscu wciągnęło je życie towarzyskie, przyjęcia i atrakcje.
Ale Lizzie i jej siostry szybko zauważyły, że pod tą piękną podszewką kryją się rozmaite intrygi i zaciekła rywalizacja.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Chick Lit, Fiction, Contemporary, Retellings, Teen

221 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2009

About the author

Rosie Rushton began her career as a feature writer for a local paper. Staying Cool, Surviving School was her first book, published by Piccadilly Press in 1993. After writing another non-fiction title, You’re My Best Friend, I Hate You! (available from Puffin), Rosie turned to fiction.

The Leehampton series

Best Friends
Best Friends Together (1998)
Best Friends Getting Sorted (1999)
Best Friends in Love (1999)

What A Week series

21st century Austen
The Secrets of Love (2005)
Summer of Secrets (2007)
Secret Schemes and Daring Dreams (2008)
Love, Lies and Lizzie (2009)
Echoes of Love (2010)
Whatever Love Is (2012)

Other books
Staying Cool, Surviving School (1993)
You're My Best Friend - I Hate You! (1994)
Poppy (1996)
Olivia (1997)
Sophie (1998)
Melissa (1998)
Jessica (2000)
Life Line (1999)
PS He’s Mine (2000)
Break Point (2001)
Tell Me I’m OK, really (2001)
Last Seen Wearing Trainers (2002)
All Change! (2000)
Fall Out! (2002)
Waving Not Drowning (2003)
Friends, Enemies and Other Tiny Problems (2003)

Reviews

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lizzie and Darcy with cell phones

In her fourth book in the Jane Austen in the 21st-century series for young adult readers, (and some older adults who are forever young at heart), author Rosie Rushton tackles Jane Austen’s most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, retelling the story with a contemporary twist. Her teenage Lizzie Bennet and sisters are still hunting for beaus, but with all of the advantages of modern technology: mobile phones, laptop computers and blackberries. The Bennet family always wanted to be well connected. Well, now they are.

Rushton has been faithful to the original storyline, cleverly transferring the machinations of Regency courtship into the traumas of 21st-century teenage search for romance. There are plot changes, but half the fun is remembering the differences, and seeing her logic in updates. The most significant change is that the Bennet’s are wealthy – nouveau riche – since Mrs. Bennet inherited a bundle from a third cousin. This Mrs. Bennet is still as outrageously unrefined as ever, using her new money to social climb through Meryton’s better families. Mr. Bennet is still an unhappy bystander, but now resides in his music room listening to Wagner at full volume instead of the quaint and quiet 19th-century pastime of reading. The five Bennet sister’s personalities and foibles are all updated cleverly. Lizzie, like Austen’s, is as spirited and outspoken as we would wish her to be, Jane as kind and accepting as ever, Mary/Meredith a fervent ecologist afraid of global warming and food additives, and Kitty/Katie and Lydia are now twins; one wilder than Austen ever could have imagined, and the other unhappy because she is not. I’ll let you sort out who is who! The male love interests play out well too. Fitzwilliam/James Darcy is dishy and arrogant enough to drive a Ferrari and Charles/Charlie Bingley still a pushover. Mr. Collins/Drew Collins is as toady as ever, only times two since he can reach characters by cell phone, text messages and e-mail ad nauseam. There is no getting away from him! All comfortably familiar. Only Charlotte/Emily Lucas and George Wickham were a surprise. I’ll let you discovery why.

Updating a classic of world literature is a daunting task that Rushton handled with composure and energy. Her plot, characters and language was up to the minute, filled with modern technology and cultural references that teenagers (and adults) will identify with. I had to laugh when Darcy’s famous 'be not alarmed, Madame' letter explaining to Lizzie his reasons for separating Jane and Charlie and his treatment of George Wickham arrived via e-mail! How else? There’s also lots of texting flying about speeding up the pace. Certain elements of the original story were omitted, not causing any offense to this devotee of Austen’s works. In reverence to Jane Austen, Rushton began each chapter with epigraph from the original text, foreshadowing the narrative. It was a nice touch connecting the two novels with quotes that any Austen fan will recognize.

Rushton is a British author and this edition has certain colloquialisms that were quite over this Colonial’s head. I do however, have a new appreciation for snogging, Pimms and wankers; — the other words I just guessed at. The novel is split into two parts, and for some reason the second half was not as fleshed out as the first, which made it rushed and thin. My biggest disappointment was that Lady Catherine/Katrina De Burgh was not nearly as officious or condescending as she could have been, and that her final showdown with Lizzie was on the phone and not vis-à-vis, diminishing the significance to the original infamous altercation in the prettyish kind of a little wilderness. No polluting of the Pemberley shades even alluded to. No Pemberley even mentioned in the entire book!

This was a fast read and great fun. Kudos to Rushton for having the sense not to open the novel with her version of "It is a truth universally acknowledged." The cover art is also a lovely complement to the novel. Well done.

Laurel Ann, Austenprose

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

no notes. this felt like reading jily fanfic and i was TRANSPORTED to 2008. thank you ddubz

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read anything by Rosie Rushton before but I picked this one up in the library because a) the cover is really pretty and b) it's described as a moder-spin on 'Pride and Prejudice' and as my other passion besides YA is 19th century literature, that definitely sounded like the sort of book I'd enjoy. I'm pleased to say that I absolutely loved it and I'm going to make a point now of searching out some of Rosie Rushton's other books. She's apparantly written several novels in the 'Jane Austen in the 21st Century' series so I'm excited to get my hands on the rest! 'Northanger Abbey', 'Sense and Sensibility', 'Emma' and my personal favourite 'Persuasion' have all been given the Rushton treatment.

The story draws inspiration from 'Pride and Prejudice' but brings the literary classic up-to-date for a modern, teen audience. One of the things I enjoyed the most about it was identifying all of the similarities and differences between the characters and who they're all supposed to be based on. For example, Lizzie is now a young teenage girl who near the end of the book goes on a work placement to France to help out at a music therapy centre, unlike in the original where Elizabeth is on a touring holiday with her Aunt and Uncle. Mrs Bennet is still a screeching social climber who wants the whole family to take their rightful place in the world among the upper echelons of society. Jane is still the good, kind and considerate sister, while Lydia remains the livewire who becomes embroiled with George Wickham, the dastardly villain of the book. They're all still looking for love but doing it the modern way now with emails, texts and phone calls. No old-fashioned courting here then!

It's a credit to Rushton that she manages to make James Darcy as gorgeous, strong and silent and just as much a dark horse as the original Mr Darcy. A difficult thing to do considering the latter is beloved by females around the world. I was definitely rooting for him and Lizzie to hurry up and realise that they're perfect for each other. I will also admit that I had a Darcy sized crush on him throughout and loved all the scenes building up to their romance.

When a classic is as beloved as 'Pride and Prejudice' I imagine it must be a daunting task trying to do justice to it and yet craft something new at the same time, but Rushton's got it spot on! Her take is fresh and modern and will appeal not only to Austen fans but also to those who like a good romance with a strong hero and heroine. 'Love, Lies and Lizzie' most definitely charmed me!

[Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a vicious cycle, dear reader! I'm desperate for a little more Jane Austen, so I read these retellings which, of course, are no match. I simply end up disappointed, and craving yet more Jane.

It's not that I expect the stories to be identical. Our societies are quite different and certain events simply wouldn't happen today. It's that the authors never match Austen's finesse at portraying relationships and social groups. The biggest let down in Love, Lies and Lizzie was Rushton's portrayal of Charlotte Lucas, now known as Emily.* She's turned from an intelligent and sensible woman who is best friends with Lizzie to a teenage girl who 'fluffed her A-levels' and is desperate for any man who will have her. Rushton's Lizzie calls Emily her bestie but never shows any real affection for her or thinks about her beyond uncharitable thoughts about her appearance. Austen's Lizzie doesn't tell us that Charlotte is beautiful, but she loves and values her. It's quite clear. I find this degradation of Charlotte's character quite sad.

Rushton mentions in the foreword that she had the teen speak checked by some year nine pupils. Now, I would've been in my late teens when Love, Lies and Lizzie was published, so older than year nine, certainly, but not drastically so. A similar age to Jane, Lizzie and poor Emily. So I don't think I'm too far off the mark when I say that I think 1) the pupils gave her a PG version and 2) they gave her a few phrases and she ran with them in a big way. And by a few phrases, I mean "up him/her/them selves". I don't think there's a single character under the age of thirty who isn't referred to as up themselves at some point. Most of them, at numerous points. I couldn't be bothered to go back through and count these instances, but most chapters had two or three. You could even make this into a drinking game, as long as you're prepared to get paralytic. Obvious disclaimer - DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME FOLKS. JANE WOULD BE ASHAMED.

*Why, I'm not sure as Charlotte is a perfectly acceptable name today.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well...normal story. I was in the library, saw this and was like 'Ooooo Pride and Prejudice re-make!', whipped out my library card and rushed towards to the desk in a hurry, getting it and rushing into the sunset, happy. Well, yes, not quite but you get the picture...if anyone is reading this apart from myself.
Well, when I first started reading it, I was thinking 'God, Jane Austen would be turning in her grave' and at the beginning, the word 'muttered' is repeated a number of times on the same page. Not the only word you could use, Rushton.
Anyway, I actually really enjoyed this book in the end. It was just a nice and modern way to get to grips with Austen and the fact that Rosie Rushton has written other successful novels like this of the other Austen novels, I am actually going to go looking for them. It's very witty and I found myself smiling many a time.
So....it is a truth universally acknowledged that you shouldn't judge a book by the first couple of pages and I shall read more of her books in the future...

[Peri June · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously loved this.

It felt a little like reading Pride and Prejudice for the very first time. All the bickering and quick insults between Lizzie and Darcy made me grin like crazy, especially because it was in a modern setting with teenagers and cell phones.

Pure fun!

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buon retelling di Orgoglio e pregiudizio per young adults, che affronta temi importanti.
La famiglia Bennet ha appena ricevuto un'eredità, grazie alla quale si è trasferita nella parte ricca della città, andando a vivere vicino ai Bingley. Subito Mrs. Bingley cerca di coinvolgere Alice Bennet nella sua crociata per non far installare un'antenna della telefonia sull'edifico davanti a casa sua. In realtà non vuole perdere la vista che si ha dalle sue finestre, ma Meredith (Mary), che è una grande ecologista, suggerisce che le radiazioni potrebbero danneggiare i bambini della scuola sottostante, cosicché Alice fa sua questa motivazione per farsi apprezzare dalla vicina. È il periodo delle vacanze estive e tutti i ragazzi sono tornati dalle università. Lizzie ha appena terminato il liceo, ma ha deciso di prendersi un anno sabbatico prima di andare all'università, in realtà non è sicura di volerci andare, perché ha intenzione di studiare musicoterapia. Con James Darcy è battibecco fin dal primo incontro perché lui, per suoi motivi che conosceremo solo molto dopo - e anche perché è figlio del preside di una prestigiosa scuola privata - non riesce ad apprezzare chi ha avuto un'istruzione nelle scuole pubbliche. Quando però Lizzie, durante il famoso soggiorno di Jane a Netherfield - che è caduta da cavallo e ha subito una piccola commozione cerebrale e un polso slogato - scopre che la sorella di James è una cantante come lei e si complimenta con lui per la bellissima voce, Darcy comincia ad ammorbidirsi.
Andrew, detto Drew - Mr. Collins - è il figlioccio di Mr. Bennet, figlio della sua fidanzata dell'università e del suo socio in affari (purtroppo defunto). La madre si è trasferita negli Stati Uniti con il nuovo compagno, e Drew ha appena iniziato a lavorare in una catena di hotel prestigiosi di proprietà di Katrina De Burgh, che è anche la zia di James Darcy. Drew - che è proprio l'equivalente moderno di Mr. Collins - è di passaggio dall'Inghilterra perché presto deve prendere in servizio nel nuovo hotel francese della sua datrice di lavoro.
Il ballo di Netherfield viene sostituito dalle corse di cavalli di Brighton, in cui accadono diverse cose, tra cui l'incontro casuale di Jane col suo ex ragazzo, Simon - che lei ha lasciato perché la tradiva - che la bacia, rimediando uno schiaffo. Il problema è che Darcy - che già aveva sentito chiamare questo Simon da Jane dopo la caduta da cavallo, mentre era confusa - vede solo la prima parte della scena e, sommando due più due, immagina che Jane voglia solo divertirsi con George Bingley, ma che in realtà abbia un altro ragazzo.
Per quanto riguarda Wickham, invece, James viene accusato di essere stato causa della sua espulsione dalla scuola di cui il padre di Darcy era preside prima di morire, con accuse assurde. In realtà, Wickham, a causa delle sue vecchie conoscenze nelle scuole pubbliche, era diventato uno spacciatore di droga e aveva iniziato Jenna Darcy - appena quattordicenne - alla cocaina e al sesso. La sua espulsione dalla scuola è avvenuta quando, dopo che Jenna era andata a finire in ospedale, George era stato trovato in possesso della droga che aveva causato il disastro. (Ma questo lo sapremo molto dopo, quando Darcy manderà una mail a Lizzie per rivelarle la verità sul suo rapporto con George).
Il soggiorno a Rosings e la visita di Lizzie a Pemberley sono riuniti in un unico spostamento: Lizzie va in Francia per prestare servizio come aspirante musicoterapista per ragazzi problematici e viene invitata a tenere un concerto di beneficienza nell'hotel di Katrina De Burgh (dove lavorano Drew e la sua amica Emily/Charlotte Lucas). Qui incontra James Darcy con il cugino Johnnie Fitzwilliam, ma anche Jenna, la sorella di James, che, giustamente, le sembra ben diversa da come l'aveva descritta Wickham.
Le modernizzazioni - come sempre quando si tratta di Rosie Rushton - sono davvero ben fatte. Il problema è che, leggendo, si nota che sono passati un po' di anni, anche se in realtà non sono poi così tanti: le tecnologie, però, sono schizzate molto in avanti da allora, e una ragazza che dovesse leggere il libro adesso non capirebbe come mai per mandare o ricevere una mail servisse un computer o come mai le persone non utilizzassero whatsapp, ma solo gli sms. Questo, purtroppo, renderebbe la traduzione inutile perché obsoleta. Peccato non sia stata fatta a suo tempo, quando Mondadori ha tradotto i primi tre volumi della serie.

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Upbeat and Updated Version of “Pride and Prejudice” for YA Readers

If you have not yet come across this series “Jane Austen in the 21st Century,” by Rosie Rushton, it is a collection of updated versions of Jane Austen's novels geared towards the young adult audience. This is the fourth book in the series, yet it is the first one I read. Rosie Rushton started this series in 2005 with “The Dashwood Sisters' Secret of Love” (Sense and Sensibility), in 2007 “Summer of Secrets” (Northanger Abbey) was published, 2008 saw the publishing of “Secret Schemes, Daring Dreams” (Emma), “Love, Lies, and Lizzie” (Pride and Prejudice) was published in 2009, and due to come out in 2010 is “Echoes of Love” (Persuasion).

In “Love, Lies, and Lizzie” the Bennet's have just inherited a fortune that allows Mrs. Bennet to finally purchase her dream house in Longbourn Oakes. She is anxious to live amongst the upper set and is delighted when neighbor, Mrs. Vanessa Bingley befriends her and invites the Bennets to an outdoor party. It is at this party that the Bennet girls meet Charlie and Caroline Bingley and their friend James Darcy. Charlie and Jane of course hit off right away, and as expected Lizzie overhears an unflattering remark about herself from James Darcy. From there the story follows many of the parallels of “Pride and Prejudice:” their father's godson, Drew Collins, comes to stay with them for three weeks, Lizzie meets and falls for a sexy and charming George Wickham, the Bingleys and Darcy abruptly depart from Longbourn Oakes without saying goodbye...

“Love, Lies, and Lizzie” is a fairly accurate and cleverly modernized portrayal of “Pride and Prejudice” in the 21st Century. I loved how Meredith (Mary Bennet) is a die-hard environmentalist and Drew Collins (Mr. Collins) is the hotel manager protégé of the esteemed Katrina de Burgh (Lady Catherine) of De Burgh Hotels. Some characters I felt miss the mark a little though; Lizzie, who usually is portrayed as outspoken and impudent, seemed to continuously attack James Darcy over the same argument and not let it rest. I thought she was a little too belligerent and that she seemed to have lost her light-hearted and teasing manner. The character of Katrina de Burgh was a little off too; at first she seemed to be promoting a relationship between Lizzie and James, and then her confrontation with Lizzie at the end of the book was very weak and a little disappointing.

My other small complaint is that the book seemed to start leisurely and slow paced in Part One, yet Part Two (which is significantly shorter) was wrapped up rather quickly and not as fleshed out as the beginning. In addition, I wish that James Darcy and the romantic parts of the book could have received more page time, but I noticed the author trying to stress the theme of family more than the theme of love.

Overall, I thought “Love, Lies, and Lizzie” an entertaining and delightful read. These books are very suitable for introducing Jane Austen to a younger audience, but that doesn't mean they can't be enjoyed by adults!

Austenesque Review

[Ceri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a modern version of Pride and Prejudice for young adult readers. Lizzy's family has some into some money and moved to a posh estate where they meet the Bingley family, which includes Bingley parents in this version. Unlike many modern versions this one is not just inspired by P&P but quite closely follows the story. There are some differences of course, for example the Mr Collins character is Mr Bennet's godson rather than the heir to his estate but in essentials it's not far off. The characters also have some differences, Jane is not quite as super-nice, I felt Lizzy was a bit less likeable than in P&P, a little bit bitchy. The Charlotte character, Emily, is man mad. The Bennets are showns as a family that care for each other, which is nice Our hero, James Darcy, is quite a snob but his interference in the Jane/Bingley split is completely understandable here.

On the downside, I felt that the latter half of this book (it's written as book one, book two) was really rushed compared to the first half. The Bingleys leaving the area was about 70% through whereas in P&P I think it's more like a third of the way through. So the bits where she begins to change her mind about her opinion of him are almost skimmed over which makes the book much less of a romance. Also, Lizzy is very young, probably 18 when the story begins and I think it would have worked better if she'd been a few years older. Plus the texts, things like l8r haven't aged well since the book was written, and they already seem a bit dated.

On the upside, I thought that this would prove a nice enough introduction to P&P. There is no sex and I can't recall any bad language either so would be suitable for anyone to read. Can't give half marks but I would rate this as a 7/10.

[Urszula · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was simply another version of Pride & Prejudice. The original was perfect so why try change something that is already good? The author tried very hard to bring the story into the 21st century by using "cool" language, that she thought was used by the youth of today. She failed miserably. What she has accomplished was to make each character look unintelligent and down right stupid. She even managed that with Elizabeth B. and Mr Darcy.

The dialogue/language used by the Bingleys and Darcys was awful. And these were people who finished posh private schools and went to exclusive universities... I think everyone else speaks better than them.

Why did I bother to read this book until the end? Only because I wanted to see what crazy ideas the author will throw into this book, all of which by the way did not make this book any better.

So the moral to this experiment is - don't try to change something that is perfect already, something that has stood the test of time, and is still very enjoyable to read 100 years later. You don't have to have a major in English Literature to enjoy the original book. The language is beautiful and the characters vey real.

So the conclusion is that the author was trying to jump on the J.A. wagon to make some quick money. I say - it is great that we have libraries :-)and this book didn't cost me anything.

[Brigitte · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased this book, thinking it might be a cute re-telling of Jane Austen's P&P. While the character names were similar, personalities were exaggerated and over the top. Even though the story (what there is of it) is cute, it is incredibly poorly written. The dialogue is very sophmoric, as though the writer is trying to use every entry in her tag phrase list ("he said...check. she said....check. she grimaced....check. he grinned ....check., etc). Much of the writing sounds as though the writer was trying to write phrases she thought young people would say. Instead these conversations come out sounding incredibly stilted and ridiculous, as they sound completely unnatural. Many of the conversations become heated and then lighten up for virtually no reason. The true Jane Austen fan among us may feel this title is a must read, but I think it's best to wait to check it out of the local library.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was not sure. I feel it has not given any justice to the original and seemed to find myself constantly trying to compare the scenes in this novel to the original.
I have also read Pride and Prejudice Vs Zombies which I found does not butcher the story as much as this novel does.

Though I must admit when I cast aside it is meant to be a 21st Century remake of Pride and Prejudice, I did enjoy the story. It was an easy read and I rather enjoyed the events that occurred.
I did find Emily Lucas is more annoying than her character is in the original. I also found Elizabeth more naïve in this novel than the original which was a bit irritating.

Nevertheless, as a stand alone novel it was a nice story, though I did not find myself swooning for Mr. Darcy in the end as I usually would have been in other re-makes and the original.

[Phong Nhược · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yêu lầm giận vội
Tên gốc: Love, lies, Lizzie
Tác giả: Rosie Rushton
Series Jane Austen thế kỉ XXI (3 cuốn)
Dựa trên: Kiêu hãnh và Định kiến
Rate: 3/5

Ngồi đọc chỉ có một mong muốn duy nhất là ước sao trẻ lại chục tuổi. Không phải vì truyện ngọt ngào hường phấn quá khiến tâm hồn thiếu nữ trong tôi rục rịch sống dậy, mà là nếu đọc ở mười năm trước có khi tôi sẽ thích. Còn bây giờ á? Không. Trời ơi, không.

Nhớ khi trước mua cái series này chỉ bởi vì quá lười để đọc mấy cuốn kinh điển dày cộp của Jane Austen, nên muốn kiếm mấy thứ có thể dễ vào hơn một tí đọc thay, mà bọn nó (mấy cuốn này ý) còn mỏng nữa, thế là mua. Mà nào ngờ mua về cũng lười như cũ. Vừa lục lại để coi cuốn đầu tiên đọc là đọc khi nào thì mới thấy tình cờ ghê, cùng đọc vào tháng Mười Một, nhưng là ba năm trước. Lạy chúa. Tôi nghĩ tôi sẽ đọc nốt cuốn cuối trong tối nay thôi chứ không lại để ba năm nữa thì lúc ấy viết review không biết lại chê thành cái thảm rách tả tơi nào rồi.

Nếu như Bí mật mùa Hè (dựa trên Northanger Abbey) ít nhất còn cho tôi hào hứng ở chỗ tạo dựng được một không gian nắng gió vùng Địa Trung Hải cùng với mấy thứ kiến trúc trắng xanh nổi bật thì Yêu lầm giận vội lại chả có cái gì hết. Những buổi tiệc thượng lưu, sự sang trọng và quý phái, tôi chẳng tưởng tượng ra được cái gì cả. Nhắc mới nhớ qua hai cuốn đã đọc thì Rosie Rushton có vẻ nặng tình với nghệ thuật cổ điển nhỉ? Hay là do vốn dĩ cổ điển châu Âu thì luôn luôn gắn với nghệ thuật nữa? Với Bí mật mùa Hè là kiến trúc và hội họa, với Yêu lầm giận vội thì là âm nhạc. Dù phần nghệ thuật làm không tới đâu, chỉ là gần như được nhắc đến cho có không khí cổ điển mà thôi. Không biết trong bản gốc có miêu tả mấy thứ nghệ thuật này không, có đề cập sâu hơn không? Nếu có có khi tôi sẽ mò đi đọc thật đấy.

Hy vọng trong Giấc mơ táo bạo sẽ được đọc một thứ gì khác hơn vài ba thứ tình cảm lắt léo của các nàng teen teen, còn phần nghệ thuật sâu hơn một tí thôi và cô nữ chính khá khẩm một chút là tôi đã mừng lắm rồi, không hiểu sao Elizabeth Bennet được khen là một trong những nhân vật lôi cuốn nhất nền văn học Anh mà trong truyện này Lizzie phiên bản mười tám tuổi cứ như một nàng teen chảnh chọe và khô khan lúc nào cũng chực xổ ra mấy lời vô duyên dưới cái mác thẳng thắn đến lạ?

Tôi vẫn nghĩ là nhất định phải đọc cho xong trong tối nay không thì không biết đến bao giờ mới kết thúc được mất. May mấy cuốn này văn phong cứ gọi là đọc vèo vèo. Chấm 6 điểm vì văn nó đọc dễ vào thôi đấy. Dù vẫn có sạn nhưng thôi bỏ qua.

T11/2018
Ủa mà b��� này IPM xuất bản này. =))))))

[booksventura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adalah keluarga Bennet yang mendadak jadi orang kaya. Mrs.Bennet memutuskan membeli properti tua berkelas dan pindah ke lingkungan baru. Otomatis Bennet bersaudari pun harus menyesuaikan diri bergaul dengan strata sosial yg lebih tinggi.

Namun Lizzie tidak sependapat. Meski adik kembarnya Lydia dan Katie selalu berteriak kegirangan saat melihat cowo tampan mapan, Lizzie sibuk dengan kecintaannya terhadap musik. Sikap acuh Lizzie, menarik perhatian James Darcy. Bangsawan muda itu kerap dihantui bayang-bayang Lizzie yang membuatnya bertekuk lutut. Lantas bagaimana kisah mereka selanjutnya?

Yap, alur novel ini persis seperti P&P karya Jane Austen. Karakter Lizzie pun sama vokalnya dengan Elizabeth Bennet. Yang menjadikan lebih berwarna, justru datang dari tokoh James Darcy. Part pemuda ini cukup banyak, terutama kepiawaanya dalam melontarkan dialog singkat namun satir. Saya betul-betul terhibur saat membaca adu mulut mereka, mengingat Mr.Darcy aslinya tak banyak bicara seperti versi retellingnya.

Selain soal karakter, ada 3 hal yang menjadi perhatian saya setiap membaca modern retelling P&P. Soal konflik Jane dgn Bingley, soal surat pengakuan Darcy, soal kasus Lydia. Menariknya, ketiga hal ini dirancang sangat baik oleh Author. Terutama soal kasus kaburnya Lydia dengan reason yang tak biasa yang lalu menjadi kejutan menuju klimaks.

Jika diperhatikan, novel ini tak hanya melulu berisi hura-hura masyarakat kelas atas. Ada isu-isu sensitif yang turut disinggung. Seperti pergaulan bebas, predator, kebiasaan minum, hingga narkoba. Namun ada pula topik bernada positif yang sengaja diletakkan pada penghujung cerita untuk memberi kesan penutup manis sempurna. Semuanya menjadikan buku ini terasa lebih kaya dari hanya sekedar kisah retelling romansa belaka.

[M.L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The was pure slaughter of the premise that it was based on pride and prejudice. It's like take a perfectly good book and murder it, execution style. The writing was pile of vomit. It's like take the original story and adding words like Myspace, and cell phone.
If this book was suppose to be a twenty-first century book, then why the hell are all of them talking like they're in the 1800.
In addition to lack of creativity it seemed like the author walked around with a thesaurus and searched up every word, picked out the most "intellectual sounding ones" and used it. Which killed the analogue.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book. Rosie Rushton did an amazing job of transitioning a classic into a modern tale that people can relate to. It's rare for me to find a book I can't put down and I and Love, Lies and Lizzie is an excellent example.

[Lynx · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nic odkrywczego. Książka dobra na nudną przerwę w szkole lub wolną lekcję. Wielbiciele "Dumy i uprzedzenia" mogą zajrzeć jedynie z ciekawości, a pozycja spodoba się bardziej nastolatkom niezaznajomionym z pierwowzorem

[Lottie]

It’s called regressing to your teenage state, look it up?

I watched pride and prejudice at the cinema on Sunday and now I’m fully obsessed but want to save a reread for a special occasion so thought why not return to the shitty YA retelling that got me into Jane Austen in the first place

[L · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love Pride and Prejudice? Then do not waste your time reading this.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 bardzo przyjemny retelling Dumy i uprzedzenia. Zachowuje bohaterów i przesłanie powieści Austen, ale uwzględnia też problemy współczesnego młodego pokolenia.

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally read this book as a 9 year old, and if I were rating it as one, it would be 5 stars.

However, I am no longer 9. And I no longer adore this book.

As a young child, I thought this was the peak of romance and sophistication yeah, I was clearly insane , and all I could think of for literal years was how much I wanted to be Lizzie in this book. That may admittedly have had more to do with me sharing her name though.

So when I finally read the original Pride & Prejudice last year, I thought I should re-read this book to reminisce, and see how accurate it was. Where do I begin.

This book feels like each character has been made into a caricature of their original selves, and a similar thing happened to the plot. I appreciate that that was likely the aim, and if so that did succeed, but the plot was shortened in such a way that Lizzie did not have enough character development for the story to work, at least in my opinion.

I've been a bit harsher than normal, but I was really sad when I re-read it, and didn't love it as much as I had previously. Its not actually too bad. Sure, it's cheesy, but its meant to be cheesy, and it does work as a lighthearted romance novel.

Honestly, if you're a pre-teen, go for it. Enjoy the story. But if you've read the original, your outrage at the take on the characters is quite likely to dwarf any enjoyment you could have gotten from it.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so I gave it 2 stars because the plot (being written by the great Austen) is not as crap as most YA romance books. I was inclined to give it one star for originality but I figured, as pointless as it was it was a better read than tens of thousands of the genre.

My main difficulty with the book was "why would you bother?". I mean Jane Austen has already written the exact same plot and done it a whole lot better with a better command of language, characters that work better in their original setting and are therefore ironically more relatable than the modernized version and was actually saying something. LLL to me was just a lazy person's way of writing a romance novel (meanwhile the reinterpretation of Austen as "romance" while popular I think misses the whole point).

I recommend you just read the actual Pride and Prejudice (some of the language is old but you don't need a uni degree to understand and enjoy it) and leave this one. But hey, I guess if you are the sort of person who thinks adding chips and a softdrink to a burger turn it into a "meal" then you might devour this one with some pleasure.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is definitely not the kind of book I would ever pick up. The only reason I read it was because it was a modernised version of Pride and Prejudice. I like retellings. I did not like this book.
In this story, Lizzie is 18. (*coughcough* Elizabeth was 20 in P&P *coughcough*) She has formerly had a boyfriend. (seriously?) Jane has also had a boyfriend before she meets Bingley (in this version, called Charlie).
There was unnecessary changes in this story. The ending was nothing like the ending of P&P. For goodness' sake, she said Mr Darcy's first name was James and his sisters' Jenna??!? (I did spot the fact that "James"' middle name was Fitzwilliam, but that didn't fix the issue for me. Also, why change Georgiana's name?)
Apart from the fact that the storyline was not on point, the writing wasn't great either.
None of the characters had an original way was speaking, they all used the same figures of speech which made them sound unintellectual.
Major parts of the story were underwritten, others were completely left out, making the book feel as though it didn't have much depth.

Only good quote from the book: "Now if you excuse me, I have to go. I have people to avoid."

[Kerenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book mainly follows the book outline of Pride and Prejudice and who will end up with who is also the same. Also many of the character where the same, but sme had more modernised names, like Kitty or Catherine her names had been changed to Katie.I read this book after reading 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austin and I really liked both books.

I felt this book had few fults, my problems were that although Lydia and Mr Wickham get togther in the book but they don't this is book. Maybe it is for the better as Mr Wickham is very nice. Also I felt that James Darcy could of ben a bit more snobbish before falling for Lizzie and Lizzie falling for him.

I really liked the how the names and setting had been changed to fit modern purpose and how Rosie Rushton kept to the plot of the original Jane Austin book so well.

Overall I thought it was a really good and has encourged me to read more Jane Austin and more of her books.

[Eeruj · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was quite good. It wasn't exactly the same retelling of the original book In mordern English but still the story was somewhat different as it had a modern storyline but it still resembled features to the original novel so In the end it kind of gave the same moral or the result. I actially enjoyed reading the book because Lizzie had to overcome the same kind of issues but obviously in a different time/generation and she handled it quite well. Rushton retold the story in a way that appeals more to teenagers so it's more easier for them to relate to,so they also get roughly happened in the original novel so they don't miss out on one of the greatest books written in that time.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like Pride and Prejudice has been done so many times that it can be difficult for any to stand out from the crowd. Rushton certainly did well here and I actually found myself being entertained, eventhough I am bored of the original story by now.

My one gripe with this story is, and it is pretty small, is the email. I get that we are supposed to be reading from Darcy's perspective, but no one would ever write "Oh god, should I write this? ok, here we go..." in an email. Like I said, a small gripe but I wanted to mention it.

If you want a retelling of Pride And Prejudice that doesn't completely follow the crowd like a lot of the others, certainly try this.

[Suzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is transplanted to modern times. I just love getting other takes on how the story would have progressed if it had happened in a later century. I liked that they made Kitty and Lydia twins in this one though I normally don't normally like too much of the family dynamics changed but I can see how her cousin had to become her father's godson if that element of the pride and prejudice plot was going to work in modern times as it would be unacceptable to have a relationship with your cousin. It was a good transplant of the Bingleys and Darcy's though, and of George Wickham.
All in all a pretty decent retelling of Pride and Prejudice!

[Namratha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jane Austen’s much adored *Pride and Prejudice* gets yet another 21st century adaptation and does a fair job of it. Rereading books after considerable time-gaps makes you realize how your perceptions change over the years. While I gushed over this book back in 2016, I was a tad uncomfortable with certain aspects of contemporary Lizzie’s condescending personality (especially towards her best friend and the latter’s low self-esteem issues). But setting that aside, the dry British humor and witty exchanges coast this book along at an engaging pace.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well obviously you can't even begin to compare it to the fantastic Jane Austen, who's dialogue was just out of this world! But as a book in its own right it's very good. Very telling I thought about modern society, and how uncivilised really we are compared to back in Georgian times. Lack of integrity or decorum is the phrase maybe. And the slight twists in storyline to keep it up to date were very clever. Would have given it 5 stars if it hadn't been for the fact that Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favourites that nothing can ever compare to!!

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pride and Prejudice works so very well when updated. Not the best adaptation I have read. But certainly the best of Rosie Rushton's Jane Austen series. James and Lizzie were great characters and it was (as always) interesting to see how Lydia's story would play out.
I did find that in some places it was more a rewrite (as in the same sentences rephrased) but overall this was not a bad read.