Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Vanity and Vexation : A Novel of Pride and Prejudice

Vanity and Vexation : A Novel of Pride and Prejudice
clinozoisite avatar reviewed on + 7 more book reviews


I'm usually someone who finishes a novel within 1-3 days. This book took me almost a month to finish because I kept getting bored and putting it down. There are some entertaining sections, to be sure, but over-all, I'd say this is a 3/5. It was worth reading once, but it won't end up in my permanent collection of Jane Austen pastiches.

For a modern retelling with a twist, this novel misses the mark. People in modern society are unlikely to behave in the way the characters in this book do. I also do not like that the character named Mary was supposed to be the Mr Darcy-esque figure in this book. At least choose a name that ~wasn't used by Jane Austen for one of Lizzy's sisters..


[spoiler alert:]


Mary was unbelievable as a modern, well-traveled, rich woman. I've never met a woman who had 3 conversations and a one night stand with a guy, and then was seriously considering inviting him to move in with her. Much less a woman with a seriously high net worth.
While I'm not super confident in my knowledge of modern British law, I'm pretty sure a teenager cannot just get on a flight to Thailand without parental permission, even if they do have a passport...