Judge all you want

As I've mentioned before, it's hard to write a decent adaptation.

Lizzie Bennet is a scholarship student at the prestigious Longbourn Academy, and no one there wants her to forget it. She has to deal with snobs like Caroline Bingley and clueless guys like Colin Williams, not to mention general hazing from the uppercrust students. When her friend Jane starts dating Caroline's twin, the sweet-hearted Charles, Lizzie finds herself hanging out with Caroline and Charles's friend, the standoffish and rude Will Darcy. The two immediately are at odds with one another - Lizzie thinks Will looks down on her like nearly everyone else, and he continuously keeps putting his foot in his mouth, and that doesn't help. Lizzie finds a welcome distraction in the form of Wick, a rebellious ex-student who seems to look down on the superficiality of class. Unfortunately, that isn't enough to deflect Colin's awkward flirting, Caroline's sneers, or freshman Lydia's ability to embarrass sister Jane. It's even worse now that prom is coming up and all of Longbourn is obsessed with snagging dates, while Lizzie needs to prepare for her huge piano recital. But when an enlightening revelation about Will comes her way, Lizzie has some serious thinking do to about first impressions and her own stubbornness.

This book is, of course, based on the classic Pride & Prejudice, with which I am more than somewhat familiar. As a YA novel, it's frothy and cute, but also pretty cut-and-dry. The setting of upper-class academies in Manhattan is a nice touch, and the theme of class and "connections" gets a new spin. And it does away with subplots that would not be a great fit for a modern high school setting. But the characters and especially the plot are rather mercenary in execution: there's not much else to them beyond their functions. Lizzie has a nice little epiphany near the end that's different from the source material, but it's not entirely earned. Will actually makes more of an impression, and I found myself wanting to read the story from his point of view. The other characters have much less to them and aren't worth discussing. Eulberg had plenty of opportunities to expand on, say, Lizzie's relationship with Jane and fellow scholarship student Charlotte, or how Lizzie seeks solace in her hometown friends (none of which garner even a name). The author could have chosen to differentiate her version of P&P in many ways, but for some reason - time, publishing restraints - only kept to the basics to ensure a 227 page count.

Even so, it's far from the worst Austen adaptation I've read. If you're looking to escape for an afternoon and want to keep it simple, this is a good choice. Rating: 3 bratty younger sisters out of 5.

If you are looking for a good P&P adaptation, you only need to click here.