Prom and prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

Prom and prejudice is a contemporary take on the classic Jane Austen  romance.

 

The updated story is clever, funny and a real pageturner. The action takes place at, you guessed it, Longbourn. But this time Longbourn is a private girls’ school in New York.  Scholarship student Lizzie Bennet and sweet Jane Netherfield have lately met a certain Charles Bingley and his friend Will Darcy, students at the neighbouring elite Pemberley Academy.

The focus of much of the story is the upcoming school prom and will Jane be asked to go by Charles Bingley? Jane’s younger sister Lydia is a totally modern reinvention of the original, but with the added aid of YouTube to record some of her more embarrassing moments.

As per Pride and prejudice, Lizzie and Darcy come to verbal blows over money and position in society while teen Caroline Bingley is quite as vile as the original. Once again, Lydia brings the family name into disrepute with George Wickham (it appears that getting drunk is the worst of it) and yes, it’s Darcy to the rescue again, but this time he couldn’t do without Lizzie’s assistance.

Although advertised to be a romance and yes, the story is generally a love story with a happy ending, there is much more to Prom and prejudice than just romance. Lizzie is a talented pianist and performs a challenging piece,  Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini at the spring recital. She is a hard working and likeable student who, unlike the original Lizzie Bennet, has the opportunity to remain financially independent in the future. There is much to discuss for the reader as the decidedly strong, independent females characters who feature in Prom and prejudice are the authors of their own future, unlike the original story where young ladies had to rely on husbands, fathers or brothers for survival.

Prom and prejudice has a number of themes including bullying, superficial social lives, consumerism, prejudices, wealth, the GFC and of course, friendship and love.

This is a charming version of the classic and popular love story. Elizabeth Bennet, Will Darcy and Jane Netherfield are well drawn and strong characters and the way the author has reinterpreted the characters, circumstances, events and setting of Pride and prejudice is quite inspired.

An appealing book for girls aged 12+, I wouldn’t be surprised if once finished Prom and prejudice, they seek out Austen’s Pride and prejudice.

 

2 Thoughts on “Prom and prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

  1. I really enjoyed Elizabeths other book The Lonely Hearts Club, I am really intrigued by this story. Thanks for the review 😀

  2. It made the whole story seem forced and nothing about these high schoolers who spoke like aristocrats made the modern day setting work. Jane Austens purpose in writing her novels was not merely to tell a story. In fact the story was merely a vehicle to examine critically the mores and customs of the society of her times.

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