***
NOVEL: Pride, prejudice and other flavors
AUTHOR: Developer Sonali
YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2019
REVIEW:
***
Pride and Prejudice gets an Indo-American California makeover here, complete with a gender-swapped version of the classic story. It’s an easy and airy read, rather silly and predictable, but there are times (like these) when readers want the comfort of the familiar with just a little novelty to spice it up.
***
Dr. Trisha Raje is the heroine here, an accomplished neurosurgeon from a wealthy and successful family. She’s brilliant at her life’s work, has a strained relationship with many of her loved ones due to a past incident, is extremely socially awkward, and unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with the caterer her family last hired. his brother’s political campaign. This caterer, DJ Caine, is a brilliant chef, under financial pressure, with a problematic past and with a very sick sister. He despises Trisha and her arrogant and snobbish ways. You can see where this leads.
***
What I rather like about this take on the story is that the often overlooked Wickham plot is front and center here. Pride and Prejudice isn’t just a romance – it’s an examination of a society’s response to sexual predation – and it’s something as relevant today as ever. Sonali Dev does a good job updating the details to maintain that relevance, and it gives the reader some serious food for thought amidst a rather lighthearted story.
***
The characters in this novel, you’ll find, are all a bit exaggerated. They are ridiculously accomplished and extremely dramatic. You may or may not find it boring – it’s all just an unrealistic fantasy, so maybe it works. What I found a bit more problematic was Trisha’s cavalier attitude about medical ethics and patient privacy, but again, that’s not the real world and HIPAA Not Applicable.
***
If you’re looking for some solace while avoiding COVID, or if you’re lucky enough to be on a beach, this novel might be for you.
***
EVALUATION (one to five whistles, five being the best): 3 whistles
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HOW TO BUY : Amazon
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Laura LaVelle is a lawyer and writer who lives in Connecticut, in a century-old house, with her husband, two daughters and two cockatiels.
Laura can be contacted at [email protected]
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Intro Image (from book cover) – HarperCollins
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