It’s here! The 2018 A to Z Challenge! Remember my cohorts and I are doing cat-related book reviews. I hope you enjoy them!!
Pride and Prejudice and Kitties
A Cat-Loves Romp through Jane Austen’s Classic
Jane Austen
Pamela Jane
Deborah Guyol
Skyhorse Publishing, 2013
From the back of the book: “What if Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was told from a cat’s point of view? On the heels of smash hits like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and I Can Has Cheezburger?, this hilarious mash-up spins a fresh, quirky take on two things we just can’t get enough of: classic cats and classic Jane.
“Pride and Prejudice and Kitties juxtaposes wacky photos of cats with the wicked humor of Jane Austen. Soulful Mr. Darcy gazes at Elizabeth Bennet in fascination; hysterical Mrs. Bennet yowls that no one understands her; somnolent Mr. Hurst passes out on the sofa after dinner; arrogant Lady Catherine hisses at Elizabeth. Each photo includes a hilarious caption that corresponds with the story.
“Pride and Prejudice and Kitties is a book for cat-lovers, Austen-lovers, and people who love to laugh—in other words, just about everyone.”
I hope my librarian and Jane Austen fan Auntie doesn’t read this review—but I thought the book was just okay. We don’t read many romances around here or even much classic literature. So, it was with difficulty I finished the book. I’ve never read Jane Austen before or even seen one of the many film & television adaptations of her books (to the horror of my Auntie and Granmama). But mom saw it on the shelf at the library and it had a cat on the cover and was about kitties, she said ‘why not?’. You should have left it on the shelf, mom.
What was wrong with it, you ask? For a cat who doesn’t like to read books about females whose sole intent in life is to get that tom and marry him, this book was torture. I was struggling and got really confused by all the goings on (does he love me?, does he hate me?, blah, blah, blah) and had to stop midway through, have mom pop the DVD in (which she’s had for several years and hadn’t even removed the blister wrap), so I could figure out the story. After the movie, I sailed on to the end, grateful it was done.
Whether or not the book is faithful to the original I cannot speak to and I won’t be finding out anytime soon. My final verdict? If you love romance, Jane Austen, and cats, this is the book for you. If you love cats but not romance or silly girl kitties fighting over eligible toms in the neighborhood, avoid the book at all costs. Also, some readers may find all the cat-memes funny; but I didn’t guffaw at them, just mildly chuckled. I guess my humor leans in another direction.
Rating: 3 out of 5 paws because I’m just not into Jane Austen (sorry Auntie!).
Reviewer: BobbieSue
Toby In Charge 