Don't let your pride get in the way of your heart
Pride
by Ibi Zoboi
Genre: Contemporary
About: Zuri is proud of her roots. Her neighbourhood is more than a home, it's part of her. But when a wealthy family moves in (tearing down an old building to do so), Zuri knows that change is about to happen. She doesn't want to welcome in the family. Least of all the youngest - a snobby, annoying handsome boy who doesn't get her or her hood one bit.
The Good
This is a retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice so the romance is the most important thing and Zuri and Darius are CUTE. I really liked that Zoboi made this a contemporary in Brooklyn with them as teenagers, that was very smart and fresh feeling. Also, having them both be black with Zuri having grown up in the hood and Darius third generation wealthy made for very interesting cultural differences, not unlike the gap between Lizzie and Darcy.
The character that most suited all the changes was Warren, aka Wickham. It was very believable how Zuri would fall for someone who fitted her neighbourhood so well. He played the role seamlessly and the reveal of what he did to Georgia was a clever refresh for the modern setting.
The Bad
A lot of the key moments of Pride and Prejudice were erased or not executed with the same feeling. I was of course gutted that we didn't get the modern equivalent of Mr Collin's epic proposal, but the thing that really bothered me was that Zuri didn't seem to learn anything by the end of the novel. For example, when Charlotte married Collins it came as a real shock to Lizzie. How someone she was so close to could make a decision so wildly different to her own heart was a big deal, but she learns to accept her friend has different values to her own. When Charlise (Charlotte) hooks up with Colin (Collins) it isn't a significant moment to Zuri at all. She rolls her eyes and moves on. Likewise, discovering what Warren is really like, or Darius admitting his involvement in breaking Janae and Ainsley up aren't the dramatic moments that they were for Lizzie. These events were important because they forced Lizzie to reflect on how she previously viewed (and judged) the world. Afterwards, she realises her faults and this personal development coincides with her changed opinion of Darcy. With Zuri, she expresses strong emotion to these events but they don't alter her worldview and or affect how she views Darius. Her relationship with him happens because of the time she spends with him and how attracted they are to each other. It isn't to do with any personal growth or a result of any miscommunication fixes.
So while I liked Zuri, she was too different to Lizzie Bennet for me. A core part of Lizzie is how she doesn't take things too seriously and sees the ridiculousness in the people around her. Zuri takes things very seriously and there are little to no ridiculous characters in the novel.
Janae is likewise not like her counterpart. She's described as being sweet as honey, but all we really see of her is that she gets hung up on Ainsley within two seconds of being introduced. Zuri has a good dynamic with her sisters overall but there wasn't that same bond between her and Janae as what we get from Lizzie and Jane. Especially as Zuri is so determined to take Janae away from Ainsley, rather than be happy for her sister.
The Somewhat Iffy
Mr and Mrs Bennet were not in love. Lizzie did not grow up idolising her parent's marriage. Turning the Benitez into soulmates was strange in the context of a retelling as the unhappy Bennet marriage was a significant point in Pride and Prejudice.
Zuri loves her neighbourhood and all its noise. She makes several points about how it saddens her to hear Bushwick getting quieter. And yet the moment she steps into Howard she's excited by the fact that it isn't noisy, it isn't cluttered. Sure, she could just be loving that it's a new place and feeling, but it reads as strange when this part of her has been emphasised so much.
Overall
A lot of great changes and a lot of disappointing ones. It tells a good romance, it just doesn't tell the Pride and Prejudice romance that I came in for.
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