Monday, June 20, 2016

VINEGAR GIRL // A Tiny Bookish Recommendation


Rating: Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

I won an ARC of VINEGAR GIRL by Anne Tyler in mid-February, but I haven’t wanted to post my review until closer to the release date. Since June is its release month, I no longer have any excuse to procrastinate. 

Strangely enough, I don’t have a lot to say about this one. It’s not that I didn’t think it was deep or important, just that it was like a nice cup of tea. You quietly appreciate the taste, you finish drinking it, and then you move on to other cups of tea. You don’t necessarily feel the need to explain to everyone just how wonderful that specific cup of tea was and why.  But that doesn't mean you loved the tea any less. (Can you tell I’m drinking tea at the moment? My brain is very confused because the tea is not coffee.) 

The Story. Essentially, VINEGAR GIRL is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. While Anne Tyler keeps a lot of the basic plot points, she also takes a fair amount of poetic license with the story. As evinced by my five-star rating, despite my love for the original, I’m a big fan of the changes she’s made. She’s simplified the story and taken out a measure of the dramatic, leaving it safe and cozy, but by no means boring. The characters are unique, charming, and lovable (except Bunny—I hate Bunny).

The Tone. Overall, the tone is lighter and quieter. Anne Tyler’s Kate is vinegar where Shakespeare’s Katherine is acid. I felt I was more able to relate to Kate, from her lack of romantic ideas to her propensity toward being a well-meaning bad influence on children. She’s not violent or especially bitter like Katherine—she simply has a mind of her own. 

Highlights. VINEGAR GIRL offers important observations on life and feminism, such as the fact that women are often treated as more valuable once they are engaged/married. 

Style. Anne Tyler’s writing style is quirky and refreshingly different from what I ordinarily read. I’ll have to see about stealing borrowing more of her novels from the library. 

In Conclusion. I highly recommend this book, especially for women, feminists, and all other literate humanoids. 


What about you, my little coffee beans? Have you read any Shakespeare retellings? Are you surprised that I didn’t have a lot to say on this one? (Because I am.) Stay tuned because in a month or so I will be reviewing another modern Shakespeare retelling.

8 comments:

  1. Sounds like a new take on a Shakespeare retelling. And no, I haven't read one before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is. :) If you do get around to reading this one, I hope you enjoy it. :)

      Thanks for commenting! :)

      Delete
  2. This sounds really fun. I was a little surprised that you didn't have more to say also. I knew you were really looking forward to reading it from Goodreads.

    It sounds really good! But I probably ought to read the original first, which hopefully will happen this year. I want to read more Shakespeare. His writing is so beautiful and I haven't really read much. Just Othello and some of his sonnets. Good review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was really fun. Part of it might have to do with my brain being tired, but yeah--I was expecting to have quite a lot to say. :P

      I would definitely recommend reading the original first. I made to sure to do that (you could also watch the video with Elizabeth Taylor as Katherine because it follows the play verbatim). His writing is very beautiful. *nods* I haven't read nearly enough of him. Thank you! :)

      Thanks for commenting! :)

      Delete
  3. This book seems cool so I will definitely check it out if it's possible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you like the sound of it. :) I hope you're able to get your hands on a copy.

      Thanks for commenting! :)

      Delete
  4. Huh, this sounds interesting! I'll have to give it a look. It sounds like a very interesting Shakespeare retelling (although I should probably read The Taming of the Shrew before diving into this stuff, eh?)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :) I hope you like it. But yeah, it might be a good idea to read The Taming of the Shrew first (that's what I did, just to be on the safe side).

      Thanks for commenting! :)

      Delete