DainyBernstein reviewed Epic fail by Claire Scovell LaZebnik
Review of 'Epic fail' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Full review on Reader's Dialogue: readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2011/10/epic-fail.html
I love this book! I'd never read adaptations of Pride and Prejudice before, and seeing the story in a modern setting was really great! The story elements are all there, which made reading this sort of like a treasure hunt, waiting and watching for each plot turn to show up.
On its own, even without Jane Austen, this is still an amazing book. Claire's style is so effortless, and just sweeps you up into the twists and turns of the various relationships. Each character is so real, so rounded, and everything they do makes so much sense in context. And the Hollywood scene is so much fun - especially from the jaded and cynical viewpoints of Derek and Elise!
Derek is a really great character - like Darcy, he's totally unreadable for most of the book, and his hatred for Webster seems …
Full review on Reader's Dialogue: readersdialogue.blogspot.com/2011/10/epic-fail.html
I love this book! I'd never read adaptations of Pride and Prejudice before, and seeing the story in a modern setting was really great! The story elements are all there, which made reading this sort of like a treasure hunt, waiting and watching for each plot turn to show up.
On its own, even without Jane Austen, this is still an amazing book. Claire's style is so effortless, and just sweeps you up into the twists and turns of the various relationships. Each character is so real, so rounded, and everything they do makes so much sense in context. And the Hollywood scene is so much fun - especially from the jaded and cynical viewpoints of Derek and Elise!
Derek is a really great character - like Darcy, he's totally unreadable for most of the book, and his hatred for Webster seems to make no sense, but it all eventually falls into place. I was waiting to see how Claire would handle Derek's sister - obviously she can't have been "compromised" by Webster as Darcy's sister is in Pride and Prejudice, since that doesn't make sense for modern-day Epic Fail - but the way Claire deals with that is brilliant, and fits right into the modern world!
Elise is really fun - not exactly like Elizabeth Bennett, but with the same cynical attitude, fierce loyalty, and misplaced prejudice. I actually found Juliana a slightly more relatable than Jane Bennett, as well as Chase - they're still unbearably (but lovingly unbearably) optimistic and lovey-dovey, but Juliana gets half-mean to sister Layla at one point, and there I felt like cheering!
