Such beautiful, wonderful trash. 
 Since all of Austen's work have essentially been canonized, it is easy to forget that she essentially wrote satire. Sittenfeld reminds us of her intentions in this contemporary reinterpretation. We never forget that the Bennets' problems are very much first-world problems. They are in no immediate danger of any sort; it just feels as if their worlds are ending. As a result, the characters in Eligible are very much caricaturized (is that a word), but that is how they were intended to be. 
 I think that one of the best things that Sittenfeld did in this story was eliminate some of the convenient connections from the original Pride and Prejudice . While we do often find random connections with would-be strangers, we are definitely living in a larger world than the original. This break from the original gives more room for these characters to breathe on their own. 
 At one point, Darcy tells Liz that she could work for Cincinnati's office of tourism. In fact, said office of tourism should stock copies of this book. It has been a long time since I have read a book so place specific. You really could not replace Skyline Chili with any other local chain, and my roommate, who went to University of Cincinnati, remarked that Liz and Jane's running route was the same one she did throughout law school. It is refreshing to hear so much about an oftentimes unromanticized city. 
 The only thing I found somewhat strange was the tendency to occasionally deviate from the story for an extended period of time with no clear purpose. While I will not forget the story of the Bennets driving to the West Coast and Liz vomiting an Egg McMuffin, it affected the plot in no way whatsoever nor did it provide any insight on character motivations. At the same time, some of those awkward transgressions (such as Liz and Jasper's bedroom troubles) were hilariously on point. 
 A ridiculous but fun read that can be done in a few short sittings.