By the Book, book review

By the Book by Julia Sonneborn
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Too many people are under the impression that the lack of sex in Austen novels needs to be amended. "Strong women need more sex than the weaklings of the early 19th century." Do we not wonder if part of what makes our culture so much more abhorrent and less authentic might have something to do with strength of character rather than thinking that sex is simply a more complicated version of a handshake?

(view spoiler)[I'm annoyed that a contemporary novel needs to update a strong woman character like Anne to be so weak as to give into someone like Rick in a much more meaningful way than Anne did for Mr. Elliot in the original text. It matters when people jump in bed together. It's a whole new action and that's not to be discounted as the musings of a prude. Anne had stronger character than that and, as read in the Persuasion original, she noted his opacity.

Oy.

Overall, this book eventually made it all about the guy she was going end up with, sans the strong female character and inherent growth. Boo. (hide spoiler)]

I realize that I'm comparing a contemporary book to one of high literary note, but this is really more a commentary on how this book does nothing for our culture, yet it presumes to emulate one that did.

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