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Hogarth Shakespeare
Vinegar Girl
Pulitzer Prize winner and American master Anne Tyler brings us an inspired, witty and irresistible contemporary take on one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies.
Kate Battista feels stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and uppity, pretty younger sister Bunny? Plus, she’s always in trouble at work – her pre-school charges adore her, but their parents don’t always appreciate her unusual opinions and forthright manner.
Dr. Battista has other problems. After years out in the academic wilderness, he is on the verge of a breakthrough. His research could help millions. There’s only one problem: his brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. And without Pyotr, all would be lost.
When Dr. Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he’s relying – as usual – on Kate to help him. Kate is furious: this time he’s really asking too much. But will she be able to resist the two men’s touchingly ludicrous campaign to bring her around?
Kate Battista feels stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and uppity, pretty younger sister Bunny? Plus, she’s always in trouble at work – her pre-school charges adore her, but their parents don’t always appreciate her unusual opinions and forthright manner.
Dr. Battista has other problems. After years out in the academic wilderness, he is on the verge of a breakthrough. His research could help millions. There’s only one problem: his brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. And without Pyotr, all would be lost.
When Dr. Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he’s relying – as usual – on Kate to help him. Kate is furious: this time he’s really asking too much. But will she be able to resist the two men’s touchingly ludicrous campaign to bring her around?
237 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2016
About the author
Anne Tyler
98 books7,497 followersAnne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated at nineteen from Duke University and went on to do graduate work in Russian studies at Columbia University. She has published 20 novels, her debut novel being
If Morning Ever Comes
in (1964). Her eleventh novel,
Breathing Lessons
, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,370 reviews
June 18, 2016
3+ stars. The problem with Vinegar Girl is that it was written by Anne Tyler. This means that my expectations were really high because Tyler is such a lovely nuanced writer of contemporary American middle class family life. The other problem with Vinegar Girl is that it is part of a project to render contemporary versions of Shakespeare's plays, and this story is based on The Taming of the Shrew. And, really, how do you credibly construct a work of contemporary American fiction around the story of a father who seeks to marry off his contrarian daughter to a man who seeks to tame her? Final verdict? It's a quick read. It has some fun parts. It felt like a comedy of manners -- clever but not deep. Not Ann Tyler at her best. But still better than what most authors could have managed with this storyline. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
March 14, 2016
Wow...
Ever notice a common theme in 'back-to-back' books you've read?
Then wonder if there is a reason these books are in your space at the moment?
I had recently read "Stolen Innocence", by Elissa Wall, a memoir, about her growing years as a member of the Utah's FLDS polygamist sect...becoming a teenage bride against her desires---the story about how she broke free. Elissa became known for her captivating testimony in the courtroom which helped send a man practicing abusive behavior to prison.
"Vinegar Girl", ...a modern retelling of "Taming of The Shrew", asks Kate, a bright, educated, independent, female...,will she immolate herself for a man?
This is a light-hearted enjoyable tale--
but I thought about both of these women: Elissa and Kate ... (things they had in common and things they didn't). Ann Tyler's fast easy reading novel 'allows' for modern complex thought ...if you take the time to do so....
This novel, was the perfect vehicle for an 'honest' inquiry into an old question....as well as a lovely love story--(it's sweet... and a FEEL GOOD tale).....
Adding more thought:
Since this novel was an inspiration for further thinking to me ...( connecting themes I've been visiting lately) :
I'm watching "The People vs. O. J Simpson TV series right now,and seeing how a modern woman - Marcia Clark cut her hair ....(to please the world of men & women...willing to 'obey' the mainstream popular unspoken rules), only to discover she was still being criticize for how she looked - dressed - and fixed her hair, after changing her style anyway.
A close friend on Goodreads is part of the Chabad community. She, her husband and children observe the Chabad movement. There are specific daily prayers.....outreach humanitarian aid, ( mitzvos), as well as religious, cultural and educational activities at Chabad-run community centers, synagogues, schools, camps, and soup kitchens.
Very bright, College educated modern women choose to marry a Chabadnik...
Does that mean she has sacrificed herself to her man? Is she considered a second-class citizen? Or...is it possible the choice she made was a rich inner spiritual fit to the service she wants to contribute in the world .., and feels proud to be part of a family tribe which supports advancing Jewish values towards worldly ethical problems?
Ann Tyler's storytelling is 'shrewd' ... light, sweet, lovable..,(engaging characters and plot)...but maybe we can't be so sure that our Descriptions of The Modern Woman Today ...is the same for everyone.
Ever notice a common theme in 'back-to-back' books you've read?
Then wonder if there is a reason these books are in your space at the moment?
I had recently read "Stolen Innocence", by Elissa Wall, a memoir, about her growing years as a member of the Utah's FLDS polygamist sect...becoming a teenage bride against her desires---the story about how she broke free. Elissa became known for her captivating testimony in the courtroom which helped send a man practicing abusive behavior to prison.
"Vinegar Girl", ...a modern retelling of "Taming of The Shrew", asks Kate, a bright, educated, independent, female...,will she immolate herself for a man?
This is a light-hearted enjoyable tale--
but I thought about both of these women: Elissa and Kate ... (things they had in common and things they didn't). Ann Tyler's fast easy reading novel 'allows' for modern complex thought ...if you take the time to do so....
This novel, was the perfect vehicle for an 'honest' inquiry into an old question....as well as a lovely love story--(it's sweet... and a FEEL GOOD tale).....
Adding more thought:
Since this novel was an inspiration for further thinking to me ...( connecting themes I've been visiting lately) :
I'm watching "The People vs. O. J Simpson TV series right now,and seeing how a modern woman - Marcia Clark cut her hair ....(to please the world of men & women...willing to 'obey' the mainstream popular unspoken rules), only to discover she was still being criticize for how she looked - dressed - and fixed her hair, after changing her style anyway.
A close friend on Goodreads is part of the Chabad community. She, her husband and children observe the Chabad movement. There are specific daily prayers.....outreach humanitarian aid, ( mitzvos), as well as religious, cultural and educational activities at Chabad-run community centers, synagogues, schools, camps, and soup kitchens.
Very bright, College educated modern women choose to marry a Chabadnik...
Does that mean she has sacrificed herself to her man? Is she considered a second-class citizen? Or...is it possible the choice she made was a rich inner spiritual fit to the service she wants to contribute in the world .., and feels proud to be part of a family tribe which supports advancing Jewish values towards worldly ethical problems?
Ann Tyler's storytelling is 'shrewd' ... light, sweet, lovable..,(engaging characters and plot)...but maybe we can't be so sure that our Descriptions of The Modern Woman Today ...is the same for everyone.
July 3, 2016
This is the first Anne Tyler book that I have read and a little way in I was thinking that this novel is not for me. However, I persisted and almost without me being aware of it, I was being charmed and drawn into the story. Kate runs the family household, and looks after her absent minded scientist father, Dr Battista, and her volatile younger sister, Bunny.
Kate is taken for granted and has put her life on hold for her family. She is taken aback and furious when her father suggests that she marries his indispensable assistant, Pyotr, to prevent him being deported. Despite her efforts to resist the scheme, before she knows it, Kate finds herself agreeing to it. Her heart slowly starts to open to the abrupt and eccentric Pyotr, as she becomes more aware of his personal history, who he is and what makes him tick. Pyotr is clearly bowled over by Kate and touchingly engages in random acts that makes this transparent to her.
Their offbeat wedding day turns out to be action packed with Pyotr turning up late to the ceremony and missing mice. With the wedding banquet, Pyotr makes his acquaintance with the Battista family and the warmth of family enfolds him. With the exception of the minor tantrums of Bunny, Kate and Pyotr find themselves tied to each other happily. This lighthearted story is a take on the Taming of the Shrew, and proves to be a beguiling novel. It is full of wit, eccentricity and gentle comedy. Highly recommended. Thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.
Kate is taken for granted and has put her life on hold for her family. She is taken aback and furious when her father suggests that she marries his indispensable assistant, Pyotr, to prevent him being deported. Despite her efforts to resist the scheme, before she knows it, Kate finds herself agreeing to it. Her heart slowly starts to open to the abrupt and eccentric Pyotr, as she becomes more aware of his personal history, who he is and what makes him tick. Pyotr is clearly bowled over by Kate and touchingly engages in random acts that makes this transparent to her.
Their offbeat wedding day turns out to be action packed with Pyotr turning up late to the ceremony and missing mice. With the wedding banquet, Pyotr makes his acquaintance with the Battista family and the warmth of family enfolds him. With the exception of the minor tantrums of Bunny, Kate and Pyotr find themselves tied to each other happily. This lighthearted story is a take on the Taming of the Shrew, and proves to be a beguiling novel. It is full of wit, eccentricity and gentle comedy. Highly recommended. Thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.
August 19, 2016
I admit that I've never read The Taming of the Shrew. I couldn't even make it all the way through the Wikipedia synopsis before I had to give up in confusion--all those Shakespearean concealed identities may work on the stage, but not in summary. So perhaps I'm not the best person to review this book; there are probably callbacks to the play that I'm completely missing. On the other hand, I firmly believe that these novelistic "reimaginings" should work as novels all on their own. You may get more out of Bridget Jones's Diary, for instance, when you know that it's based on Pride and Prejudice, but it's still a fully realized comic novel all on its own. Vinegar Girl, on the other hand... isn't. Caution: unfocused ranting ahead!
One of my Goodreads friends has already received a comment on her review to the effect that this book should be "enjoyed for what it is!!!!!" So I want to make one thing clear: I understand the concept of light entertainment. I do not expect every book I read to be deeply significant to my life. I do expect, however, that any book I read be free of cartoonish characters, unexamined retro attitudes, and completely implausible situations. Vinegar Girl fails on all of these counts. In an interview, Anne Tyler herself called this book "a meringue," and I can't help but read that to mean "I totally half-assed this!", because it seems like that's what she did. (Either that, or she's just too advanced in years to be writing about today's young people--and I mean that matter-of-factly, not in a pejorative way.) I can only imagine the Hogarth Press people's reaction when she delivered this manuscript. This is nothing like any other Anne Tyler book out there. It's nothing like any other book I can think of. And I mean that in a bad way.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway here on Goodreads.
One of my Goodreads friends has already received a comment on her review to the effect that this book should be "enjoyed for what it is!!!!!" So I want to make one thing clear: I understand the concept of light entertainment. I do not expect every book I read to be deeply significant to my life. I do expect, however, that any book I read be free of cartoonish characters, unexamined retro attitudes, and completely implausible situations. Vinegar Girl fails on all of these counts. In an interview, Anne Tyler herself called this book "a meringue," and I can't help but read that to mean "I totally half-assed this!", because it seems like that's what she did. (Either that, or she's just too advanced in years to be writing about today's young people--and I mean that matter-of-factly, not in a pejorative way.) I can only imagine the Hogarth Press people's reaction when she delivered this manuscript. This is nothing like any other Anne Tyler book out there. It's nothing like any other book I can think of. And I mean that in a bad way.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway here on Goodreads.
January 12, 2017
As a retelling of Taming of the Shrew - 1 star
As a stand alone story regardless of the source material - 2.5 stars
Saying that this is a retelling of Taming of the Shrew is like saying The Shining is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk because the main characters are both named Jack. I have read Taming of the Shrew and seen it performed several times and this was so far from anything I have seen that I didn't even recognize the story. They had a few key lines and some similar names, but it would have been more accurate to say that this story was influenced by it instead of a retelling.
Story wise it was just meh. The plot points were all over the place and fairly unbelievable. The characters were pretty blah and seemed to have little or no motivation. Every scene was kinda like:
"Hey"
"Hey, yourself"
"Guess we should argue about something"
"Yeah, probably"
In general it did not look like this book has received high marks. That is understandable after reading. But, taking on The Bard is not an easy task: too many expectations and big shoes to fill. It's like auditioning with a Whitney song in a singing competition; unless you knock it out of the park, it's probably going to seem pretty bad.
As a stand alone story regardless of the source material - 2.5 stars
Saying that this is a retelling of Taming of the Shrew is like saying The Shining is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk because the main characters are both named Jack. I have read Taming of the Shrew and seen it performed several times and this was so far from anything I have seen that I didn't even recognize the story. They had a few key lines and some similar names, but it would have been more accurate to say that this story was influenced by it instead of a retelling.
Story wise it was just meh. The plot points were all over the place and fairly unbelievable. The characters were pretty blah and seemed to have little or no motivation. Every scene was kinda like:
"Hey"
"Hey, yourself"
"Guess we should argue about something"
"Yeah, probably"
In general it did not look like this book has received high marks. That is understandable after reading. But, taking on The Bard is not an easy task: too many expectations and big shoes to fill. It's like auditioning with a Whitney song in a singing competition; unless you knock it out of the park, it's probably going to seem pretty bad.
June 9, 2016
I love The Taming of the Shrew and this was by acclaimed author Anne Tyler whose novels I have so enjoyed, so of course I was thrilled to acquire an advanced copy of this book , but I must admit I just wasn't as taken with it as I hoped I would be . Sure it was witty and even funny , but it didn't really connect me to the play as I was expecting. While I appreciate the intent of the Hogarth Shakespeare project which "sees Shakespeare’s works retold by acclaimed and bestselling novelists of today" (Crown Publishing), I prefer Shakespeare as he told it the first time. However, it was an entertaining 3 star read and I rooted for Kate the whole way.
Thanks Crown Publishing , Edelweiss and NetGalley .
January 12, 2017
Half an hour after I closed this book and I am still smiling. I always enjoy Anne Tyler's writing and it was a pleasure to read this modern version of The Taming of the Shrew.
It has been years since I read the original and I have forgotten all but the bare bones of it. This mattered not at all as Vinegar Girl is a delightful book in its own right. I feel Kate is not as shrewish as her namesake but she was realistic in her behaviours and still likeable despite them. I thought Pyotr had a lot beneath his rather simple exterior and it was very entertaining to watch the two of them work their way towards a happy ending.
It is possible the book was a little too short and therefore the reaching of a conclusion a little bit simplistic but I am not going to criticise. It is a perfect book to pass a few happy hours and I enjoyed it very much.
It has been years since I read the original and I have forgotten all but the bare bones of it. This mattered not at all as Vinegar Girl is a delightful book in its own right. I feel Kate is not as shrewish as her namesake but she was realistic in her behaviours and still likeable despite them. I thought Pyotr had a lot beneath his rather simple exterior and it was very entertaining to watch the two of them work their way towards a happy ending.
It is possible the book was a little too short and therefore the reaching of a conclusion a little bit simplistic but I am not going to criticise. It is a perfect book to pass a few happy hours and I enjoyed it very much.
March 14, 2016
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
When I read the blurb to the book, I thought it sounded like something I would enjoy. I had no idea how much I would like it. The book is hilarious! I have never read William Shakespeare's "The Taming Of The Shrew" but I certainly want to now.
I fell in love with the character Kate, she cracked me up through out the book. I love the way she just says it like it is and I found my self coughing at times because she had me laughing so much.
Kate lives with her dad who is a scientist of sorts, her little sister Bunny who is a little nutty (but she's a kid, it happens) Kate works as a teachers assistant and no one seems to really like her accept for the kids, they think she is a hoot too, but she is always getting in trouble for stating her mind. She just says whatever she feels.
Then her father introduces her to his assistant at work, Pyotr. Kate could care less but her father has ulterior motives, he wants to get Kate married off to Pyotr for his own reasons.
I found the characters to be likable and the book funny as I have said before. And this is the reason why I give a lot of books a chance because sometimes I find real gems out of things I'm not too sure about. :-)
--->EXCERPTS<---
To put it mildly, it had never been Kate's plan to work in a preschool. However, during her sophomore year in college she had told her botany professor that his explanation of photosynthesis was "half-assed." One thing led to another, and eventually she was invited to leave.
•••••
"If you open your eyes during blessing," Chloe said, "God will think you're not grateful."
"Well, I'm not grateful," Kate said. "I don't like pasta."
There was a shocked silence.
"How could you not like pasta?" Jason asked finally.
"It smells like wet dog." Kate told him. "Haven't you noticed?"
"Eew!" everyone said.
•••••
Monday 1:13 pm
HI Kate! We went to get marriage license!
Who's we?
Your Father and I.
Well I hope you'll be very happy together.
*I would like to thank Penguin Random House for a print copy of this book through The Reading Room in exchange for my honest review.*
When I read the blurb to the book, I thought it sounded like something I would enjoy. I had no idea how much I would like it. The book is hilarious! I have never read William Shakespeare's "The Taming Of The Shrew" but I certainly want to now.
I fell in love with the character Kate, she cracked me up through out the book. I love the way she just says it like it is and I found my self coughing at times because she had me laughing so much.
Kate lives with her dad who is a scientist of sorts, her little sister Bunny who is a little nutty (but she's a kid, it happens) Kate works as a teachers assistant and no one seems to really like her accept for the kids, they think she is a hoot too, but she is always getting in trouble for stating her mind. She just says whatever she feels.
Then her father introduces her to his assistant at work, Pyotr. Kate could care less but her father has ulterior motives, he wants to get Kate married off to Pyotr for his own reasons.
I found the characters to be likable and the book funny as I have said before. And this is the reason why I give a lot of books a chance because sometimes I find real gems out of things I'm not too sure about. :-)
--->EXCERPTS<---
To put it mildly, it had never been Kate's plan to work in a preschool. However, during her sophomore year in college she had told her botany professor that his explanation of photosynthesis was "half-assed." One thing led to another, and eventually she was invited to leave.
•••••
"If you open your eyes during blessing," Chloe said, "God will think you're not grateful."
"Well, I'm not grateful," Kate said. "I don't like pasta."
There was a shocked silence.
"How could you not like pasta?" Jason asked finally.
"It smells like wet dog." Kate told him. "Haven't you noticed?"
"Eew!" everyone said.
•••••
Monday 1:13 pm
HI Kate! We went to get marriage license!
Who's we?
Your Father and I.
Well I hope you'll be very happy together.
*I would like to thank Penguin Random House for a print copy of this book through The Reading Room in exchange for my honest review.*
September 1, 2016
For a book called Vinegar Girl, this novel is surprisingly delightful.
Anne Tyler, whom I adore, has written a modern version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" as part of the Hogarth series. We meet Kate Battista, a sharp young woman who works at a preschool and takes care of her father's home. Her dad is a scientist who doesn't want to lose his Russian research assistant, Pyotr, so the father schemes for Kate to marry him so he can stay in America. Naturally, Kate resists, and there is some amusing bickering.
I'll admit I was hesitant to read this book because I thought the Shakespeare contrivance would be off-putting, but then a coworker read it and said "It's just like any other Anne Tyler novel about family." And she was right — Anne Tyler is skilled at writing about intricate family relationships, and that constant push-pull of acting selfishly or selflessly with our loved ones.
I ended up really liking this novel, and it often made me smile. I found myself sympathetic toward Kate, who wasn't a bitch — she's just someone who is stuck in a rut and wants to get out. If you have liked any previous Anne Tyler novels, I think you will enjoy this one, too. Highly recommended for anyone who gets a kick out of scrappy heroines.
Favorite Quotes
"The unsatisfying thing about practicing restraint was that nobody knew you were practicing it."
"She had always been such a handful — a thorny child, a sullen teenager, a failure as a college student. What was to be done with her? But now they had the answer: marry her off. They would never have to give her another moment's thought."
"Adam had nothing to do with her, really. He would always make her feel too big and too gruff and too shocking; she would forever be trying to watch her words when she was with him. He was not the kind of person who liked her true self, for better or worse."
"It's hard being a man. Have you ever thought about that? Anything that's bothering them, men think they have to hide it. They think they should seem in charge, in control; they don't dare show their true feelings."
Anne Tyler, whom I adore, has written a modern version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" as part of the Hogarth series. We meet Kate Battista, a sharp young woman who works at a preschool and takes care of her father's home. Her dad is a scientist who doesn't want to lose his Russian research assistant, Pyotr, so the father schemes for Kate to marry him so he can stay in America. Naturally, Kate resists, and there is some amusing bickering.
I'll admit I was hesitant to read this book because I thought the Shakespeare contrivance would be off-putting, but then a coworker read it and said "It's just like any other Anne Tyler novel about family." And she was right — Anne Tyler is skilled at writing about intricate family relationships, and that constant push-pull of acting selfishly or selflessly with our loved ones.
I ended up really liking this novel, and it often made me smile. I found myself sympathetic toward Kate, who wasn't a bitch — she's just someone who is stuck in a rut and wants to get out. If you have liked any previous Anne Tyler novels, I think you will enjoy this one, too. Highly recommended for anyone who gets a kick out of scrappy heroines.
Favorite Quotes
"The unsatisfying thing about practicing restraint was that nobody knew you were practicing it."
"She had always been such a handful — a thorny child, a sullen teenager, a failure as a college student. What was to be done with her? But now they had the answer: marry her off. They would never have to give her another moment's thought."
"Adam had nothing to do with her, really. He would always make her feel too big and too gruff and too shocking; she would forever be trying to watch her words when she was with him. He was not the kind of person who liked her true self, for better or worse."
"It's hard being a man. Have you ever thought about that? Anything that's bothering them, men think they have to hide it. They think they should seem in charge, in control; they don't dare show their true feelings."
March 19, 2016
This was a nice and enjoyable story. Though I did feel I received a good feel for the characters, I wanted Kate to be sharper, more acerbic and the plodding Pytor just seems confused, not sure of his role in this story. Wanted this story to, have more oomph, more energy but it remained just a nice story.
July 15, 2016
I know that some Anne Tyler/Shakespeare fans were less than enthused about this book, but I absolutely loved it! I never read "The Taming of the Shrew" and am not a fan of Shakespeare (gasp!), so I had no comparisons to make there. However, I am a huge fan of Anne Tyler and have read all her previous books, but, unlike some Tyler fans who were disappointed in this one, I thought it had all the elements that make her novels so much fun to read.
Setting Baltimore: check
Eccentric characters: check
Slightly dysfunctional family: check
Witty dialogue wrapped around humorous situations: check
Great plot with a lovely, appropriate ending: check
I really related to Kate, with her cynicism and barbed comments and sarcasm. I learned the hard way to practice "diplomacy, restraint and tact", and still haven't completely mastered it. Pyotr was the perfect foil for her, and his fondness for and butchering of English slang made me laugh out loud several times. Dr. Battista the father and Bunny the sister were outright stereotypes, but perfect for the story.
Coming on the heels of the much darker, sadder Holocaust book I just finished, this was the ideal read at an ideal time.
Setting Baltimore: check
Eccentric characters: check
Slightly dysfunctional family: check
Witty dialogue wrapped around humorous situations: check
Great plot with a lovely, appropriate ending: check
I really related to Kate, with her cynicism and barbed comments and sarcasm. I learned the hard way to practice "diplomacy, restraint and tact", and still haven't completely mastered it. Pyotr was the perfect foil for her, and his fondness for and butchering of English slang made me laugh out loud several times. Dr. Battista the father and Bunny the sister were outright stereotypes, but perfect for the story.
Coming on the heels of the much darker, sadder Holocaust book I just finished, this was the ideal read at an ideal time.
July 11, 2016
I was going to give this two stars due to mild entertainment but then I started writing the review and realized how mad I truly was.
This is meant to be a retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. This is a play I am equal parts fascinated and repulsed by, but I am always interested when it is used for new stories. I am unashamed to admit that I judge all retellings of this play in comparison to my feelings for the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. People may automatically turn up their noses at this and declare me oh so unsophisticated and unduly influenced by the pop culture of my youth. I do not care. I love that movie. 10 Things I Hate About You managed to celebrate the core of Shakespeare's plot while subverting it at the same time. It celebrated girls in their differences and honored the bonds of sisterhood. It gave Kate and Bianca agency and brought boys into their lives who were misguided at times but decent human beings. This is what I look for when I read a modern day reinterpretation of Shakespeare's story, because it is not possible to keep its original form and have it make sense in a modern setting. Anne Tyler disappointed me in this.
In Vinegar Girl, Kate is not a shrew. She isn't a dark tortured soul who snipes and snarks as a defense mechanism to protect herself. She is a doormat, an apathetic girl who lets the vagaries of life push her where they will and occasionally she works up enough oomph to snark about it. Even then she is not that funny or complex. Yawn. Her father and Pyotr don't have to work that hard to make her cave to any of their schemes or demands. She capitulates so fast I had to reread a page to make sure I read it correctly. The contrast set up between Kate and Bunny (this version's Bianca) is lazy. Bunny is everything society is supposed to loathe teen girls for. She is blonde and takes time to style her hair. She listens to Taylor Swift (lol-let's all make fun of her). She makes statements that sound like questions. She flirts with the bad older neighbor she hires as her Spanish tutor. She allows him to influence her into fake vegetarianism. I mean how stupid can she be right? (The ending she gets in the epilogue is the last of many pokes into the voodoo doll she's supposed to be for all girls who like clothes, make-up, boys, worry about their appearance, and are in to pop culture.) It's the lazy false dichotomy set-up I hate hate hate in books about women. Here is a heroine. She is Different. Not like all those Other Girls. She is intelligent and misunderstood and snarky. To prove it we will not show her being intelligent or having a personality, we will simply give her a foil that represents everything that is meant to be reprehensible about femininity. This makes steam come out my ears for so many reasons. Women are not The Highlander. There can be more than one of us, and we do not have to be in constant competition. We contain multitudes. When men write this silly set up, it annoys me. When women writers do it, it ENRAGES me. In the case of Kate, it fails spectacularly. Bunny can rage immaturely like the best of teen drama queens. Kate is just boring, flat, and completely without agency. This actually makes Bunny the more fascinating character. And Kate's little speech at the end? THAT had me rolling my eyes so hard they nearly stuck. The speech comes out of nowhere too and Tyler gives us no character development to show how Kate got from, well not Point A to Point B since she never had an opinion to begin with so we'll say......not even on the map to somewhere in the land of Male Worshippers Are Us. And do not even get me started on how much one has to suspend disbelief to buy the Epilogue after the zero character development and relationship development between Kate and Pyotr through the book. I've never read an Anne Tyler book before so I'm not sure if this is her phoning it in for this project or if it's her usual style to not develop characters and rely on bad tropes instead.
Yes, in the end I think a teen movie from the 90s had more nuance and character development than this book written by a Pulitzer winner.
This is meant to be a retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. This is a play I am equal parts fascinated and repulsed by, but I am always interested when it is used for new stories. I am unashamed to admit that I judge all retellings of this play in comparison to my feelings for the movie 10 Things I Hate About You. People may automatically turn up their noses at this and declare me oh so unsophisticated and unduly influenced by the pop culture of my youth. I do not care. I love that movie. 10 Things I Hate About You managed to celebrate the core of Shakespeare's plot while subverting it at the same time. It celebrated girls in their differences and honored the bonds of sisterhood. It gave Kate and Bianca agency and brought boys into their lives who were misguided at times but decent human beings. This is what I look for when I read a modern day reinterpretation of Shakespeare's story, because it is not possible to keep its original form and have it make sense in a modern setting. Anne Tyler disappointed me in this.
In Vinegar Girl, Kate is not a shrew. She isn't a dark tortured soul who snipes and snarks as a defense mechanism to protect herself. She is a doormat, an apathetic girl who lets the vagaries of life push her where they will and occasionally she works up enough oomph to snark about it. Even then she is not that funny or complex. Yawn. Her father and Pyotr don't have to work that hard to make her cave to any of their schemes or demands. She capitulates so fast I had to reread a page to make sure I read it correctly. The contrast set up between Kate and Bunny (this version's Bianca) is lazy. Bunny is everything society is supposed to loathe teen girls for. She is blonde and takes time to style her hair. She listens to Taylor Swift (lol-let's all make fun of her). She makes statements that sound like questions. She flirts with the bad older neighbor she hires as her Spanish tutor. She allows him to influence her into fake vegetarianism. I mean how stupid can she be right? (The ending she gets in the epilogue is the last of many pokes into the voodoo doll she's supposed to be for all girls who like clothes, make-up, boys, worry about their appearance, and are in to pop culture.) It's the lazy false dichotomy set-up I hate hate hate in books about women. Here is a heroine. She is Different. Not like all those Other Girls. She is intelligent and misunderstood and snarky. To prove it we will not show her being intelligent or having a personality, we will simply give her a foil that represents everything that is meant to be reprehensible about femininity. This makes steam come out my ears for so many reasons. Women are not The Highlander. There can be more than one of us, and we do not have to be in constant competition. We contain multitudes. When men write this silly set up, it annoys me. When women writers do it, it ENRAGES me. In the case of Kate, it fails spectacularly. Bunny can rage immaturely like the best of teen drama queens. Kate is just boring, flat, and completely without agency. This actually makes Bunny the more fascinating character. And Kate's little speech at the end? THAT had me rolling my eyes so hard they nearly stuck. The speech comes out of nowhere too and Tyler gives us no character development to show how Kate got from, well not Point A to Point B since she never had an opinion to begin with so we'll say......not even on the map to somewhere in the land of Male Worshippers Are Us. And do not even get me started on how much one has to suspend disbelief to buy the Epilogue after the zero character development and relationship development between Kate and Pyotr through the book. I've never read an Anne Tyler book before so I'm not sure if this is her phoning it in for this project or if it's her usual style to not develop characters and rely on bad tropes instead.
Yes, in the end I think a teen movie from the 90s had more nuance and character development than this book written by a Pulitzer winner.
January 18, 2019
Hmmm. . . okay, for about the first 90 pages of this read I was channeling Dr. Seuss, nodding my head, up and down, in a Cat-in-the-Hat sort of disapproval.
As in, "Oh dear. What a shame! What a shame! What a shame!"
Why a shame? Because Anne Tyler picked the winning card! Of all of Shakepeare's fabulous plays, she was handed the most fabuloso. She was given the task to rewrite/update The Taming of the Shrew through the Hogarth Shakespeare project, and she was going to be paid for it, too!
Damn girl, it's your lucky day! Ms. Tyler can be brilliant, Ms. Tyler is a writer with solid chops. . . so wow me, Ms. Tyler, and now!
Er. . . no wow. Instead of wow, 90 inital pages of s-l-o-w, oh my God, where is this going? I'm telling you, if this hadn't been the ONLY book in my car as I was delayed in a parking lot, waiting for one of my daughters to appear, I'm quite sure I wouldn't have made it to the end.
Instead of a delicious Petruchio, I was handed a Pyotr Cherbakov, who is introduced as "a solid, muscular man with straight yellow hair." Straight yellow hair? I immediately conjured "Hansel," a lost lad dropping bread crumbs in the woods. Then my mind summoned an image of Alexander Gudunov as the mute, ubiquitous bad guy in Die Hard, super hot from his former life in the Soviet Union as a ballet god, but also a super bad actor with bad 80s hair. How can I work with this material?
Then, as Pyotr stumbles around with his hard-boiled eggs and stained lab coat (is there ANYTHING less sexy than watching a man eating a hard-boiled egg??), trying to interest me, the reader, as a plausible love interest, I went to a new, bad mental place of imagining him as Gerard Depardieu with Andie MacDowell in the movie Green Card.
In fact, the entire plot from then on pretty much mirrors Green Card. Been there, done that, didn't need to do it again.
So, how on earth did I finish? I'm going to break it down for you. . . it was the only book in my car, I had caught up with email and texts. . . and I was ovulating. It boiled down to biology. (Pun intended). I was bored, I was ovulating, and I was hoping these two weird and unattractive people were at least going to have some hot chemistry and sex.
Meh. Nope. And hard-boiled eggs were featured in three different scenes.
This book managed to turn me off from sex and food, at the same time. I think I'll go sit in an empty broom closet now and kick at the wall.
As in, "Oh dear. What a shame! What a shame! What a shame!"
Why a shame? Because Anne Tyler picked the winning card! Of all of Shakepeare's fabulous plays, she was handed the most fabuloso. She was given the task to rewrite/update The Taming of the Shrew through the Hogarth Shakespeare project, and she was going to be paid for it, too!
Damn girl, it's your lucky day! Ms. Tyler can be brilliant, Ms. Tyler is a writer with solid chops. . . so wow me, Ms. Tyler, and now!
Er. . . no wow. Instead of wow, 90 inital pages of s-l-o-w, oh my God, where is this going? I'm telling you, if this hadn't been the ONLY book in my car as I was delayed in a parking lot, waiting for one of my daughters to appear, I'm quite sure I wouldn't have made it to the end.
Instead of a delicious Petruchio, I was handed a Pyotr Cherbakov, who is introduced as "a solid, muscular man with straight yellow hair." Straight yellow hair? I immediately conjured "Hansel," a lost lad dropping bread crumbs in the woods. Then my mind summoned an image of Alexander Gudunov as the mute, ubiquitous bad guy in Die Hard, super hot from his former life in the Soviet Union as a ballet god, but also a super bad actor with bad 80s hair. How can I work with this material?
Then, as Pyotr stumbles around with his hard-boiled eggs and stained lab coat (is there ANYTHING less sexy than watching a man eating a hard-boiled egg??), trying to interest me, the reader, as a plausible love interest, I went to a new, bad mental place of imagining him as Gerard Depardieu with Andie MacDowell in the movie Green Card.
In fact, the entire plot from then on pretty much mirrors Green Card. Been there, done that, didn't need to do it again.
So, how on earth did I finish? I'm going to break it down for you. . . it was the only book in my car, I had caught up with email and texts. . . and I was ovulating. It boiled down to biology. (Pun intended). I was bored, I was ovulating, and I was hoping these two weird and unattractive people were at least going to have some hot chemistry and sex.
Meh. Nope. And hard-boiled eggs were featured in three different scenes.
This book managed to turn me off from sex and food, at the same time. I think I'll go sit in an empty broom closet now and kick at the wall.
March 11, 2017
I listened to this as an audiobook, and the readers truly brought the novel to life.
Kate is working as a preschool assistant, a job she is not totally suited for. She cares for her father and vapid younger sister, Bunny. Her mother died when Kate was young, and her father is opsessed with his research work at Johns Hopkins. Kate has little in the way of of a social life, with few goals for the future. But she is shocked when her father propositions her with the notion of marrying his research assistant, Pyator, before Pyator's green card expires. Pyator is intelligent, yet struggles with the idiosyncrasies of American culture. Kate is blunt and at times irreverent, but also likeable and hilarious. Can she possibly agree to this preposterous idea?
Filled with humor and quirky characters, a fun, light read.
I admit I have not read"The Taming of the Shrew" so I cannot fairly compare the storylines.
Kate is working as a preschool assistant, a job she is not totally suited for. She cares for her father and vapid younger sister, Bunny. Her mother died when Kate was young, and her father is opsessed with his research work at Johns Hopkins. Kate has little in the way of of a social life, with few goals for the future. But she is shocked when her father propositions her with the notion of marrying his research assistant, Pyator, before Pyator's green card expires. Pyator is intelligent, yet struggles with the idiosyncrasies of American culture. Kate is blunt and at times irreverent, but also likeable and hilarious. Can she possibly agree to this preposterous idea?
Filled with humor and quirky characters, a fun, light read.
I admit I have not read"The Taming of the Shrew" so I cannot fairly compare the storylines.
September 13, 2019
Vinegar Girl
Aw. This Vinegar Girl is just Honey Girl on a bad couple of days. Anne Tyler has taken Shakespeare’s Taming of a Shrew and kitted it up with her idea of what that play is all about, and I have to admit I was guilty of being wholly amused and enjoyed the story. Her Kate is acerbic, loud and keeps her eye on opportunities to keep everyone apprised of her thoughts. I liked her, despite her rough spots. The project of marrying her off to the favorite foreign lab boy was a very nice twist on Will’s setup and every bit as odd. Anne's Kate was as contrary as Will’s Kate, and I related better – could be because we are closer in time and language.
This was funny and sweet, and the end feels hopeful – which is not exactly how I feel at the end of the play. I worry about Will’s Kate and where she will be in 10 years. Anne’s Kate will be fine. Marriages are a mixed bag, and both the play and the book remind me that it is not just one party that seeks to “tame” the other. Both are full-on trying to change the other, until hopefully they put on their collaborative hats and work together.
“For I am born to tame you, Kate,
And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate
Comfortable as other household Kates.”
― William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew
Whatever, Will. (said the divorced reader ;-})
Aw. This Vinegar Girl is just Honey Girl on a bad couple of days. Anne Tyler has taken Shakespeare’s Taming of a Shrew and kitted it up with her idea of what that play is all about, and I have to admit I was guilty of being wholly amused and enjoyed the story. Her Kate is acerbic, loud and keeps her eye on opportunities to keep everyone apprised of her thoughts. I liked her, despite her rough spots. The project of marrying her off to the favorite foreign lab boy was a very nice twist on Will’s setup and every bit as odd. Anne's Kate was as contrary as Will’s Kate, and I related better – could be because we are closer in time and language.
This was funny and sweet, and the end feels hopeful – which is not exactly how I feel at the end of the play. I worry about Will’s Kate and where she will be in 10 years. Anne’s Kate will be fine. Marriages are a mixed bag, and both the play and the book remind me that it is not just one party that seeks to “tame” the other. Both are full-on trying to change the other, until hopefully they put on their collaborative hats and work together.
“For I am born to tame you, Kate,
And bring you from a wild Kate to a Kate
Comfortable as other household Kates.”
― William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew
Whatever, Will. (said the divorced reader ;-})
March 13, 2023
I really enjoy listening to Anne Tyler’s books as audiobooks and this was also the case for Vinegar Girl too. It was Lighthearted and easy to follow so ideal for listening while working. Not my favourite or most meaningful read but enjoyable none the less
February 14, 2018
Hovering over 2 stars says "It was ok". That's how I feel about this. It was ok. It took me a while to get through it. I thought Anne Tyler did an excellent job telling the story and I thought the characters were distinct. Her Russian accent was great.
I think the only character I liked was Bunny. She was the only one who saw things how they were. I didn't like Kate. She's 29 and that's the best she can behave at work? I didn't like Pyodr either. He seemed like a good guy mostly. I felt better about the book until the ending.
That wedding was terrible. I know Kate didn't care, but come on. No one was focused on the wedding. It felt terrible. I couldn't believe she went ahead and married him. I don't think Kate had any clue who she was. She was a lost lamb and being forced into the marriage was actually good for her and it gave her direction. She was bossy and gruff and totally lost I felt.
I did look at reviews and this was across the spectrum. I'm not saying this isn't a decent story, it simply isn't a story that spoke to me. I am a huge Shakespeare fan and I have read Taming of the Shrew which this re-imagines. I didn't really see much connection. There were so many decisions I felt were terrible in this book.
It's set in Baltimore. BMore in Baltimore people. It's neat to recognize street names and such.
I think the only character I liked was Bunny. She was the only one who saw things how they were. I didn't like Kate. She's 29 and that's the best she can behave at work? I didn't like Pyodr either. He seemed like a good guy mostly. I felt better about the book until the ending.
That wedding was terrible. I know Kate didn't care, but come on. No one was focused on the wedding. It felt terrible. I couldn't believe she went ahead and married him. I don't think Kate had any clue who she was. She was a lost lamb and being forced into the marriage was actually good for her and it gave her direction. She was bossy and gruff and totally lost I felt.
I did look at reviews and this was across the spectrum. I'm not saying this isn't a decent story, it simply isn't a story that spoke to me. I am a huge Shakespeare fan and I have read Taming of the Shrew which this re-imagines. I didn't really see much connection. There were so many decisions I felt were terrible in this book.
It's set in Baltimore. BMore in Baltimore people. It's neat to recognize street names and such.
February 19, 2019
A light, fun retelling of a Shakespeare classic. Nothing more, nothing less. After reading a few of these Hogarth Shakespeare retellings I've found that the stories don't necessarily translate to novel form that well. This one, of the ones I've read, felt the most like a book the author could've written without taking anything from Shakespeare, in that it felt nearly as much a Tyler novel (the writing, the characters, etc.) as a Shakespeare story. But nothing mind-blowing.
June 22, 2016
Anne Tyler hates Shakespeare’s plays. All of them. But she hates “The Taming of the Shrew” the most.
So she rewrote it.
“Vinegar Girl,” her 21st novel, drags shrewish Kate into the modern age.
“It’s such a crazy story,” Tyler says from her home in Baltimore. “People behave so inexplicably that you just know there’s another side to it. Someone’s exaggerating; somebody’s putting his own spin on things. Let’s just figure out what really happened.”
What really happens in Tyler’s revision makes a little more sense than Shakespeare’s nettlesome play, which has been entertaining, perplexing and enraging viewers for the past 400 years. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
So she rewrote it.
“Vinegar Girl,” her 21st novel, drags shrewish Kate into the modern age.
“It’s such a crazy story,” Tyler says from her home in Baltimore. “People behave so inexplicably that you just know there’s another side to it. Someone’s exaggerating; somebody’s putting his own spin on things. Let’s just figure out what really happened.”
What really happens in Tyler’s revision makes a little more sense than Shakespeare’s nettlesome play, which has been entertaining, perplexing and enraging viewers for the past 400 years. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
September 27, 2016
I quite liked this quirky little book; mostly because I liked the Kate character so much. I never read "The Taming of the Shrew," so I don't know if Tyler does a credible job of honoring the original. It had to have been hard, because I know enough to know that the play's subject matter and POV is WAY outdated.
Nothing earth shattering or profound here, just snarky fun.
Nothing earth shattering or profound here, just snarky fun.
June 29, 2019
“The unsatisfying thing about practicing restraint was that nobody knew you were practicing it.”
“Vinegar Girl” is the third book in the Hogarth Shakespeare series that I have read. The Hogarth project sees “Shakespeare’s works retold by bestselling novelists of today.” This text sees Anne Tyler taking a stab at “Taming of the Shrew”. Except she does not take a stab at it. The story is weak and tenuously connected to “Taming of the Shrew” There are maybe 3 direct correlations, but this text is not a “retelling”, not even close.
I’ll start with the positives…Tyler is good at writing people, everyday normal people. That is the best aspect of the book. Little actions that characters take make them so human and real. Anne Tyler’s writing can be like a really good actor who gives dimension to a role by finding a realistic human physicality. I enjoyed the characterization of Kate Battista, the protagonist. She is a simple character with a subtle complexity and thought life that makes her full. Ms. Tyler captures well the person behind Kate’s public mask.
“Vinegar Girl” is an easy read, but it is also a slight read. It is just not an interesting text, and if it were not part of Hogarth Shakespeare project I am not sure it would have been published. It has no depth.
I have read three of the books in the Hogarth Shakespeare retelling series and none have been great. I am beginning to get a little worried about the efficacy of this project. This one is a miss.
“Vinegar Girl” is the third book in the Hogarth Shakespeare series that I have read. The Hogarth project sees “Shakespeare’s works retold by bestselling novelists of today.” This text sees Anne Tyler taking a stab at “Taming of the Shrew”. Except she does not take a stab at it. The story is weak and tenuously connected to “Taming of the Shrew” There are maybe 3 direct correlations, but this text is not a “retelling”, not even close.
I’ll start with the positives…Tyler is good at writing people, everyday normal people. That is the best aspect of the book. Little actions that characters take make them so human and real. Anne Tyler’s writing can be like a really good actor who gives dimension to a role by finding a realistic human physicality. I enjoyed the characterization of Kate Battista, the protagonist. She is a simple character with a subtle complexity and thought life that makes her full. Ms. Tyler captures well the person behind Kate’s public mask.
“Vinegar Girl” is an easy read, but it is also a slight read. It is just not an interesting text, and if it were not part of Hogarth Shakespeare project I am not sure it would have been published. It has no depth.
I have read three of the books in the Hogarth Shakespeare retelling series and none have been great. I am beginning to get a little worried about the efficacy of this project. This one is a miss.
March 28, 2016
(3.5) This is the most fun I’ve had with the Hogarth Shakespeare series* so far, as well as my favorite of the three Anne Tyler novels I’ve read.** Yes, it’s set in Baltimore. Kate Battista, the utterly tactless preschool assistant, kept cracking me up. Her father, an autoimmune researcher, schemes for her to marry his lab assistant, Pyotr, so he can stay in the country after his visa expires. The plot twists of the final quarter of the novel felt a little predictable, but I was won over by the good-natured storytelling and the prickly heroine. (I don’t know The Taming of the Shrew well enough to comment on how well this functions as a remake.)
*I preferred it to The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson and Shylock is My Name by Howard Jacobson.
**I enjoyed it more than The Beginner’s Goodbye and A Spool of Blue Thread but am keenly aware that I need to read some of Tyler’s 1980s and 90s classics to do a fair comparison.
*I preferred it to The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson and Shylock is My Name by Howard Jacobson.
**I enjoyed it more than The Beginner’s Goodbye and A Spool of Blue Thread but am keenly aware that I need to read some of Tyler’s 1980s and 90s classics to do a fair comparison.
October 11, 2020
The Hogarth Shakespeare project invited modern authors to rework the Shakespeare classics. This is Anne Tyler’s retelling of The Taming of the Shrew.
In typical Tyler style this story is set in Baltimore. Kate is almost thirty, she keeps house for her father since her mother died and has been bringing up her sister Bunny, now 15 years old.
Kate also works in a pre school, although if asked, she doesn’t really like little children.... in fact she doesn’t seem to like many adults either! Friends have dropped by the wayside and boyfriends are non existent.
Her father, an ‘absent-minded professor’, tries to set her up with his lab assistant, Pyotr, because his green card is about to expire - Kate is not impressed!
Some reviews have criticised Tyler’s attempt at modernising but as I am an Anne Tyler fan, I just enjoyed it for the storytelling.
In typical Tyler style this story is set in Baltimore. Kate is almost thirty, she keeps house for her father since her mother died and has been bringing up her sister Bunny, now 15 years old.
Kate also works in a pre school, although if asked, she doesn’t really like little children.... in fact she doesn’t seem to like many adults either! Friends have dropped by the wayside and boyfriends are non existent.
Her father, an ‘absent-minded professor’, tries to set her up with his lab assistant, Pyotr, because his green card is about to expire - Kate is not impressed!
Some reviews have criticised Tyler’s attempt at modernising but as I am an Anne Tyler fan, I just enjoyed it for the storytelling.
June 7, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoy a good Anne Tyler book as a ‘between book filler’, I often pick them up at the library and read them between some of my heavier reads but often end up enjoying them just as much. That was certainly the case for ‘Vinegar girl’. This was a lucky library find!
Interestingly, ‘Vinegar girl’ is a retelling of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’; a comedy by William Shakespeare, which I can’t say I have read so unfortunately I won’t be able to make any comparisons at this stage however, I will review the book in front of me, as it is. That being said, Anne has shared with us her reason for writing this novel: she goes behind the scenes of one of Shakespeare’s most controversial yet enduring plays. She has always felt there was another side to his story and this book is how she perceives that…
Kate Battista feels stuck running a home for her eccentric scientist father and her pretty teenage sister Bunny. She's always in trouble at work but Kate isn’t afraid to stand up for herself both at home and in the pre-school, where she works: “I’m not that easily squashed. Trust me: I can take him on with one hand tied behind me.”
However, when her father tries to set her up in an arranged marriage she thought it wasn’t just inconsiderate, but it was also piggish, self-centred and insulting. He believed he was on the cusp of the science breakthrough and if he could keep Pyotr onboard he would have a chance of success. But Kate being Kate (and just right too!) responds with: “don’t you think I’m worth more than this? I shouldn’t have to go through with this. I deserve to have a real romance someone who loves me for myself and thinks I’m a treasure.”
Slowly, but surely it seems to come around to the idea and almost believes that she will be better off with Pyotr. He definitely has a charm about him but will they find a way of being equals? Of being married? Of being happy together? Or is this all a big impossibility?
Overall, I would highly recommend this book, there is subtle comedy to which I found myself giggling 🤭 and a solid and engaging story line. It is a short and very quick read. Anne explores modern day, independent women, like Kate, and how they stand in various different roles and relationships in the household environment. I love Anne Tyler for a simple and entertaining read. Her language is very accessible and she always shares a unique insight into a domestic situation.
March 28, 2019
"Nobody shall be crazy about anybody".
A fun and engaging retelling of The Taming of The Shrew, Anne Tyler’s Vinegar Girl is first and foremost a contemporary comedy of manners with a dollop of romance on the side. Full of acerbic wit and sharp insights delivered with a deft and smooth style, the lively banter and the amusing interactions bring out the best in the quirky setting and characterisations, making for a fresh and thoroughly enjoyable lighter twist on the original classic.
October 1, 2016
Earlier this week I attended a meeting held in one of the rooms at the library. Afterward, I had to pick up a relative at a location nearby, but had some empty time in between and realized I had forgotten to bring a book! Well (Pyotr in this novel points out Americans are wont to preface their sentences with empty words such as this one), I turned right back around, straight to the ‘new titles’ shelf and immediately chose this. It fit the bill (a phrase Pyotr would like: he has a thing for American idioms) for a fun, lightweight, funny read; while also extending my Anne Tyler-completeness.
July 8, 2016
3.5 stars
RTC.
RTC.
May 12, 2017
Well, then. This is my second foray into the Hogarth Shakespeare series. I'd never heard of the project until a couple of weeks ago, but essentially, various commercial authors have been enlisted to rewrite half a dozen or so of the works of Shakespeare in a contemporary format.
Last week, I read a new version of The Tempest (Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood) and absolutely loved it. This? Not so much.
I've read The Taming of the Shrew and have seen the old movie Kiss Me, Kate and loved both of them. Yes, by today's standards there is some misogyny of course, but as a whole The Bard wrote an amusing comedy. You have to hand it to him that he honors a female who comes across as a strong willed and cantankerous person - pretty good for the late 1500s.
The new version by celebrated author Anne Tyler disappointed me. The main character came across as over-the-top sour in the first portion of the book, basically a cartoonish character. She does not have a single conversation that does not include sarcasm and rudeness. Her father is a ridiculously cerebral scientist who has designed a nightly meal plan for his family that includes a mashed concoction of meat and legumes made on Sunday and which is served six nights a week like bowls of wet dog food. Really?
This story had so much potential, but instead ended up like a poor imitation of the movie Green Card. I listened to this via audio, and while I nearly turned the thing off after the first third, persevering was the right way to go. Once the main character began to show small tidbits of humanity, the story picked up a bit, and I finished it.
This might be good for 20-something females or older women who know going in to expect fluff. After my excellent experience with Hag-Seed and knowing the great reputation Anne Tyler has, I was hoping for more.
Last week, I read a new version of The Tempest (Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood) and absolutely loved it. This? Not so much.
I've read The Taming of the Shrew and have seen the old movie Kiss Me, Kate and loved both of them. Yes, by today's standards there is some misogyny of course, but as a whole The Bard wrote an amusing comedy. You have to hand it to him that he honors a female who comes across as a strong willed and cantankerous person - pretty good for the late 1500s.
The new version by celebrated author Anne Tyler disappointed me. The main character came across as over-the-top sour in the first portion of the book, basically a cartoonish character. She does not have a single conversation that does not include sarcasm and rudeness. Her father is a ridiculously cerebral scientist who has designed a nightly meal plan for his family that includes a mashed concoction of meat and legumes made on Sunday and which is served six nights a week like bowls of wet dog food. Really?
This story had so much potential, but instead ended up like a poor imitation of the movie Green Card. I listened to this via audio, and while I nearly turned the thing off after the first third, persevering was the right way to go. Once the main character began to show small tidbits of humanity, the story picked up a bit, and I finished it.
This might be good for 20-something females or older women who know going in to expect fluff. After my excellent experience with Hag-Seed and knowing the great reputation Anne Tyler has, I was hoping for more.
May 12, 2016
Copy furnished by Net Galley in exchange for a review.
Anne Tyler’s easy familiarity with skewed family relationships and eccentric characters seems watered down in Vinegar Girl. Not a great deal of flavor for me, almost as though it needed salt or something.
The old adage that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar is wrestled down to the ground with a simple question posed by Kate. Why would you want to attract flies? I like that.
True confession time – I never learned to beat with Shakespeare. His words do not speak to me. This novel is meant to be a contemporary redo of The Taming of the Shrew; I have not read it and thus, cannot compare the two stories.
A very nice story, but a little on the lighthearted feel-good side for me.
Anne Tyler’s easy familiarity with skewed family relationships and eccentric characters seems watered down in Vinegar Girl. Not a great deal of flavor for me, almost as though it needed salt or something.
The old adage that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar is wrestled down to the ground with a simple question posed by Kate. Why would you want to attract flies? I like that.
True confession time – I never learned to beat with Shakespeare. His words do not speak to me. This novel is meant to be a contemporary redo of The Taming of the Shrew; I have not read it and thus, cannot compare the two stories.
A very nice story, but a little on the lighthearted feel-good side for me.
July 4, 2016
While I was familiar with The Austen Project, I had no idea Shakespeare's works were getting a modern touch until I came across Vinegar Girl (Anne Tyler's take on "The Taming of the Shrew")
A quick look on GoodReads shows the general consensus is that the book is pretty good, but not great. I'll go out on a limb and say I really enjoyed it! Not sure it resonated because this is my first Anne Tyler (gasp!), because I can have some shrew-like tendencies myself, or because the book I read just prior to this one was so bad that anything was bound to look good in comparison.
Tyler has crafted a humorous novel that honors the original story, while creating adapted characters that are unique in their own way. I particularly enjoyed the character Pyotr, and found him to be reminiscent of Don Tillman in The Rosie Project (a book I loved).
The entire book itself is like a romantic comedy, which means it's not at all realistic and some plot points are pretty far-fetched. The reader just has to accept this and go along for the entertaining ride (if this kind of stuff drives you crazy, this isn't the book for you).
4+ stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A quick look on GoodReads shows the general consensus is that the book is pretty good, but not great. I'll go out on a limb and say I really enjoyed it! Not sure it resonated because this is my first Anne Tyler (gasp!), because I can have some shrew-like tendencies myself, or because the book I read just prior to this one was so bad that anything was bound to look good in comparison.
Tyler has crafted a humorous novel that honors the original story, while creating adapted characters that are unique in their own way. I particularly enjoyed the character Pyotr, and found him to be reminiscent of Don Tillman in The Rosie Project (a book I loved).
The entire book itself is like a romantic comedy, which means it's not at all realistic and some plot points are pretty far-fetched. The reader just has to accept this and go along for the entertaining ride (if this kind of stuff drives you crazy, this isn't the book for you).
4+ stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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