Tuesday 19 May 2015

Teaser Tuesday: Wrong About the Guy by Claire LaZebnik

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Wrong About the Guy by Claire LaZebnik.

Wrong About the Guy –
HarperTeen

“Yes,” he said. “You’re right. I have no idea what your point is, but I know you can’t be wrong.”
“It’s theoretically possible,” I said. “It’s just never happened.”
— Chapter 18

I don’t like uncertainty. Or waiting around for other people to do things I’m perfectly capable of doing myself.
— Chapter 32





What’s that saying? If I had a [insert currency of your choice] for every time someone ... said they didn’t understand why Jane Austen or retellings were a thing, well, I wouldn’t be rich, but I could afford a very decent meal and probably a weekend spa trip. Like any good English Literature student I couldn’t avoid an introduction to Jane Austen’s novels at some point during my studies. Luckily, I had a lecturer who was very fond of teaching by showing, by which I mean BBC versions of Jane Austen. And from there I found myself voluntarily picking up the source material. A very clever way of teaching, if you asked me. Way better than teaching Hemingway through making students analyse each and every sighting of the blasted fish. But I digress.
This is a perfectly pleasurable read in and of itself if you have no affection for Austen at all. But if you do, it is a lot of fun to draw parallels between LaZebnik’s and Austen’s versions of the characters. Emma is one of the books that I didn’t immediately appreciate, I’ll admit, and if I had to choose now I think I’d pick up another novel of hers. However, LaZebnik’s story is a very cute and fun one with quite a few relevant undertones, which I think are well adapted from the original and translated into a modern setting. Maybe it’s cramming almost too many themes into one novel, but then again, that’s so totally Emma as she also fits in and manages everything somehow while almost overlooking the important things right in front of her nose. Please, just don’t ever make me choose between Mr Darcy and Mr Knightley ...

And on the topic of choosing: There is a truly evil Would You Rather.Very revealing and soul baring. Let me know how it went for you along with your teasers.

5 comments:

Wendy Lohr said...

Mr. Darcy for me every time... but Mr. Knightley was amazing as well. Love Jane Austen and love finding new modern adaptations of her novels. And I agree that BBC adaptations are the only way to go if you're going to introduce someone to Austen's classics!

Here's my Teaser!

Wendy Lohr

Linda said...

I avoid Austen retellings usually but this one sounds cute.

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

I love the sound of this one...and I think I read something else by this author....checking!

Here's mine: “THE SHORE”

Cyn @ Bookmunchies said...

Great teasers! Claire LaZebnik's retellings are usually pretty cute. I've read a few of her other ones, but not this one yet, definitely need to get on that! Thanks for sharing!

Here's my teaser at Bookmunchies (:

Unknown said...

Sounds like a fun retelling. I might read this one!
My TT - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/05/19/teaser-tuesdays-115-joshua-and-the-lightning-road-my-review/

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