Can I give this book six stars? Can I give it ten? Five just doesn’t seem like quite enough…
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors is the first book I’ve read by Sonali Dev and I am trying SO HARD not to go buy every single thing she’s ever written. The way she writes just swallowed my up entirely. It’s lyrical and emotional and her gift for figurative language is beyond impressive. I was entranced. Mesmerized. I read all 481 pages of this book in one weekend and I absolutely did not want it to end. And the food descriptions…dear God, the food descriptions are to die for. The fact that this food was being loving coaxed into being by a tall, dark, and handsome chef with a British accent? Yes. Please and thank you.
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors is a gender flipped “retelling” of Jane Austen’s classic. I use quotes here because this book is not a plot for plot retelling and that’s what makes it so fabulous. Because while it entirely captures the universally human story of…pride and prejudice…it’s 100 percent it’s own, unique, original story. Trisha is a gifted surgeon and the daughter of a affluent Indian-American family with political aspirations. DJ, or Darcy James, is a brilliant chef who gives up his entire life in Paris to bring his sister to Trisha as she is the only doctor who can save her life. Their first meeting…doesn’t go well.
Recently I wrote about how I thought Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin might be my new favorite Pride and Prejudice retelling and as much as I loved that book, Pride, Prejudice and Other flavors has moved decidedly to the front for me. With its vibrant cast of characters and a variety of compelling, heart-wrenching plot points, I would technically label Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors as ‘Women’s Fiction’ (whatever that is?) but I think this book is a lays a perfect bridge for non-romance readers to cross over. It’s sensual and real and will make you believe in happy ever after.
5 stars!