Pudge and Prejudice

I'll let you in on a secret. I, an English major in college and lifelong avid reader, have never read Pride and Prejudice. But I didn't let that stop me from jumping at the chance to review Pudge and Prejudice. Texas? High school? The 80s? Yes, please!

This book, y'all. Elyse was such a relatable character to me. I wanted to reach in the pages and hug her, like I wish I could go back and hug my high school self. I didn't have the horde of siblings, but I, too, didn't conform to societal norms of teenage beauty. I didn't have the boys ringing my phone off the wall or clamoring to ask me out. They were more interested in copying my homework than going on a date. Elyse, she and I, we are kin. I felt her indecision about Billy Fitz. “I like him. Maybe he likes me? No, he could never like me. And I don't really like him, not really. It's better that way.” I understood when she convinced herself that really, there could never be anything there. And I CHEERED when she gave Katie Berg what for after nosy Katie tried to dictate Elyse's social life according to Acceptable High School Standards. I wanted to jump in the book and give her a big ol' high five and a hug.

A. K. Pittman has gloriously channeled small town Texas and high school angst and drama. Football is king, and the quarterback is the king of the team. Having some boyfriend is better than no boyfriend (looking at Lottie and Collin here, and Lottie's very pragmatic view of social realities). And I laughed out loud at the description of Homecoming mums. I'm not a Texas girl by birth (shh, don't tell anyone), and the first time I saw a mum was when I was in college. I was stunned by the confection of flowers and ribbons and stuffed animals and all kinds of doodads and baubles that girls actually wore. (This was in 1986. I think they've gotten more elaborate since then – I swear there are some that actually need their own flatbed trailer to carry them.)

The book is also faithful to life in the 80s. No cell phones. Kids had curfews and rules. Families shared a telephone and a television. Learning to drive and earning the use of the family car was a rite of passage. Parents could send their kids to the store unsupervised. The DJ dedication! Man, that took me way back. It made me nostalgic for my own youth.

Now, never having read the inspiration for Ms. Pittman's work here, I can't tell you if the characters were faithful to Jane Austen's telling of the tale. What I can tell you is that this is an engaging story that made me laugh, and rage, and gave me all the happy tears at the end. It was well worth my time to read, and I would enthusiastically recommend it for readers from junior high on up who enjoy a clean romance, a trip back in time, and a wonderfully crafted story. I hope to read more of Ms. Pittman's work, and she may have inspired me to pick up the original Pride and Prejudice.