Pride by Ibi Zoboi- Audiobook Review (Spoiler-free)
Why hello there, curious soul. 👋
Today I bring you an unexpectedly detailed yet spoiler-free review of Pride by Ibi Zoboi.
I decided to pick this up as a palate cleanser after a harsher book that deeply affected me- find my review of Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson here.
It wouldn't be a book that required commentary if I didn't have any issues with it.
Keep in mind that I haven't read the original work of Jane Austen- not for lack of trying, I should point out- so the comparisons I draw are based on the film and television adaptations I have watched.
So I was craving a lighter read and a Pride and Prejudice retelling with characters of colour set in a neighbourhood in Brooklyn, New York sounded like exactly what I needed.
To top it all off, the audiobook was narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo- it couldn't get any better than that!
This was my first book by Ibi Zoboi, though I had heard of her previous release American Street, which is why she was on my radar ever since.
This was my first book by Ibi Zoboi, though I had heard of her previous release American Street, which is why she was on my radar ever since.
And let me tell you that I remained fully entertained during the length of this novel!
You could eat up this story in a few days or even hours. Short, with a premise that you are most likely familiar with, thus making it even easier to follow and with the existence of verse as a different form of writing dispersed in this book, I just lapped it up!
You could eat up this story in a few days or even hours. Short, with a premise that you are most likely familiar with, thus making it even easier to follow and with the existence of verse as a different form of writing dispersed in this book, I just lapped it up!
However!
It wouldn't be a book that required commentary if I didn't have any issues with it.
Keep in mind that I haven't read the original work of Jane Austen- not for lack of trying, I should point out- so the comparisons I draw are based on the film and television adaptations I have watched.
Zuri, the protagonist in Pride is very judgmental and I wish I could say I understood her reasoning at all times. Before she was called out on it, I just found her annoying.
I can't count how many times she said she's from the "hood"... we get it.
You're not rich, you don't have any hand-outs, you work hard to get your dreams accomplished. And good on you.
But that doesn't mean that everyone else is not as real as you.
My biggest disappointment was that Darcy was such a supporting character, it virtually hurt.
I think I was hoping for a dual perspective young adult contemporary romance, so maybe that's why I wanted more of him, but either way think he was not fleshed out enough.
In the adaptations he seemed like a strong-willed character that does not reveal his soft side easily and made mistakes he would not admit to unless challenged by people he actually cares about.
In this book, we didn't get a Darcy like that.
We got a hosed-down, softer young man who is cinstantly on the ropes- particularly with Auri- without actually provoking anyone.
On the off chance he makes a mistake, he is the first one to realise and apologise. Again and again.
And we want a responsible, respectful partner, we do, but that unavoidably led to a stripped-down plot that had no good reason for conflict to be based on.
Which brings us to the actual story of the book.
While the major plot points were very rushed, other plot advancements of the original plot that could be used to maximise the drama and actually create a thicker plot were not utilised at all.
Although this is the author's unequivocal right and I understand that, I can't help but feel that this book needed a bit more time and a more developed story. As it was, it just felt like a Wham! Bam! Thank you, Ma'am!
I would definitely encourage you to pick up this book for a quick read, a fan of young adult contemporaries or maybe during that stubborn reading slump that just won't go away!
⭐⭐⭐★
I can't count how many times she said she's from the "hood"... we get it.
You're not rich, you don't have any hand-outs, you work hard to get your dreams accomplished. And good on you.
But that doesn't mean that everyone else is not as real as you.
My biggest disappointment was that Darcy was such a supporting character, it virtually hurt.
I think I was hoping for a dual perspective young adult contemporary romance, so maybe that's why I wanted more of him, but either way think he was not fleshed out enough.
In the adaptations he seemed like a strong-willed character that does not reveal his soft side easily and made mistakes he would not admit to unless challenged by people he actually cares about.
In this book, we didn't get a Darcy like that.
We got a hosed-down, softer young man who is cinstantly on the ropes- particularly with Auri- without actually provoking anyone.
On the off chance he makes a mistake, he is the first one to realise and apologise. Again and again.
And we want a responsible, respectful partner, we do, but that unavoidably led to a stripped-down plot that had no good reason for conflict to be based on.
Which brings us to the actual story of the book.
What story?
While the major plot points were very rushed, other plot advancements of the original plot that could be used to maximise the drama and actually create a thicker plot were not utilised at all.
Although this is the author's unequivocal right and I understand that, I can't help but feel that this book needed a bit more time and a more developed story. As it was, it just felt like a Wham! Bam! Thank you, Ma'am!
I would definitely encourage you to pick up this book for a quick read, a fan of young adult contemporaries or maybe during that stubborn reading slump that just won't go away!
⭐⭐⭐★
Author Ibi Zoboi takes us on a tour to Bushwick, the setting of Pride:
And that's it from me, love! Till next time! 💋
Come chat with me in the comments:
- Have you read any books by Ibi Zoboi?
-Listen to the Pride audiobook with a 2-month FREE trial on Scribd*
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