Brown Bag Books – Vinegar Girl

The October BBB book is Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (fiction).

It is ostensibly a modern take on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, but is much more. “Novels such as … (this) … are like photographs or digital clock faces that tell us where we are and where we are coming from at the same time … (this book) is an earthy reflection of this fleeting moment, both lively and thoughtful.” (Jane Smiley, NYT Book Review). “[A] screwball comedy of manners that actually channels Jane Austen more than Shakespeare. It’s clear that [Tyler] had fun with Vinegar Girl. … A fizzy cocktail of a romantic comedy, far more sweet than acidic, about finding a mate who appreciates you for your idiosyncratic, principled self — no taming necessary.” (NPR) “[An] ingenious resetting… with considerably more humor and gentleness than in the Bard’s version.” (Washington Post). “An effective retelling, while nodding to the original text, stands on its own.” (Boston Globe)