VINEGAR GIRL (BOOK 3 OF HOGARTH SHAKESPEARE) BY ANNE TYLER

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BOOK NAME: VINEGAR GIRL (BOOK 3 OF HOGARTH SHAKESPEARE)

AUTHOR NAME: ANNE TYLER

GENRE: DOMESTIC FICTION 

PUBLISHER: VINTAGE BOOKS  

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Vinegar-Girl-Hogarth-Shakespeare-Tyler/dp/178109019X



BOOK COVER IMAGE




BOOK REVIEW

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler is a modern-day retelling of the Shakespearean classic, The Taming of the Shrew. The protagonist, Kate, is 29, single, strong-headed, and outspoken. She lives with her father, Dr. Battista - a scientist who spends his time in his lab - and her teenage sister, Bunny. Kate is a teaching assistant in a preschool, and there is no other purpose to her life than caring for her family and tending to her garden, or so she is made to believe. 


Dr. Battista has finally found a useful assistant to his ongoing research, Pyotr. But there seem to be problems with his immigration. If someone can make Pyotr stay with Dr. Battista, that would be Kate because she has to marry him to secure him a green card. But can someone so strong like Kate marry a man she just met? Surprisingly, the answer is yes, which can reel your head with the following twist of events.


For the most parts of the book, I loved Kate. She was an exceptional character - independent, sarcastic, honest and forthright. And regarding Bunny, she was reckless and got on my nerves most of the time. But as the story progressed, they seemed to have switched roles and I ended up really loving Bunny more because she seemed like the only sensible character there. She kept warning Kate of the conditional marriage that Kate kept ignoring. While the book is fast-paced, short and well-written, the way it ended could have been better.


Dr. Battista and Pyotr were creepy and freaked me out for pushing Kate into a marriage like that for their personal benefit. I turned anxious every time I read Pyotr's advances towards Kate and Dr. Battista's unrelenting request to marry his assistant. But I couldn't believe how happily she came to accept it and move forward with it. I could see how Kate reverse-played them while they thought they were the ones making her do things. But still, Kate deserved better, and I wanted her to be her independent, raging self. 


While I liked the idea of giving a twist to the original by polishing Pyotr's character, his creepiness and misogyny wore me out. Maybe this might not be the best of Tyler's works I have read. But I am hoping the next one I pick will turn out great. 


MY REVIEW: 3.5/5

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge

#penbooksandscalpel

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