Polite Society by Mahesh Rao

Polite Society by Mahesh Rao
My rating: 1 of 5 stars



Synopsis:

A modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma with a touch of Crazy Rich Asians set in Delhi, in which the daughter of a wealthy Indian family aspires to match-make for her friends and family, only to find herself caught up in an unforeseen scandal--and an unexpected match of her own.
Beautiful, clever, and very slightly bored, Ania Khurana has Delhi wrapped around her finger. When Ania finds love for her spinster aunt, she realizes her potential as a force for good. 
For her next match, Ania sets her sights on Dimple: her newest, sweetest, and, sure, poorest friend. But her good intentions may be misdirected, and when her aunt's handsome new nephew arrives from America, the social tides in Delhi begin to shift. Surrounded by money old and new, navigating gossip, scheming, and an unforgettable cast of journalists, socialites, gurus, and heirs, Ania discovers that when you aim to please the human heart, things seldom go as planned. 
Using Jane Austen's Emma as a springboard, Polite Society takes us into the lives of a group of characters we never want to part with. Pairing stiletto-sharp observation and social comedy with moments of true tenderness, this delicious romp through the mansions of India's elite celebrates that there's no one route to perfect happiness.

Review:



I'm having a very difficult time writing this review as I don't really want to offend anyone...but the fact is that I am really wondering just how this book garnered so many high rated reviews?

First of all---Jane Austen is dead people, please let her rest in peace and stop trying to imitate her by rewriting Emma in the modern world...it just doesn't work.


There is only one passage that gave me pleasure while I was reading this book and that was at location 1776 at 49% of the book---Ania says and I quote "It's okay to toss a boring book after fifty pages." Well, I gave this book wayyy more than 50 pages and I just couldn't do it anymore.

If "Polite Society" hadn't such a strong essence of "Emma" I would not have been so distracted comparing the two books. If the characters had been just a little more likable (I actually hated Ania) I might have plodded on. I realize that Ania would finally change, but for me, the voyage just wasn't worth it. She was just an annoying, whiny, know-it-all that couldn't handle her own life, but unlike in "Emma", she just did it in such a nasty way.

This book tried too hard to make a literary book out of what should have been no more than Chick-lit; all about the uber-rich and how they treat those around them and how they take their riches for granted.

I'm surprised at myself that I allowed myself to read this much of this book.
Rao, Mahesh

*ARC supplied by the publisher.





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