Vinegar Girl
this review is by E.L. Hussey
Vinegar Girl is a modern day re-telling of one of William Shakespeare’s most controversial plays, The Taming of the Shrew. Interestingly, I finished reading this book shortly after seeing Shrew performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. For those who are not familiar with this particular work of The Bard, I would suggest reading the play in all its glory first, since there are many key moments in this book that mirror notable scenes in the play.
Shrew is highly controversial, especially today. Essentially, Shrew is the story of a witty and independent woman, Katherine, who is abused into submission by Petruchio, her husband, a man her father forces her to marry. It is a dark play that ends with a powerful speech given by Katherine about how obedience is the most important quality in a wife. It is not exactly uplifting or feminist… at least not within the text itself. There have been on-stage interpretations that attempt to lessen its dark message (for example, Katherine giving the final speech in an ironic tone), but the issues within the plot remain.
However, Tyler doesn’t take the dark route in her modern story. The key difference in the story is that Kate is saved by her husband, Pyodr. Before her marriage, 29-year-old Kate had been stuck living at home, working her mundane and unfulfilling job at a pre-school, whilst taking care of her workaholic father and bratty younger sister. There is no real conflict with Pyodr, and certainly not the type of abuse that occurs in Shrew.
In an interview about Vinegar Girl, Tyler says, “It’s such a crazy story. People behave so inexplicably that you just know there’s another side to it. Someone’s exaggerating; somebody’s putting his own spin on things. Let’s just figure out what really happened.” While this may be true, my impression is that Tyler glossed over some key elements of Shakespeare’s original work. Granted, this is simply based off Shrew – it is not going to be exactly the same, especially set in modern times – but Tyler made a deliberate point to create certain scenes that mirror Shrew. Because of this, I can’t help but feel uneasy of how Tyler morphs her retelling into a happy story. The word “abuse” is mentioned exactly once towards the end of the book, but it seemed to be tossed in to appease those who know the story of Shrew. Additionally, it is referring to Pyodr yelling at Kate – not anything close to the abuse that occurs in Shrew.
Finally, I was displeased with the lack of depth within the book. In an attempt to lighten the type of story she is telling, Tyler lightens the complexity of her characters. There were many I wanted to get to know better. For example, Kate has an obvious crush on a coworker at the pre-school, Adam. We learn very little about Adam and it would have been interesting to know more about him given Kate marries someone else. I found myself repeatedly asking at the end of the book, “But what about…?”
To summarize, Vinegar Girl is not a bad book. It has its funny and cute moments, and I greatly appreciate the scenes that coordinated with the play. I don’t feel strongly about it either way. Perhaps I have very high expectations because of my background with Shrew, and that makes me highly critical. Regardless, it is always interesting to see authors revamping classic stories. After all, Shakespeare himself did it all the time.
Book Details
| Reviewer: | Guest Reviewer |
|---|---|
| Review Date: | July 30, 2016 |
| Publication Date: | 06/2016 |
| Grade: | C |
| Sensuality | N/A |
| Book Type: | Fiction |
| Review Tags: |
The Scotsman reviewer really liked it:
“You don’t need to have read or seen the Shakespeare play to enjoy this delightful novel. Anne Tyler has taken the ingredients, shaken the bag, and made something 21st century and very American of it. There are a number of excellently drawn minor characters – Tyler has always been able to bring people to life in a couple of sentences – and nicely invented episodes. The comedy is gentler and less crude than in the original from which she is working, and all the better for this. It’s a sunny book, a novel in which the characters are agreeable and the mood benign. One has the impression that the author enjoyed writing it. Anyone who values good writing and the intelligent observation and depiction of how people feel, think and speak, will enjoy it too.”
Atwood’s “Hag-Seed” comes out Oct. 11.
(I wish we could edit.)
I’m a long time fan of Anne Tyler too!
This is where the Hogarth Shakespeare Project is now
1. Jeanette Winterson’s The Gap of Time (The Winter’s Tale)
2. Howard Jacobson’s Shylock Is My Name (The Merchant of Venice)
3. Anne Tyler’s Vinegar Girl (Taming of the Shrew)
4. Margaret Atwood (The Tempest) due this October
.
Yet to come: Tracy Chevalier’s Othello, Gillian Flynn’s Hamlet,
Jo Nesbø’s Macbeth and Edward St Aubyn’s King Lear (2018)
I’m a big fan of revisionist Shakespeare and a long-time fan and reader of Anne Tyler and so this one sounds intriguing.
I also really like Jane Smiley’s review. Particularly the following:
“The first rule for updating Shakespeare is “Look around.” The second is “Be irreverent,” and the third is– …”Don’t choose a comedy,” because expectations abut love and marital connection have changed significantly in the last 400 years…”
“Appropriately for a modern shrew, it is Kate who tames herself by coming to understand what is going on….”
“Vinegar Girl” is an earthy reflection of this fleeting moment, both lively and thoughtful.”
Ms Smiley also points out about the Hogarth Shakespeare project, of which Ms Tyler’s book is the third, “The goal has not been to adhere closely to the plays….”
I loved two things in particular that Anne Tyler said in the Washington Post article.
“Tyler says, “When they first mentioned the possibility to me, I actually laughed, because here’s somebody [Shakespeare] with terrible plots — and they’re not even his own — but wonderful words, and then someone comes along and says, ‘Why don’t you take his terrible plot and add your inferior words to it?’ I mean really, does it make any sense?”
But in the end, it was Shakespeare’s “terrible plot” that won her over.
“There are only so many plots in the world.”
I myself must have started getting old a long time ago since I too have thought for some time that there are only so many plots in the world. That’s why I’m far more interested in character arcs and how well an author writes, not just a story, but a piece that has me looking at something (old) in a new way. I also pay particular attention to an author’s choice of specific words, and how they control the flow of their language. And when all of that is really well done, I don’t notice it at all; I just fly with it.
The book didn’t work for me and I usually love Ms. Taylor.
Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler, review: ‘Hardly a shrew, not really a taming’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/vinegar-girl-by-anne-tyler-review-hardly-a-shrew-not-really-a-ta/
Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler review – skilled but pointless Shakespeare retread
This update of The Taming of the Shrew is enjoyable but never manages to convince that it’s more than a mere marketing exercise
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jun/12/anne-tyler-vinegar-girl-review-taming-shrew-update
Sorry but I keep getting a spam error so I have to post these links one at a time apparently.
Fizzy ‘Vinegar Girl’ Tames Shrewishness To Sparkle
http://www.npr.org/2016/06/21/482023595/fizzy-vinegar-girl-tames-shrewishness-to-sparkle
Touch Up Your Shakespeare” Anne Tyler Recasts ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ for Our Time, by Jane Smiley
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/10/books/review/touch-up-your-shakespeare-anne-tyler-recasts-the-taming-of-the-shrew-for-our-time.html
Anne Tyler loathes Shakespeare. So she decided to rewrite one of his plays.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/in-a-rare-interview-anne-tyler-talks-about-her-unusual-new-novel/2016/06/21/640b99c0-3311-11e6-8ff7-7b6c1998b7a0_story.html
OK, this review just makes me want to rewatch Ten Things I Hate About You.
Taming of the Shrew has one of my least favorite storylines and Ten Things I Hate About You is pretty much the only take on Shrew that I’ve ever liked. Such a good movie!