Book Details:Prada and Prejudice
by Mandy Hubbard
Genre: Young Adult
Published 2009, Razorbill
Paperback, 238 pages
ISBN: 9781595142603
Synopsis:
"To impress the popular girls on a high school trip to London, klutzy Callie buys real Prada heels. But trying them on, she trips…conks her head…and wakes up in the year 1815!
There Callie meets Emily, who takes her in, mistaking her for a long-lost friend. As she spends time with Emily's family, Callie warms to them—particularly to Emily’s cousin Alex, a hottie and a duke, if a tad arrogant.
But can Callie save Emily from a dire engagement, and win Alex’s heart, before her time in the past is up?
More Cabot than Ibbotson, Prada and Prejudice is a high-concept romantic comedy about finding friendship and love in the past in order to have happiness in the present."
I really enjoyed this book for how much fun it was to simply get inside the head of such a unique and quirky teenager as she is thrown into circumstances that many fans of Jane Austen could only dream of. Her lack of knowledge of the time period seems a bit over the top at times, but I quickly adjusted to Callie's strong emotions and opinions. I found it strange that all of the people around Callie, once she travels to 1815, seem to take everything she does and says in stride, barely taking notice of how much she clashes with the customs and traditions of the time period. Plus, it's just sheer dumb luck that she got to be a "guest" of a Duke, rather than a servant. But I often found myself laughing out loud at her awkwardness, as well as the effect she has on the people around her, such as teaching the "robot" dance to two young men. Her spontaneity and passionate responses are both her charm and her weakness, but her sincerity in wanting to do the right thing make everything come together in the end. Callie is a girl that I would love to meet and hang out with, just to see what she would do or say next. I was able to predict the ending way ahead of time, even though I was not crazy about it ending the way it did. I would have much prefered Callie to remain in 1815, since I can't do it myself!
Cover: Jean-clad legs with red high heels and a tea cup grace the cover, giving a great visual of the infamous Prada shoes. I love the cover because it does a good job of conveying a sense of fun that the text is rife with.
First Line: "It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a teen girl on a class trip to England should be having the time of her life."
A great introduction for the novel - it gives a hint of quirkiness characteristic of the narrator, along with some background information.
Favorite Quote: "Alex is standing so close I can smell him, this masculine musky scent that makes me want to rest my head on his chest and breathe in."
Read For: Pages Read Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge, New Authors Challenge, Twenty-Ten Challenge
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