From the Stacks: A modern take on 'The Taming of the Shrew' in 'Vinegar Girl'

I originally picked up the book "Vinegar Girl" because I was interested in the author, Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Tyler (she's kind of a big deal in the literary world).

I became even more intrigued when I flipped to the back to discover it was a retelling of William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," a play well known for glorifying the submissive woman. I had high hopes that modern telling by a Pulitzer prize winner like Tyler might turn the tables on such ideas of gender injustice and curiously checked out the title from the library.

In "Vinegar Girl," Kate is a socially awkward, painfully honest college dropout who has put aside her own ambitions to help her family. After losing her mother at a young age, she takes on a maternal role with her attractive and charming younger sister, Bunny. Kate's father is an aloof professor obsessed with his work and is largely disinterested in the personal lives of his daughters until he sees Kate as a solution to a problem. The problem: His brilliant lab assistant, Pyotr, is facing deportation at the height of discovery in their scientific research. The solution: Pyotr must marry his daughter Kate, of course; what else does she possibly have going on in her life?

Alas, this was one of the problems I had in the book. Kate doesn't actually have much going on in her life, and it takes Pyotr's influence to make her more ambitious and self interested. While I found the story itself entertaining and amusing, my hopes of a truly modern novel that addressed gender inequality were dashed. While "Vinegar Girl" didn't smash gender inequities to my particular satisfaction, I didn't feel it set the issues back either.

Honestly, I'm still sorting out my feelings on the book. Was this novel helpful in the plight of women's issues or not? This title would certainly be a good choice for a women's book group to spark discussion.

"Vinegar Girl" is available for checkout in print, audio and ebook formats from Missouri River Regional Library.

Noelle Parker is the Osage Branch manager for Missouri River Regional Library.