Vinegar Girl

William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew Retold: A Novel

By: Anne Tyler

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize winner and American master Anne Tyler brings us an inspired, witty, and irresistible contemporary take on one of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies.

Kate Battista feels stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and uppity, pretty younger sister, Bunny? Plus, she's always in trouble at work - her preschool charges adore her, but their parents don't always appreciate her unusual opinions and forthright manner.

Dr. Battista has other problems. After years out in the academic wilderness, he is on the verge of a breakthrough. His research could help millions. There's only one problem: His brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. And without Pyotr, all would be lost.

When Dr. Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he's relying - as usual - on Kate to help him. Kate is furious: This time he's really asking too much. But will she be able to resist the two men's touchingly ludicrous campaign to bring her around?

©2016 Anne Tyler (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Everyone loves Anne Tyler." ( San Francisco Chronicle)

"Without Anne Tyler, American fiction would be an immeasurably bleaker place." ( Newsday)

"You are involved before you even notice you were paying attention.... Her feel for character is so keen that even hardened metafictionalists [who] would happily fry the whole notion of 'character' for breakfast are reduced to the role of helpless gossips, swapping avid hunches about the possible fates of the characters." (Tom Shone, The New Yorker)

Hilarous and clever

The narrator did a wonderful job. I found the book witty and quite funny.

Another Delightful Tyler novel

Fun retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, with quirky characters. I grew fond of them and hated for the story to end.

Moderately engaging plot. Performance not so much

This was a predictable plot moderately interesting. Would have been better as a library loan than a purchase.
What really detracted was the performance. The reader was good and consistent however she sounded like she was speaking down a pipe. Hollow and kind of like speaking in a tile bath. I found the performance annoying.

It took me a minute, but...

I kept forgetting this was a retelling of the Taming of the Shrew. but one I remembered this story became delightful. the readers accents were a little muddled to me especially close to the end.

Completely entertaining

Well read and entertaining. Really enjoyed the accents. Refreshing story of hope, love and family

Yes indeed

Yes indeed I loved it. Great story (based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew). The narrator was quite possibly the best I’ve ever encountered. More of her work will be going on my wishlist for certain. 😎

Can Shakespeare's Wrong be Made Right?

If you could sum up Vinegar Girl in three words, what would they be?

Listen twice +

If you’ve listened to books by Anne Tyler before, how does this one compare?

I have read Tyler, but this is my first listen via Audible.

Which character – as performed by Kirsten Potter – was your favorite?

As Kate matures, all of the characters become more complex than they are when first introduced. I believe this is deliberate on Tyler's part.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

As a modern woman, The Taming of the Shrew and Kiss Me Kate are difficult to like, except as very surface entertainment. But in Vinegar Girl, when Kate expresses her sympathy for the difficult lives men lead (on my 2nd listening), I began to understand that Tyler is doing more than just retelling the original with political correctness. There is more beneath the surface.

Any additional comments?

If done well, this could make a good movie. "10 Things I Hate About You" was not a bad retelling, but it was made for a younger audience. I think there is real potential for Vinegar Girl.

fun listen on a rainy day

as usual, Shakespeare makes for a fun, thought provoking story. Tyler's retelling was supremely fun and the narration was spot-on!

Diagloue weak but enjoyable story to hear.

Character development not particularly good. Classic story and great performance makes it a nice way to pass time.

Disappointing

None of the main characters are likable. Kate is a 29-year-old aimless, college dropout who is on the edge of losing her job as a teaching assistant at a nursery school. She takes care of her workaholic father and her 15-year-old sister, Bunny (who is a two-dimensional ditzy teenager true to her name).