Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors: a new twist on a Jane Austen classic

Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev is the first book in the Rajes series. The Rajes are an immigrant Indian family, who descended from royalty, have built their lives in San Francisco. Dr. Trisha Raje is an acclaimed and well-respected neurosurgeon. However, that is not good enough for her family. Her family has gained wealth and notoriety by following three simple and non-negotiable rules: Never trust an outsider, Never do anything to jeopardize your brother’s political aspirations, and Never, ever defy your family. Trisha is guilty of breaking all three rules which is why the overachieving daughter is considered the black sheep of the family. But she is determined to redeem herself. DJ Caine is an up-and-coming chef who is well aware of people like the Rajes. But he needs the lucrative and prestigious jobs that they can offer. He immediately clashes with Trisha only to discover that she is the only surgeon who can save his sister’s life. Can they overcome their differences and find the life they both crave? 

I am not a Jane Austen fan, although I do enjoy movie adaptations of her books. Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors was widely praised and I was eager to read it. It is beautifully written with descriptive language that I could almost taste the food that DJ made. There is a lot going on in this story. However, I was bored. I couldn’t stand the arrogance of Trisha. While she may be a genius surgeon, she missed the class on patient care and bedside manner. DJ was the only character who was likable and yet it was hard to like him. It was hard to find the parallels between Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and this story. There was so much going on with this book that I had a hard time wrapping my head around the events as they happened and “resolved.” Overall, I did not enjoy Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors and will most likely not finish the rest of the series. However, if you are a fan of Jane Austen, you may enjoy Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors. 

Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook