“Kate Battista feels stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and uppity, pretty younger sister Bunny?”
Now that is a good question. Kate is definitely stuck. Stuck in a living situation that is not ideal, stuck in a family dynamic that is not always easy, and stuck in a job she doesn’t care about and simply fell into. Her father is finally hitting his stride with his research and is possibly about to make a breakthrough. However, the fact that his brilliant assistant Pyotr is months away from being deported is a big problem. A problem that Dr. Battista feels could be solved by Kate herself. However, can Kate be convinced to take part in his scheme?
Inspired by Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, Vinegar Girl is a light and easy read. Having not read the Shakespearean play I can only share my take on the novel as a contemporary story. Unfortunately, as a contemporary story it does fall flat and did not work for me in a few different ways. Kate is a 29 year-old modern woman, which makes a lot of her choices and behaviour confusing and at times frustrating. The motivation behind her actions is never fully explored or explained, and the immaturity of her general attitude is quite tiresome. Similarly, Pyotr is a one-note character whose intentions and feelings are confusing, plus his portrayal as “the foreigner” comes off as stereotypical and not humorous, which is what I assume was the intention. The story overall does not live up to the fun and quirky potential of the premise.
*ARC provided by NetGalley. Publication date: June 21, 2016.
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