Polite Society

3.5/5 stars

This was a modern reimagining of Jane Austen’s Emma that was reminiscent of Crazy Rich Asians. Ania seemed to have it all together. Living in Delhi, she loved meddling and playing matchmaker to her friends and family. This was a complex and sometimes funny story about Ania’s journey through self-discovery and happiness.

I really enjoyed the characters in this story. They were pretentious and totally oblivious to the world around them. Rao introduced enough character development and backstory to remind me that while they do seem to be living these perfect, privileged lives, they also have experienced darker moment in life.

I did find some parts to be slower. There were many minor characters to track and many sub-plots that made the overall story feel a bit disjointed to me. Overall, it was a good story, but not exactly a page-turner.