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"Jane fans rejoice! . . . Exceptional storytelling and a true delight."—Helen Simonson,author of the New York Times bestselling novels Major Pettigrew's Last Stand andThe Summer Before the War Mary, the bookish ugly duckling of Pride and Prejudice's five Bennet sisters, emerges from the shadows and transforms into a desired woman with choices of her own. What if Mary Bennet's life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister, a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Jane Austen fans. Ultimately, Mary's journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself—and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love. Mary's destiny diverges from that of her sisters. It does not involve broad acres or landed gentry. But it does include a man; and, as in all Austen novels, Mary must decide whether he is the truly the one for her. In The Other Bennet Sister, Mary is a fully rounded character—complex, conflicted, and often uncertain; but also vulnerable, supremely sympathetic, and ultimately the protagonist of an uncommonly satisfying debut novel. A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company
Mind_Booster_Noori: The Other Bennett Sister works on its own, but it will be more enjoyable after reading the book that inspires it, "Pride and Prejudice".
Pride and Prejudice part 2 from the viewpoint of Mary, the plain and awkward middle sister. Mary is nobody's favorite and finds herself the outcast in a large family. What's a girl to do?!
I loved P&P - and Hadlow does a good job of picking up where P&P left off and doing it in a way that it reads as a sequel - not just a borrowing of the world and characters of P&P.
In this book, Mary gets her due and becomes a well-developed character. I liked how Mary developed and matures from unlikeable awkward teen with little self-confidence into a more self-assured young woman. Mary's perspective of her friends and family adds depth to the P&P world. There's some rehashing of P&P from Mary's point of view at the beginning of the book- and I thought it was well done, but it's where the story takes off into new territory that things become interesting. (I still don't know what to think of Charlotte, and feel rather sorry for Mr. Collins). Things get a little draggy during a trip to the Lake country, but overall I really enjoyed this one. ( )
First, allow me to confess that I am a fan of [b:Pride and Prejudice|1885|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320399351l/1885._SY75_.jpg|3060926].
This Regency styled retelling started out well, with the story centered around Mary, who could be considered the least understood Bennet sister. I was enjoying seeing things through the eyes of Mary when events started paralleling those found in Pride and Prejudice. It was at that point, I started to lose interest. Things did pick up again as it moved beyond P & P, with an unattached Mary moving around from household to household. Seeing Mary's growth and personal observations was worthwhile but I must say the book never completely recaptured my interest and the ending was predictable.
3 stars for a decent fanfiction story based on a classic novel. ( )
One has to admire the industry of the author of this long (650 pages) book about the destiny of plain Mary Bennet, the odd one out of the Bennet sisters from P&P. It follows a logical structure, showing Mary trying to deal with her sisters and mother in the years soon after P&P takes place, then replaying some of P&P from her point of view when Mr Collins is there, then her staying with Charlotte Lucas at Longbourn (hint) and then the healing effect of going to stay with Aunt Gardiner. I think it's fair to say that the book is at its strongest in the sections which are furthest awat from the original, in particular the last parts dealing with her time in London and the Lake District with the Gardiners. These are very good. It's a bit more laboured in the first sections. But overall for fans of P&P very well worth taking the time to read it. Worth noting that in most of the book Hadlow makes to no attempt to write in Austenesque language (though it isn't 'modern' either), and all the better for that. ( )
"Jane fans rejoice! . . . Exceptional storytelling and a true delight."—Helen Simonson,author of the New York Times bestselling novels Major Pettigrew's Last Stand andThe Summer Before the War Mary, the bookish ugly duckling of Pride and Prejudice's five Bennet sisters, emerges from the shadows and transforms into a desired woman with choices of her own. What if Mary Bennet's life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister, a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Jane Austen fans. Ultimately, Mary's journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself—and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love. Mary's destiny diverges from that of her sisters. It does not involve broad acres or landed gentry. But it does include a man; and, as in all Austen novels, Mary must decide whether he is the truly the one for her. In The Other Bennet Sister, Mary is a fully rounded character—complex, conflicted, and often uncertain; but also vulnerable, supremely sympathetic, and ultimately the protagonist of an uncommonly satisfying debut novel. A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company
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Mary, the bookish ugly duckling of Pride and Prejudice’s five Bennet sisters, emerges from the shadows and transforms into a desired woman with choices of her own.
What if Mary Bennet’s life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of The Other Bennet Sister, a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Austen fans.
Ultimately, Mary’s journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself—and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love.
Mary’s destiny diverges from that of her sisters. It does not involve broad acres or landed gentry. But it does include a man; and, as in all Austen novels, Mary must decide whether he is truly the one for her. In The Other Bennet Sister, Mary is a fully rounded character—complex conflicted, and often uncertain; but also vulnerable, supremely sympathetic, and ultimately the protagonist of an uncommonly satisfying debut novel.
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I loved P&P - and Hadlow does a good job of picking up where P&P left off and doing it in a way that it reads as a sequel - not just a borrowing of the world and characters of P&P.
In this book, Mary gets her due and becomes a well-developed character. I liked how Mary developed and matures from unlikeable awkward teen with little self-confidence into a more self-assured young woman. Mary's perspective of her friends and family adds depth to the P&P world. There's some rehashing of P&P from Mary's point of view at the beginning of the book- and I thought it was well done, but it's where the story takes off into new territory that things become interesting. (I still don't know what to think of Charlotte, and feel rather sorry for Mr. Collins). Things get a little draggy during a trip to the Lake country, but overall I really enjoyed this one. (