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A review by cheekylaydee
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I've read this several times now and it is honestly the best Austen retelling I've encountered. It actually succeeds in taking Pride and Prejudice and by telling it from Mary Benett's point of view allows the reader to experience it in a way that will forever alter your view of the original.
It really is an extraordinary piece of work. Those of us that know P&P well will recognise the events that take place in the first half of the book but we experience them from a different POV making you look at Mary (arguably the most underdeveloped of Austen's Bennett sisters in terms of character) in a completely new light.
You feel sympathy and understanding when you realise where some of her opinions and actions have come from and you find yourself feeling sorry for her especially when it comes to her futile attempts to please a mother that can see no deeper that outside appearances.
However it is the second half of the book when Mary really comes into her own. Once her sisters have made their fortuitous marriages and the death of Mr Bennett brings about the entailment of Longbourn. Mary has to find her place in the world as a woman of no consequence and without the good looks and sparkling personalities of her four sisters to help her catch an eligible man.
She is so much more than a studious bookworm. She is smart and steady, sensible and loyal. She's brave and true and she has a mountain to climb when it comes to building up self esteem that has been trodden into the ground. Mary Bennett is our true heroine.
It really is an extraordinary piece of work. Those of us that know P&P well will recognise the events that take place in the first half of the book but we experience them from a different POV making you look at Mary (arguably the most underdeveloped of Austen's Bennett sisters in terms of character) in a completely new light.
You feel sympathy and understanding when you realise where some of her opinions and actions have come from and you find yourself feeling sorry for her especially when it comes to her futile attempts to please a mother that can see no deeper that outside appearances.
However it is the second half of the book when Mary really comes into her own. Once her sisters have made their fortuitous marriages and the death of Mr Bennett brings about the entailment of Longbourn. Mary has to find her place in the world as a woman of no consequence and without the good looks and sparkling personalities of her four sisters to help her catch an eligible man.
She is so much more than a studious bookworm. She is smart and steady, sensible and loyal. She's brave and true and she has a mountain to climb when it comes to building up self esteem that has been trodden into the ground. Mary Bennett is our true heroine.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Bullying