A NPR CONCIERGE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR“Jane fans rejoice! . . . Exceptional storytelling and a true delight.” —Helen Simonson, author of the New York Times bestselling novels Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand and The Summer Before the WarMary, 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 … 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.
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I’ve spent 2 days reading and relishing The Other Bennet Sister, putting the book down against my will so that I could think on passages, and reflect on the characterization, as well as the growth, of Mary. A fantastic debut novel, its also a psychological and social statement. I loved this story–even when vexed by the heroine and the world which confined her–which made the ending all the more satisfying. Truly satisfying and beautifully written, The Other Bennet Sister is my favorite book I’ve read so far this year. Highly recommend for those who love historical fiction, women’s fiction, and HEAs.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that if there is a new Jane Austen adaption, I will read it no questions asked. It’s no secret that I’m a massive Pride and Prejudice fan but I have always suspected, in my heart of hearts, that I was more of a Mary than a Lizzie. However, now that Janice Hadlow has transformed Mary into a heroine equal to her sisters, this is a distinction I can now bear with pride. Over the course of this substantively sized novel, Hadlow explores whatever happened to Mary Bennet, the plainer, awkward, bookish sister of Lizzie and Jane. This was the perfect quarantine comfort read. Hadlow just had the language, voice and atmosphere so entirely right I almost felt like I was picking up where Austen left off. I loved that Mary’s journey centred on finding her own sense of self-esteem and learning to love herself rather than waiting for a guy with ten thousand pounds a year and a massive estate to tell her she’s worth something. I thought the ending was perfect and showed how far she had come in terms of her confidence and courage since the beginning of the novel. I thought the inclusion of other characters from Pride and Prejudice was also very well done, enough to satisfy fans of the original while still keeping the focus squarely on Mary, where it belonged. Indeed, the focus on Mary allowed for a deeper look into other characters who normally don’t get much of a look in, like Charlotte Lucas, Mrs Gardiner and Mr Collins (who by the end I had a bit of a soft spot for!). In short, a delight from start to finish and a total must read for all Austen fans.
This is a book for Jane Austen fans and anyone who likes authentically depicted historical novels of Middle Class Regency England. This is the story of Mary Bennet, the middle sister who is awkward and plain. Beginning at the point of Pride and Prejudice’s initial chapters it follows the familiar storyline, but from a different viewpoint and experience. Mary is a sympathetic character who seems destined for a miserable spinsterhood, especially after they are all married off and fate takes another terrible twist for her. But this is Mary’s story and her own understanding deepens and unfolds as she blooms gradually and devises her own happy ending. Written in the spirit and voice of an Austen novel it is both a compelling story and real insight into the times.
This Pride & Prejudice variation begins with Mary’s childhood, and the discovery that she is plain. The emotional abuse that Mrs Bennet afflicts on Mary affects her so much she withdraws from Jane and Elizabeth, thinking herself unworthy.
Then two years pass after Charlotte’s wedding. It is now time Mary must decide what to do, as she visits various families. Which one can offer her at the very least some peace.
Really enjoyed this delightful well-written story of my favourite Bennet daughter.
Opposed to the books I usually read – and definitely to the fiction I write – I’m a huge fan of Pride & Prejudice. I’m drawn to books which continue the story and love to be plunged back into the world Jane Austen created. Some of these are lacking, but The Other Bennet Sister was a wonderful novel, remaining close to the words, characters and overall ambience of the original novel.
Mary’s tale was beautifully told, starting prior to Bingley moving into Netherfield and then way beyond the marriages of all her sisters. Scenes which focused on Lizzy and Jane in the original were told from Mary’s perspective. One which stood out was Mary being forced from the piano to let ‘other young ladies have time to exhibit’ – the impact of which had long-lasting consequences for Mary which Janice Hadlow realised but Austen and readers of P&P perhaps overlooked.
Under Hadlow’s touch, Mary became a rounded character, asking how she could fit into the world without the beauty and wit of her elder sisters, and observing the relationships around her. Indeed. the author succeeded in making Mr Collins a much more sympathetic character than he had been in the original.
This is possibly my favourite continuation, and one I look forward to reading again.
If I were to rate most of the book, I would say it was a whopping solid 5 stars for me. I really, really, really loved it. For a long while I’ve felt sorry for Mary; she’s the stepped-on middle child in a dysfunctional family. Sure, she’s dour, but her personality always made sense to me when you figure that she’s got a father who is kind of a jerk to everyone but his favorite daughter and a mother who only cares about looks and status, which Mary has neither. And then you’ve got her gorgeous sisters who pair off to be besties, ignoring her.
So, I loved seeing Mary’s story.
Fair warning: this is a slow burn story. It spends the first half or so as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Mary’s perspective. We see why she is the way she is, and it’s absolutely gutwrenching. I love me a plain Jane heroine with self-esteem issues who tries to sort through her life and discover what she wants. And this book has that in spades.
Then the story goes beyond Lizzy and Jane’s happily ever after to talk about what happens to Mary as she struggles to find a place for her after her father dies, and she’s left without a home. Seriously, I shed a ton of tears through so much of it. The pain she suffers is really well handled and conveyed, and I loved the book. I couldn’t put it down.
The second half of the story shows Mary undergoing a transformation (yes, she has the stereotypical makeover moment, but it’s really well done…no “take off the glasses and suddenly she’s hot!” but more of an extension of the fact that she’s coming to love herself, and she isn’t suddenly the hottest girl simply because she’s got better clothes). With that, she meets a couple of suitors and the story shifts into a Regency romance. It’s definitely not as strong as the first half of the book, but that’s mostly because my favorite aspect of the book was the character arc, and a lot of that is shunted to the side in favor of the romance. Overall, a 5-star book.
I am sorry to say that I didn’t like the ending. From the time where the hero and heroine have their misunderstanding/final conflict that drives them apart in preparation for the final resolution & declaration, the story didn’t work for me. Part of that is the fact that it felt like it was cobbled together from bits of Austen’s stories. There were even parts that were near identical to very iconic scenes and declarations and scenes in her books.
And frankly, the actual declaration scene itself kind of irritated me because the way it unfolded felt extremely out of character for Mary and seemed like it was just an attempt to make her a strong modern female. It just didn’t work for me.
That aside, I still enjoyed the book. What’s hard is when you love most of it so much, it’s so easy for the ending not to stand up to the rest of it. I seriously adored this book. It was one of the best I’ve read in a long time, but I really didn’t like the last 10% or so. If the rest of the book hadn’t been so amazing, it probably wouldn’t have bothered me, but here we are…
So all-around, I’d give it a 4-star. Even though the ending really fell flat for me, the rest of the book was so amazing that I don’t feel like I can give it anything less than 4.
This was a great idea for a book! If you love Pride and Prejudice, you will enjoy this book. It is a spin off of Pride and Prejudicfocusing on the middle sister in the Bennet family. Such fun revisiting these characters. She’s the “plain one”.
I loved it!
I enjoyed this novel, however; I did not like the first pages that sort of followed the plot of Pride and Prejudice too closely and sort of made characters I know and love worse than they were in the original. I thought Mary was too much into her own pity-party during this part of the book.
I am a huge Austen fan and know Pride and Prejudice, so I was annoyed by crudely-handled repetitions from Pride and Prejudice. I felt she painted beloved characters from the original too darkly where Austen was able to give imperfect characters the benefit of the doubt by using light irony and making their deficiencies in character amusing and tolerable.
I felt that this author got onto much firmer ground when she branched away from the original Pride and Prejudice and invented her own story. I thoroughly enjoyed the second half of the book when Mary bloomed.
If you start to read this book and it seems too similar to “Pride and Prejudice”, I humbly urge you to continue. Seamlessly it becomes a story of “THE OTHER BENNETT SISTER”, Mary.
Previously portrayed in P&P as the sister who was the least interesting, invisible, a pious zealot and socially clumsy. However, Still Waters Run Deep. Mary’s story proves this to be true. Also explained is perhaps why she is perceived as the last interesting Bennett Sister.
Personally speaking, I believe it to be a well written novel. I am so pleased that I continued on reading this book at several places where I was going to stop reading it.
TRY IT, YOU MAY LIKE IT!
As a Jane Austen lover, I don’t always love books that are set in her world, but this one was such a winner for me. Great use of language and setting, and such an endearing take on Mary Bennett. I always worried a bit that I were a Bennett I’d be Mary– so nice that she has been given a life and a mind of her own. I was impressed that this was a debut novel.
I really didn’t know what to expect but the author drew me into Mary’s story from the first page. Loved all of the characters and the description of London of that period as her story developed. When I finished reading the book I immediately read it a second time.
A wonderful story with some surprises to keep you guessing. I never thought I’d feel sorry for Mr Collins but he was portrayed so sensitively in this book. Mary’s growth was lovely to watch and the story kept your interest.
loved it
I really loved this book. I loved that so many things were tied into Jane Austen’s original books. Great fun read. Grab some tea, a comfy spot and read.
It was hard to find the right words to describe The Other Bennet Sister. If you are a Pride and Prejudice fan you will probably enjoy this. I don’t think I will watch or read P&P the same way again. This book is divided into four parts. The first part is P&P from Mary Bennet’s eyes. The last three parts stray into new territory – following Mary as she tries to find a place for herself and to accept herself as a worthwhile person. It was an enjoyable read!
I am very hesitant to read a book “post-Austen” because they are always disappointing and come no where near a “true” Austen. However, “The Other Bennet Sister” is on the mark. Janice Hadlow has definitely created the book that fills in the blanks about the fifth sister. I highly recommend it, but be prepared the length is 500+ pages and if there is any complaint, it does drag in places with overwriting. Nonetheless, I’ll definitely read it again.
A heroine that even Ms. Austen would approve of. A treat for ― and for anyone else who likes their fiction to have sense and sensibility.
Jane fans rejoice! I loved this thoroughly estimable, worthy homage to Austen. Exceptional storytelling and a true delight.
All any of us want is a little attention, she thought…~from The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow
Poor Mary Bennett, the ‘ugly duckling’ sister, the comic foil, the forgotten and ignored child! Portrayed in film as squinting, clueless, socially inept, pseudo-intellectual, and plain.
Her story must be depressing. She watches her older sisters marry well for love, and her silliest, youngest sister at least snags a handsome rake. Even Charlotte Lucas gets her ever after–happy to have a home if not Mr. Collins as a mate.
Janice Hadlow’s debut novel The Other Bennett Sister channels Austen’s character Mary Bennett, imagining a worthy character who lives into a richer life. The novel shows inspiration from Austen’s story and themes yet Hadlow develops the story in an original way, true to the historical time and setting.
Themes of self-realization, self-recreation, learning through error, prejudice and pride, sense and sensibility are all a part of Mary’s path.
The first part of the book follows Pride and Prejudice from Mary’s perspective. Those of us familiar with Austen’s novel must be patient; the best is to come. We do learn that Mary had taken to reading theology and philosophy hoping for her father’s approval.
After her sisters, including Kitty, are married and Mr. Bennett has passed, twenty-year-old Mary and Mrs. Bennett are dependent on the rich sisters. Miss Bingley takes out her disappointment on Mary with whispered jabs. And the Darcy household is too happy and perfect to easily allow her room. In desperation, Mary turns to the Gardiners. They offer Mary the example of a happy marriage, value her for herself, and provide good counsel.
When Mary is convinced to select a new wardrobe to better suit London society, I loved the descriptions of spotted and stripped and sprigged muslins, the fad colors of coromandel and jonquil, the green dress that will replace the dull colors that had allowed Mary to previously disappear into the woodwork.
In her simple elegance, Mary takes her place in society and attracts the attention of several men. One combines good sense and steadiness with a love of poetry. The other embraces free-thinking and prefers the pursuit of sensation as life’s goal.
She meets men with a love of the novel. I love the many references to the literature and poetry that arises in conversation:
William Godwin’s Poetic Justice
Mary Wollstonecraft
Lord Byron and Shelley
Tintern Abbey and We Are Seven by William Wordsworth; also his Guide to the Lakes
Evelina by Fanny Burney
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
Pamela and Sir Charles Grandison by Samuel Richardson
I loved how the Romantic Era makes its impact on her life with Mary’s (unsuitable) beau extolling feeling and sensation and rejecting cultural expectations and values, especially concerning the role of women and marriage as a socio-economic compromise.
Our lives are so brief and yet we spend so much of them obeying rules we did not make.~ from The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow
Mary early prefers the steady man. But his reticence leaves Mary to be persuaded into unwise decisions.
This landscape gives us a proper sense of perspective. It shows us our smallness in the great scheme of things.~ from The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow
The Gardiners take that trip to the Lake District they had once planned for Elizabeth; Mary’s preferred beau accompanies them while the other just shows up.
Before she came to the Lakes, she had read a great deal about the subline–sights so extraordinary they could not be adequately described, only felt and experienced. She had never expected to feel for herself such an extraordinary consummation.~ from The Other Bennett Sister by Janice Hadlow
The group decides to walk up the second largest mountain in England. It is a rocky climb that will last all day–and threatens Mary’s future happiness.
The romance has enough twists and turns for any Austen lover, with the satisfaction of a happy ending. This is not a plot giveaway–any Austen fan fiction must have it’s happily ever after.
Hadlow has given us a fantastic read.
I was given access to a free egalley by the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow is an excellent followup of one of the lesser-known Bennet sisters, Mary, from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
I was so excited to be able to read this book as I am a HUGE fan of Austen. I also have very high expectations from authors that use any of her beloved characters to create either a new novel, or a “part two” concept from a previous novel. Some have not been very impressive I have to say.
BUT, this book definitely fits the bill. There were so many things I loved about this book:
The prose and pace elegantly matched P&P and I really did feel as if it was just a continuation of the original classic.
Mary was described appropriately, however the author was able to add more interest and depth to her character. One could see that while she was smart and independent-minded, she was also a bit of a drag and Debbie Downer at times, which I think totally describes her perfectly.
I liked the multi-faceted approach to describing her life and thoughts not only during the time of which the book originally takes place, but also in the years ahead.
I also loved that Mary finally got to have her day, happy ending, and her spotlight for a time.
I feel that this is a great read that does Mary, P&P, Jane Austen proud. I am impressed.
5/5 stars