Reviews

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow

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katalina_81's review

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emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.5

joallott's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

reading_by_the_beach's review

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emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I didn't expect to actually FEEL so much when I started reading this book, but from page one my heart was aching for Mary more than it did when I read the original P&P novel.

The writing in this is fantastic. I love that it's not trying to mimic Austen's style, but that it's trying to keep the tone and voice as authentic as possible.

One important thing for readers to keep in mind is that this book is completely told through Mary's perspective. So the personality traits and actions of others that Lizzy had been able to ignore or laugh off in P&P are seen through the eyes of someone without that kind of emotional resiliency. In a way, it's taking the over-exaggerated personality traits from the books that readers could laugh at, and showing what could happen in reality to someone who was on the receiving end of them.

Really, the only reason this doesn't get a full 5 stars from me is because the romance felt extremely rushed; but in the end it's understandable, given how long the novel is now.

100% recommend for Jane Austen fans who want a Mary-focused story!