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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
hopeful
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
If you are a feminist P&P fan, you will want to read this, and you should, even though at times it will feel like a bit of a slog, like an assignment. The thing is, Mary is awfully serious. This book rescues her from the merely ridiculous, but she's still just so very earnest, and her situation is so very unfortunate.
One thing this book does that I haven't seen done elsewhere is asking--what did Mr. Collins get out of his marriage? Is it comfortable to be married to someone who finds you contemptible? Lots of people ask what it was like to be Charlotte... but at least she understood the bargain she was making. Mr. Collins didn't, and maybe he eventually noticed. I found it a very original question.
One thing this book does that I haven't seen done elsewhere is asking--what did Mr. Collins get out of his marriage? Is it comfortable to be married to someone who finds you contemptible? Lots of people ask what it was like to be Charlotte... but at least she understood the bargain she was making. Mr. Collins didn't, and maybe he eventually noticed. I found it a very original question.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-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
Mary always made me a little sad in the original p&p book. When she wasn’t being super annoying lol. I think this was a great study of her character. It was really great to follow her as she thought so deeply about what she observed of the different relationships in her life and what she would want for her own life. How it would make her happy and what she could live with.
I’m not the biggest reader of Jane Austen’s works but I thought the author really nailed the overall tone of a Austen book while still being their own thing.
I’m not the biggest reader of Jane Austen’s works but I thought the author really nailed the overall tone of a Austen book while still being their own thing.
I absolutely love this – it's a lovely, powerful and sweet book and I just adored it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-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
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
slow-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
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
Fan fiction is so alluring because it allows us to spend more time in a world we love with the characters we love. The best fan fiction, as I would argue The Other Bennet Sister is, pushes us to reconsider the motivations and actions of these beloved characters. This fresh revisit to Longbourn is both faithful to the original but brings to light the perspective of the most unassuming of the Bennet sisters.
A book in three parts, the story is slow to unfold but felt authentic in both style and substance to Austen. Mary’s likability started out similar to how she felt in the original: she’s a bit boring and easy to disregard in a houseful of other ladies who command attention. Hearing her inner monologue shed light on her family’s mistreatment of her, makes her pitiful self-loathing understandable and even relatable. As her character strengthens, I thought her embrace of self-love and acceptance to be the true triumph of the story. I found her romance to be sweet and perfectly aligned with the story of her development.
The only thing I think could have improved the book is a little more time fully developing a few of the other characters. So much time was spent on exploring all of Mary’s strengths, weaknesses, and the intricacies in between, that I felt that some of the other characters felt a little too one-dimensional. In particular, Ms. Bingley and Mrs. Bennet felt a little too stale, whereas characters like Jane, Lizzie, Mr. Bennet, and Charlotte were given additional facets of their characters to examine.
Overall, I thought this was a lovely take on a beloved classic.
A book in three parts, the story is slow to unfold but felt authentic in both style and substance to Austen. Mary’s likability started out similar to how she felt in the original: she’s a bit boring and easy to disregard in a houseful of other ladies who command attention. Hearing her inner monologue shed light on her family’s mistreatment of her, makes her pitiful self-loathing understandable and even relatable. As her character strengthens, I thought her embrace of self-love and acceptance to be the true triumph of the story. I found her romance to be sweet and perfectly aligned with the story of her development.
The only thing I think could have improved the book is a little more time fully developing a few of the other characters. So much time was spent on exploring all of Mary’s strengths, weaknesses, and the intricacies in between, that I felt that some of the other characters felt a little too one-dimensional. In particular, Ms. Bingley and Mrs. Bennet felt a little too stale, whereas characters like Jane, Lizzie, Mr. Bennet, and Charlotte were given additional facets of their characters to examine.
Overall, I thought this was a lovely take on a beloved classic.