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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Did not disappoint. A great followup to Austen’s book. Loved it!
emotional
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
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
4.25*
“Our happiness depends on ourselves”
“If I don’t have the genius to create a thing of beauty myself, at least I have the judgement to appreciate the art of others. It is better to accept what I can do, than to yearn hopelessly after what I cannot.”
While watching one of Pride and Prejudice’s adaptation for the screen (the one with Keira Knightley), I realised that Mary, the middle daughter in the Bennet family, had hidden depths and interests. Talulah Riley portrayed her not as a caricature and object to be ridiculed, but as a person with hopes and wants; an introvert in a family of extroverts. It was very subtle - blink and miss it - but it was there! Imagine my curiosity when I found out someone had imagined and written Mary's story! Yes - I had to read it!
Hadlow’s tale can be divided into 3 parts: before P&P, during, and after. I must say I loved seeing this new point of view on beloved, and some not so beloved, characters. The author made me re-evaluate certain aspects to great effects. Mrs Bennet, I’m sorry to say, is even worse, but Mr Collins becomes someone I can understand a little better and feel kinder to (I know, I was surprised too!). And what of Mary?! Well, Hadlow builds upon what Austen gave us, and creates a complex, flawed, and likeable character. She stumbles through life, trying to find her place, trying to understand herself and this world that is so cruel to girls. She makes mistakes, often in an effort to be loved by those around her, but sadly she is met with indifference and malice. How does someone react and grow in this environment?
This is a long book, although I ripped through it in two days, but I agree it would probably have benefited from being a bit shorter. Still, I really enjoyed it.
“Our happiness depends on ourselves”
“If I don’t have the genius to create a thing of beauty myself, at least I have the judgement to appreciate the art of others. It is better to accept what I can do, than to yearn hopelessly after what I cannot.”
While watching one of Pride and Prejudice’s adaptation for the screen (the one with Keira Knightley), I realised that Mary, the middle daughter in the Bennet family, had hidden depths and interests. Talulah Riley portrayed her not as a caricature and object to be ridiculed, but as a person with hopes and wants; an introvert in a family of extroverts. It was very subtle - blink and miss it - but it was there! Imagine my curiosity when I found out someone had imagined and written Mary's story! Yes - I had to read it!
Hadlow’s tale can be divided into 3 parts: before P&P, during, and after. I must say I loved seeing this new point of view on beloved, and some not so beloved, characters. The author made me re-evaluate certain aspects to great effects. Mrs Bennet, I’m sorry to say, is even worse, but Mr Collins becomes someone I can understand a little better and feel kinder to (I know, I was surprised too!). And what of Mary?! Well, Hadlow builds upon what Austen gave us, and creates a complex, flawed, and likeable character. She stumbles through life, trying to find her place, trying to understand herself and this world that is so cruel to girls. She makes mistakes, often in an effort to be loved by those around her, but sadly she is met with indifference and malice. How does someone react and grow in this environment?
This is a long book, although I ripped through it in two days, but I agree it would probably have benefited from being a bit shorter. Still, I really enjoyed it.
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
I love this book so much. It’s a perfect follow up to Pride and Prejudice, featuring one of its most derived characters.
The empathy kindness and love the author shows some of the most unloved people in Jane Austen’s most loved novel is beautiful.
The empathy kindness and love the author shows some of the most unloved people in Jane Austen’s most loved novel is beautiful.
A complete delight! I just loved every moment of this book!
I liked this, but it felt overly long. The middle seemed to drag. My favorite parts were the ones that were the same timeline as Pride and Prejudice, which tells me I should probably just read Pride and Prejudice and would enjoy it more than this.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First 1/3 is P&P from Mary's POV, which does a decent job at expanding on some themes and making Mary a relatable character. There's then an abrupt time jump, after which we follow Mary through a repetitive cycle of staying at the houses of various marriages of P&P before getting upset and moving on before eventually getting her own romance. There's some really debatable character depictions here (mainly thinking about Charlotte Lucas and Caroline Bingley) but the real unforgivable error is the way this book dragged. The prominent callbacks to P&P and references to other Austen quotes were at times a bit jarring
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
Surprisingly insightful and well written for a spin off book. Nice to see Mary's development and also a more critical view of Lizzie, Jane and Mr Bennet.