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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
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
The Austen sequel I'd hoped to find. There are a lot out there, including about the bookish and sanctimonious Mary. In 'The Other Bennett Sister' Mary Bennet is a complicated young woman mentally beaten down by a vain mother who doesn't value her, a father who overlooks her, and confuses and exasperates her sisters. Hadlow doesn't skimp on detail and takes time to develop Mary's character and her reason. Nor does she sprint through the plot of 'Pride and Prejudice'.
Authenticity can be hard to gauge, but the novel feels real and lived in and exists without any need to be familiar with Austen's novel. I can't recommend this highly enough.
Authenticity can be hard to gauge, but the novel feels real and lived in and exists without any need to be familiar with Austen's novel. I can't recommend this highly enough.
I picked this up because, P&P FanFic! Then as I started to read, I was a little uncertain about a whole book this thick about... Mary? But Mary delivers. Loved jumping back into this world from her perspective, which is totally ignored elsewhere.
hopeful
inspiring
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
I really loved this perspective from Mary. It was a long book for the story, but I still enjoyed every minute. I felt the author did a wonderful job writing in the style of Jane Austen and that helped with the belief that this was Mary’s story. I felt like she did a beautiful job weaving Pride and Prejudice into Mary’s story and what happened beyond Elizabeth and Darcy’s wedding.
I loved that each person that Mary interacted with was memorable. I wasn’t 100% sure what was going to happen, which was great as she was able to avoid most of the cliches when it comes to love triangles.
I also loved the character growth of Mr. Collins. It was fun to see him in a new light and his reflection of his actions before marrying Charlotte.
My only complaint with the book was the author was a little heavy-handed in adding quotes from Pride and Prejudice. It made it a little too obvious of her source material and I felt like she didn’t need to have characters say some of the exact same things that were written in Pride and Prejudice. I thought the first quote or two was a nice reminder, but after the fourth or fifth I felt like they had become too much.
I loved that each person that Mary interacted with was memorable. I wasn’t 100% sure what was going to happen, which was great as she was able to avoid most of the cliches when it comes to love triangles.
I also loved the character growth of Mr. Collins. It was fun to see him in a new light and his reflection of his actions before marrying Charlotte.
My only complaint with the book was the author was a little heavy-handed in adding quotes from Pride and Prejudice. It made it a little too obvious of her source material and I felt like she didn’t need to have characters say some of the exact same things that were written in Pride and Prejudice. I thought the first quote or two was a nice reminder, but after the fourth or fifth I felt like they had become too much.
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I adored the first half of this novel - the characterisation of Mary is beautifully done and even though none of the heroes of Pride and Prejudice come out of it looking particularly good the interpretation made sense. Mary was incredibly sympathetic as a character and Mr Collins in particular received a wonderful character makeover.
The second half of this novel was a huge slog, however. Once Mary was happily ensconced in Gracechurch Street it was obvious what the outcome was going to be and not enough plot happened to justify the next 50 chapters. I also didn't like that while almost every other character received a reinterpretation (even Mr Hurst!) Caroline Bingley never became more than a stereotypical mean girl while Mary lost all her flaws by the end and became a regular, bland heroine.
Overall, totally worth reading for the beautiful first half, but let down by lack of editing and plot in the second.
The second half of this novel was a huge slog, however. Once Mary was happily ensconced in Gracechurch Street it was obvious what the outcome was going to be and not enough plot happened to justify the next 50 chapters. I also didn't like that while almost every other character received a reinterpretation (even Mr Hurst!) Caroline Bingley never became more than a stereotypical mean girl while Mary lost all her flaws by the end and became a regular, bland heroine.
Overall, totally worth reading for the beautiful first half, but let down by lack of editing and plot in the second.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
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
This book is for fans of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice. A lot of the enjoyment comes from seeing another side of an already well-loved story, and to meet well-known characters again. The loveliest part is that Mary becomes a heroine in her own right. She grows throughout the novel (and not too quickly either) and stands up for herself. In the last third of the novel, there were a tad too many back-and-forths and miscommunication situations, but other than that, the story was quite perfect.
Turns out, it was good timing to read The Other Bennet Sister at the same time as A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft. Topics broached by Wollenstonecraft were present in Hadlow's novel, such as the education of women and, a topic prevalent in all Austen novels, the necessity for a woman to marry if she is to have a home.
Turns out, it was good timing to read The Other Bennet Sister at the same time as A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft. Topics broached by Wollenstonecraft were present in Hadlow's novel, such as the education of women and, a topic prevalent in all Austen novels, the necessity for a woman to marry if she is to have a home.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just couldn’t get into it and didn’t really see a happy ending for Mary.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes