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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
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
This is the Brat remix album to Jane Austen’s much beloved Pride and Prejudice, everybody cheer!!!
That is to say, this story goes beyond homage or retelling, and instead becomes its own unique addition to the critiques and conversations Austen started in her own novel.
Fittingly, these 2 novels relate to each other in the way its own titular sisters do. The lessons Mary learned from her now married sisters are ruminated and expanded upon in this book.
I cannot begin to describe how visceral Mary’s loneliness was in the beginning of this novel. It’s interesting to see how differently the sisters were treated in their home and childhood, and how those experiences shaped each of them individually.
Nevertheless, following Mary’s realistic growth throughout this novel was such a joy to behold. Much like its inspiration, The Other Bennet Sister is also a novel of ethics. Where Pride and Prejudice was largely a critique of its titular vices, this novel instead interrogates the real internal workings of happiness.
Needless to say, I quite enjoyed this! Mary is a heroine I find painfully relatable, and while the main lessons to be found here aren’t necessarily groundbreaking, they’re welcome reminders to anyone navigating a less than perfect (love) life.
That is to say, this story goes beyond homage or retelling, and instead becomes its own unique addition to the critiques and conversations Austen started in her own novel.
Fittingly, these 2 novels relate to each other in the way its own titular sisters do. The lessons Mary learned from her now married sisters are ruminated and expanded upon in this book.
I cannot begin to describe how visceral Mary’s loneliness was in the beginning of this novel. It’s interesting to see how differently the sisters were treated in their home and childhood, and how those experiences shaped each of them individually.
Nevertheless, following Mary’s realistic growth throughout this novel was such a joy to behold. Much like its inspiration, The Other Bennet Sister is also a novel of ethics. Where Pride and Prejudice was largely a critique of its titular vices, this novel instead interrogates the real internal workings of happiness.
Needless to say, I quite enjoyed this! Mary is a heroine I find painfully relatable, and while the main lessons to be found here aren’t necessarily groundbreaking, they’re welcome reminders to anyone navigating a less than perfect (love) life.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
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
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
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
“…in such a situation of peaceful content they remained for some time, contemplating their pleasure in each other.”
mary bennet you have always been beloved by me
mary bennet you have always been beloved by me
The first half of the book retails Pride and Prejudice through Mary’s point of view, and to be honest I didn’t like that the author painted many of the characters in a negative light. The second half of the book could have been the entire book in my opinion. Although I enjoyed the writing I didn’t love the story.
emotional
lighthearted
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
Pride and Prejudice was perhaps the first "classic" that I fell in love with, and I re-read it a couple of times a year in my misspent youth when the desire to read was much greater than the number of books available to read. I have read several books which spin off from the original, and though not all of them were good, I can't resist them. I bought this book on Mary Bennet, the least known of the five Bennet sisters awhile back, but finally pulled it down from my TBR in the hype surrounding the 250th year of Jane Austen's birth. And I was pleasantly surprised.
The tone of the book is very close to the tone employed by Miss Austen herself, and anyone who's read Pride and Prejudice as many times as I have will recognise many cleverly repurposed lines sprinkled throughout the book. Mr. Bennet who is written with a great deal of charm in P&P comes off as a rather odious man (and rightfully too), and Mrs. Bennet remains as self centred as she appears in a surface reading of P&P.
Mary Bennet is the star, but I liked how the author shows her to be quite self centred, despite making her an object of sympathy. I liked how her character gradually evolves after Part 1 (which coincides with the timeline of P&P), and of the person she eventually grows into. The book is also a social commentary of the mores of the time, especially how societal expectations are stacked against women.
A book I am glad I read, and which I will cheerfully recommend.
The tone of the book is very close to the tone employed by Miss Austen herself, and anyone who's read Pride and Prejudice as many times as I have will recognise many cleverly repurposed lines sprinkled throughout the book. Mr. Bennet who is written with a great deal of charm in P&P comes off as a rather odious man (and rightfully too), and Mrs. Bennet remains as self centred as she appears in a surface reading of P&P.
Mary Bennet is the star, but I liked how the author shows her to be quite self centred, despite making her an object of sympathy. I liked how her character gradually evolves after Part 1 (which coincides with the timeline of P&P), and of the person she eventually grows into. The book is also a social commentary of the mores of the time, especially how societal expectations are stacked against women.
A book I am glad I read, and which I will cheerfully recommend.