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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
RATING: 5 stars
I loved, loved this book. I could identify with Mary so much, that's why I think this will be a hit with every woman who ever felt pressured to conform. I liked to see her transformation and it was somewhat believable.
I've listened to this on audio (the narrator was FANTASTIC), but I've ordered a physical copy and I'll read it at a later date because I simply adored the story and the characters. Possibly my favorite book of 2020 (at least so far). Very well written, it doesn't disregard what happens in the original book, it sheds a different light on what happened and continues on.
I loved, loved this book. I could identify with Mary so much, that's why I think this will be a hit with every woman who ever felt pressured to conform. I liked to see her transformation and it was somewhat believable.
I've listened to this on audio (the narrator was FANTASTIC), but I've ordered a physical copy and I'll read it at a later date because I simply adored the story and the characters. Possibly my favorite book of 2020 (at least so far). Very well written, it doesn't disregard what happens in the original book, it sheds a different light on what happened and continues on.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
The beginning of this book was so slow I almost gave up on it, which has knocked my rating down. It was Pride and Prejudice from a different POV, which is the point of this book, but I didn't think it needed to be 150 pages! Someone reading this will have very likely read P&P, so I felt that 150 pages could easily have been 50 at most.
Mary's character growth was so great. By the end I was happy to see her come into herself and finally stand up for what she wanted. And she got her happy ending!
Happiness depends on ourselves.
Mary's character growth was so great. By the end I was happy to see her come into herself and finally stand up for what she wanted. And she got her happy ending!
Happiness depends on ourselves.
Yayyyy I loved this! It’s written in the style of Jane Austen and has the same ups and downs and predictable happy ending as Austen’s books. I did think that Hadlow made Elizabeth, Jane and Charlotte all appear a little more self-absorbed than they appeared in Pride & Prejudice, but I love that Mary got to have her character fleshed out and got to be happy. And even Mr. Collins was given some depth! Over all I would recommend this to all Jane Austen fans.
I enjoyed reading about the characters I thought I knew, their suppressed thoughts, and the hidden aspects of their personalities. And I started seeing them not as dull or one dimensional as I saw them before. My second least favorite character in Pride and Prejudice was Mr. Collins. The surprise of this book for me was that it made me stop judging him that harshly.
It was fun to hear the story of Pride and Prejudice from a different point of view. But soon after I started reading this book, I found out that this is not just that. It's more. I liked Mary in this book. I understood her. And when she started thriving and becoming bold and confident, I only wanted her to end up happy. But something happened in the last third of the book or so. Not sure what. Maybe it was the feeling that the book is getting longer and longer, and I'm reading the same things again and again. So by the time the book ended, not much was left out of my excitement for Mary.
It was fun to hear the story of Pride and Prejudice from a different point of view. But soon after I started reading this book, I found out that this is not just that. It's more. I liked Mary in this book. I understood her. And when she started thriving and becoming bold and confident, I only wanted her to end up happy. But something happened in the last third of the book or so. Not sure what. Maybe it was the feeling that the book is getting longer and longer, and I'm reading the same things again and again. So by the time the book ended, not much was left out of my excitement for Mary.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Where do I begin a review when my feelings about a book are so warmly and coolly mixed?
This extension of Jane Austen's world of Pride & Prejudice was off to an absolutely exquisite beginning. The first two-thirds of it were so beautiful, so good for the soul—they gave life to characters I once thought completely odious, characters for whom I held no hope. Though the first third was incredibly painful—Mary is essentially being passed from relative to relative in her unmarried state—there was hope in her growth that was evident in every chapter.
Hadlow was giving life to a character I had so long overlooked—so much so that, in my heart, Mary was actually beginning to eclipse the position of even her most famous sister, Lizzy. There were so many beautiful moments of narrative candor to give a backstory to Mary's disposition and just as many equally lovely lines of self-discovery and determination within her that it was impossible not to root for her wholeheartedly.
{SPOILER WARNING: Though I don't go into lots of detail, I do discuss the general arc of the plot.}
And, just as she really begins to become the person we all know she can be and we really start to feel proud of her, she meets a hero who has the potential to be just the man she's been looking for in her deepest, unacknowledged heart-of-hearts. It's almost too wonderful to be true. And then...
The plot goes in a wholly unexpected—and wholly unnecessary—drawn-out direction.
Naturally, with everything coming together so beautifully, I knew something was going to happen—I was only about halfway finished with the book—but I was genuinely expecting a terrible tragedy or obligation to befall one of them—not a complete diversion from the foundation of the story! We're introduced to a whole other side-plot that, while I can understand its purpose, spent far too much time doing little to grow Mary as a character and, in so doing, needlessly dragged on and on.
I was so completely prepared to adore this book (if it didn't wholly break my heart with a tragic ending), but in reading to the finish (which was heartwarming and quite satisfying), I walked away more disappointed than delighted. Ultimately, it was the plot structure (and Mary's momentary, but very out-of-character actions) that sunk it. I feel the story could have been revised (and shortened) to still contain the necessary rising tension and uncertainty needed to create a satisfying resolution, without the unnecessary rabbit trail (and the even more unnecessary length).
Dear Ms. Hadlow, if you happen to be reading this, please don't misunderstand me! I absolutely DO adore the backstory and the personal growth Mary makes as a character—most particularly through the first half of the novel. She absolutely blooms before our eyes and it is an exquisite transformation to behold. And I adore our hero—he now ranks among my favorites of the Austen universe. Both of them are truly beautiful characters. There are also several gorgeous lines of truth and beauty that I have tucked away to reflect on for their genuine candor about life, self-possession, & the incredible power of gentle kindness. ... It's just the latter half-ish of the plot that lost me. It felt so out of character for a character I'd unexpectedly grown to love.
My recommendation to readers: Read the story up until about the 60% mark (where a certain unwanted group of individuals crash our favorite intimate family party on their Lake District holiday), and then skip to the last 5% when all is explained away and our heroine and her hero can live happily ever after.
This extension of Jane Austen's world of Pride & Prejudice was off to an absolutely exquisite beginning. The first two-thirds of it were so beautiful, so good for the soul—they gave life to characters I once thought completely odious, characters for whom I held no hope. Though the first third was incredibly painful—Mary is essentially being passed from relative to relative in her unmarried state—there was hope in her growth that was evident in every chapter.
Hadlow was giving life to a character I had so long overlooked—so much so that, in my heart, Mary was actually beginning to eclipse the position of even her most famous sister, Lizzy. There were so many beautiful moments of narrative candor to give a backstory to Mary's disposition and just as many equally lovely lines of self-discovery and determination within her that it was impossible not to root for her wholeheartedly.
{SPOILER WARNING: Though I don't go into lots of detail, I do discuss the general arc of the plot.}
And, just as she really begins to become the person we all know she can be and we really start to feel proud of her, she meets a hero who has the potential to be just the man she's been looking for in her deepest, unacknowledged heart-of-hearts. It's almost too wonderful to be true. And then...
The plot goes in a wholly unexpected—and wholly unnecessary—drawn-out direction.
Naturally, with everything coming together so beautifully, I knew something was going to happen—I was only about halfway finished with the book—but I was genuinely expecting a terrible tragedy or obligation to befall one of them—not a complete diversion from the foundation of the story! We're introduced to a whole other side-plot that, while I can understand its purpose, spent far too much time doing little to grow Mary as a character and, in so doing, needlessly dragged on and on.
I was so completely prepared to adore this book (if it didn't wholly break my heart with a tragic ending), but in reading to the finish (which was heartwarming and quite satisfying), I walked away more disappointed than delighted. Ultimately, it was the plot structure (and Mary's momentary, but very out-of-character actions) that sunk it. I feel the story could have been revised (and shortened) to still contain the necessary rising tension and uncertainty needed to create a satisfying resolution, without the unnecessary rabbit trail (and the even more unnecessary length).
Dear Ms. Hadlow, if you happen to be reading this, please don't misunderstand me! I absolutely DO adore the backstory and the personal growth Mary makes as a character—most particularly through the first half of the novel. She absolutely blooms before our eyes and it is an exquisite transformation to behold. And I adore our hero—he now ranks among my favorites of the Austen universe. Both of them are truly beautiful characters. There are also several gorgeous lines of truth and beauty that I have tucked away to reflect on for their genuine candor about life, self-possession, & the incredible power of gentle kindness. ... It's just the latter half-ish of the plot that lost me. It felt so out of character for a character I'd unexpectedly grown to love.
My recommendation to readers: Read the story up until about the 60% mark (where a certain unwanted group of individuals crash our favorite intimate family party on their Lake District holiday), and then skip to the last 5% when all is explained away and our heroine and her hero can live happily ever after.
First third is basically a retelling of Pride & Prejudice and I skimmed it; back 2/3 are cute and more fun to read
A dear friend gave me this copy to read. I don't normally read Jane Austen spinoffs but made an exception due to my friend's generosity, the good reviews, and because of the author.
The book was broken into four parts, and possibly contrary to many, part two was my favorite. It was not happy by any means, and yet it was beautiful, almost painfully so. I cannot stop thinking about Mary's interactions with Mrs. (Charlotte) and Mr. Collins. If it is to be believed, the author was able to make Mr. Collins a sympathetic character. Part two for me, short as it was, deserves 4.5 stars.
Up to this point, I wasn't sure where the author was going to go with the storyline and that made me appreciate it even more.
Then parts three and four altered the book into the more conventional take on a Bennet sister a reader would come to expect, if with a bit of "modern" sensibilities sprinkled here and there. And while it was about time Mary found some happiness, I felt a bit let down by its lack of originality. Mary wasn't written to be conventional (at least up to part three), but to fit the times, I see why what happened had to happen. Therefore, in all fairness, it was an enjoyable read but it could have been so much more as the author is supremely talented.
3.5
The book was broken into four parts, and possibly contrary to many, part two was my favorite. It was not happy by any means, and yet it was beautiful, almost painfully so. I cannot stop thinking about Mary's interactions with Mrs. (Charlotte) and Mr. Collins. If it is to be believed, the author was able to make Mr. Collins a sympathetic character. Part two for me, short as it was, deserves 4.5 stars.
Up to this point, I wasn't sure where the author was going to go with the storyline and that made me appreciate it even more.
Then parts three and four altered the book into the more conventional take on a Bennet sister a reader would come to expect, if with a bit of "modern" sensibilities sprinkled here and there. And while it was about time Mary found some happiness, I felt a bit let down by its lack of originality. Mary wasn't written to be conventional (at least up to part three), but to fit the times, I see why what happened had to happen. Therefore, in all fairness, it was an enjoyable read but it could have been so much more as the author is supremely talented.
3.5