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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
inspiring
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
Super enjoyable exploration of Mary Bennett’s evolution into a young woman who not only thinks but feels deeply and learns to take her place in the world and express herself. Fabs of P&P will not be disappointed!
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
As far as retellings go, this one was rather good. The writing is immersive, and although it is not quite as complex to read (for my non-native-English-speaker brain) as P&P, it is period appropriate. But I thought most characters a bit too perfectly modern, a bit too wise, whereas our main character is quite insufferable, just in a different way at the end than at the beginning. And the last very few pages were SO corny, I just could not read them without skipping. I would still recommend the book to a period drama fan such as I, because we’re undeterred. A non-period drama fan would find their interest killed stone-dead.
hopeful
inspiring
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
lighthearted
relaxing
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
I really enjoyed this book. Quite a bit longer than my normal read, but I’ve been interested to read this for sometime now. I rewatch the BBC pride and prejudice the other day, and remembered that I wanted to catch up on this book as well. I wasn’t disappointed. It was fun to read how Mary became the stoic, somewhat ridiculous bookish character that we see in pride and prejudice. And the revisit of all the characters. I think most of the cameos that we saw from all the other characters were paced well, so it didn’t detract from Mary’s story. But characters that didn’t get an opportunity to have much page time in the original book where utilized well. Mrs. Gardener was such a good friend and I’m glad that we were able to see her provide Mary with the guidance and love that she needed from her family.
There were so many sad things in this book that had me in tears. But one of the things I think which really caught me by surprise was the close friendship that Mary had with Mr. Collins. And their last heartfelt scene really just got me.
Mary’s love interest was perfect too. Really glad I finally got to read this.
There were so many sad things in this book that had me in tears. But one of the things I think which really caught me by surprise was the close friendship that Mary had with Mr. Collins. And their last heartfelt scene really just got me.
Mary’s love interest was perfect too. Really glad I finally got to read this.
I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. I liked Mary's character, revisiting the world of Pride and Prejudice, and found myself very invested in the second half of the novel.
The first half was hard to get through. First we have Pride and Prejudice but from Mary's perspective and let me tell you, there's a reason the original book follows Elizabeth -- Mary is just kind of a boring character to follow. Then we have a section where Mary hops around to different relations after her dad dies and that part is pretty boring too. It gets slightly more interesting but also more annoying (for me at least) when she stays with Charlotte.
Finally, more than halfway through, she leaves to live with her aunt in London and starts to come into herself. That's when I finally started to actually like the book (I saw many reviews saying they dnf at the halfway mark and I don't blame them). I liked the second half of the book, though it also was longer than I felt was necessary.
Overall, I enjoyed some aspects of the book (even in the first half) but I kept asking myself why the book was so freaking long. Seriously. I think I would have just loved it if it was half the length that it is.
The first half was hard to get through. First we have Pride and Prejudice but from Mary's perspective and let me tell you, there's a reason the original book follows Elizabeth -- Mary is just kind of a boring character to follow. Then we have a section where Mary hops around to different relations after her dad dies and that part is pretty boring too. It gets slightly more interesting but also more annoying (for me at least) when she stays with Charlotte.
Finally, more than halfway through, she leaves to live with her aunt in London and starts to come into herself. That's when I finally started to actually like the book (I saw many reviews saying they dnf at the halfway mark and I don't blame them). I liked the second half of the book, though it also was longer than I felt was necessary.
Overall, I enjoyed some aspects of the book (even in the first half) but I kept asking myself why the book was so freaking long. Seriously. I think I would have just loved it if it was half the length that it is.
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Other than its length, this book was superb. Thoughtfully and intelligently written, it described Mary's path towards self-discovery and eventually being satisfied with who she was BEFORE eventually finding the happy ending fit for a plain, bespectacled, sensible girl.