Reviews - The Other Bennet Sister

2.08k reviews for:

The Other Bennet Sister

Janice Hadlow

4.11 AVERAGE

readingatthemuseum's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny lighthearted 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: Complicated

hillary_scholz's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed seeing this story from Mary's perspective. I also really enjoyed seeing her come into her own and realizing that she was worth her own self-respect. However, this book was sooooo long. I feel like it could've been shorter by 1/3 and it wouldn't have affected the flow of the story.

hollyndb's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful lighthearted relaxing

toggle_fow's review against another edition

4.0

A Pride and Prejudice fanfiction of SHOCKINGLY high quality.

Mary's story here is extremely well-done, especially the insights into her character and character development over the years. I myself felt dangerously called out by her struggles with loneliness and especially her making a scholarly study of happiness. (Have I done this exact thing??? Maybe.)

The first part of the story follows the P&P storyline through Mary's eyes, and then the second part jumps ahead to years later. The whole time, I was deeply invested in Mary's gradual process of growth and her longing to find somewhere to belong. A surprisingly excellent book.

lenorayoder's review against another edition

3.0

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Diverse cast of characters: No

This book mostly feels like wasted potential. There was a lot to love in the first half - Mary's relationship with her father is heart-wrenching, alternative perspectives of Lizzy, Jane, Charlotte, and Mr. Collins during the events of Pride & Prejudice add some interesting complexity to that story, and seeing Mrs. Bennet framed through a dramatic lens rather than a comedic one makes obvious what Austen only implied in her story. This book's strength lies in exploring these platonic and familial relationships - the hope Mary desperately places in her father (and to a smaller extent, Lizzy) is so compelling to read.

Unfortunately, this book has a LOT of pitfalls. First, the characters. At some point those alternate perspectives of Charlotte and Mr. Collins start to feel very two-dimensional. Miss Bingley's character is absolutely assassinated, and becomes a weird amalgamation of her role and Lady Catherine's in P&P. Kitty is almost completely wiped from the book, it's kind of astonishing. Mary has two romantic interests, but one barely feels like a real person and the other feels more multi-faceted but

isn't endgame

so we don't get to see more. Mary herself starts to feel less like a real person and more like a pale imitation of other Austen heroines.

And now, the plot... it barely exists. Very little happens with Mary in the first half of the book. Then, Mary

takes a whole ass trip to London, gets a new wardrobe, improves her conversation skills and

meets... two new people. The romantic plot feels lazy and it's the only thing the book has going on for the latter half. Every plot point feels like a pale imitation of something we've seen executed much better by Austen, sprinkled with less impactful paraphrases of Austen's iconic lines! It's rough.

The more I think about this book the more holes I poke in it, but at the end of the day it still gets 3 stars from me because I really enjoyed that first half before I started thinking about it too hard.

aristotleface's review against another edition

4.0

This was a pretty fun fanfic of Pride & Prejudice, POV Mary. I loved all the little observations and interpretations of P&P, and it felt so validating to hear Mary's perspective as the overlooked and misunderstood middle child in the shadows of her elder pair of sisters and her younger pair. There is much to sympathize with and relate to in her story.
There were a few anachronisms and weird liberties that were kind of distracting, like when she basically goes on a couple of Yogurtland dates with Mr. Ryder. Also, at almost 500 pages, this is just waaay too long. There were several chapters that didn't feel like they moved the story forward and could have benefited from some more judicious editing.
But I love Mary, and I'm so glad she gets her HEA.

hans_cosy_corner's review against another edition

4.0

Really loved this book, only taking it down a star as the first two thirds of the book, until she gets to london, really, could have been far shorter. We didn’t need a recount of the events of P&P, as good as it was to see them through Mary’s eyes. I was happy to see the time skip, and loved the books from London onwards