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A review by nuts246
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
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
4.25
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.