Later in the story (Volume 2, Chapter 19), it is revealed that Mr Bennet had only married his wife based on an initial attraction to her: One by one, her sisters marry – Jane and Lizzy for love; Lydia for some semblance of respectability – but Mary, it seems, is destined to remain single and live out her life at Longbourn, at least until her father dies and the house is bequeathed to the reviled Mr Collins. The familiar, beloved characters from the original stay strong and consistent. Mrs. Bennet suffers endlessly from her nerves and from daughters not taking her advice. Caroline Bingley is still a mean girl, and an expert at bitchy zingers just subtle enough to miss nearby men. I really enjoyed Charlotte giving Mary advice about marriage for plain women without a lot of money. We also get to see a bit more of the Gardiners. I love a good Pride and Prejudice spinoff, or a modernized Austen in general, so of course I wanted to read The Other Bennet Sister! This spinoff tells the story of forgotten middle sister Mary Bennet.

McAleer, John (1989). "The Comedy of Social Distinctions in Pride and Prejudice". Persuasions. No.11. pp.70–76 . Retrieved 30 January 2013.The oft forgotten of the five Bennet sisters who may have been a reader’s source of amusement or irritation, engendered pity or magnanimous sympathy comes endearingly alive in Janice Hadlow’s gentle opus to Mary, the other sister who must follow a very different path to happiness. The family belongs to the landed gentry of Hertfordshire in the Regency era of English history. [3] The complex relationships among the Bennets influence the evolution of the plot, as they navigate the difficulties faced by young women in attempting to secure a good future through marriage. [4] The Bennet daughters [ edit ] Kamal, Sheelan S (2018). Trauma and Remedies for Traumatic Experiences in Four of Jane Austen's Novels (Thesis). ProQuest 2051788900. The Other Bennet Sister opens when Mary Bennet is a young girl happy and content with herself and her life until slowly she becomes aware of a miserable truth. She’s plain and unattractive. Jane the pretty sister and Lizzy the witty favorite of their father’s pair off as they all get older, her father is entrenched in his library sanctum, and her mother laments Mary’s looks and hurls painful remarks to her and about her. Even her younger sisters take their cue from this to draw together and tease her when they do notice her. Mary searches for ways to please and be noticed though she works hard to avoid her mother who twits her on her looks or quiet manners. I recently received a parcel from Pan Macmillan which actually made me jump for joy when I opened it – it contained a review copy of The Other Bennet Sisterby Janice Hadlow. I’m normally very wary of reading sequels and retellings of my favourite books written by different authors as I am worried about what they will do with characters I love. However, a book about Mary Bennet is hard for a bookworm to resist!

Bottomer, Phyllis Ferguson (2007). So Odd a Mixture: Along the Autistic Spectrum in "Pride and Prejudice". London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 9781843104995. Indeed, they are very pleasing,” agreed Mrs. Phillips obligingly. “And I doubt that Mary will ever be admired as they are. But, sister, I wonder if you aren’t rather harsh in judging her as you do? Perhaps she suffers by comparisons. If Jane and Lizzy were a little less handsome, then might she seem prettier in your eyes?” The narrator does not elaborate on the ancestors of Mr Bennet. This is only established for the Collinses, father and son, who are described as Mr. Bennet's 'distant' cousins.There are also not one but FIVE very indiscreet nods to Pride and Prejudice (some of these direct citations) that takes you completely out of the story because they’re so obvious (yes, I’m looking at you, Lizzie-complaining-about-the-characters-in-her-book-not-seeing-they’re-a-perfect-match). Lydia Bennet [ edit ] Mary Pearson is thought to have been the model for Lydia. She was briefly engaged to Jane Austen's brother, Henry Thomas Austen. [42]

But as Mary and Mr. Hayward become more connected with one another, Mr. Ryder, his friend and total Romantic, appears. Mr. Ryder also challenges Mary to be more emotional, but during the trips to the Lakes, Mary realises that Mr. Ryder can be so determined to feel emotions that he puts his own life into danger. Kuiper, Kathleen. "Bennet family". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc . Retrieved 2021-04-10. In The Other Bennet Sister Mary is painted as the overlooked underdog (which fair enough, Hadlow wanted to give a reason why Mary seems so unappealing in Pride and Prejudice) who is constantly overshadowed by her sisters. The problem is...Mary is so self-pitying as to be completely unsympathetic. The first few chapters tell painfully slow and dull accounts of all the ways in which Mary has been mistreated by her family. She is plain, not very charming, and so unbearably sanctimonious. She actually believes that she is better than her sisters and is incredibly dismissive of their personalities, hobbies, and observations. Which...yeah, being bitter is fine but why be such a solipsistic whiner? Mary is constantly playing her own violin.Another reboot of Jane Austen?!? Hadlow pulls it off in a smart, heartfelt novel devoted to bookish Mary, middle of the five sisters in Pride and Prejudice.