Book Review: The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
This is a thoroughly engaging and deeply moving novel. I’ve always had a secret sympathy for Mary Bennet, the overlooked sister in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, whom Austen describes as bookish, embarrassingly shy and socially awkward — well, welcome to my world. We’ve all been there, some of us for a very long time. It doesn’t make us bad people. So it’s an incredible pleasure to read this book and see Mary finally taken out of the shadows and brought centre-stage. The development of her character is expertly and elegantly done and I was completely with her every step of the way. It’s a delight to see some of the characters and events of Pride and Prejudice from a different perspective and then to move on over the years as Mary becomes an adult and grows in strength and self-knowledge, whilst learning to find her own way in the world. This is quite simply an excellent novel, whether you’re an Austen fan or not, and is possibly one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It’s wise, witty, romantic and moving, and the ending is fabulous. Highly recommended.
