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Rikke's Reviews > The Other Bennet Sister
The Other Bennet Sister
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I've always considered Mary Bennet to be a rather intriguing character. Perhaps because she could be me seen through unkind and unobserving eyes; a distant character who's so sincere she comes across as too serious.
In Austen's world Mary is hardly a minor character; she is a part of the environment. Like the furniture and tapestry, she lives in the background and sets the scene that only the real characters can act on.
And so I was caught by the premise of this book that allows Mary to step onto stage. Though of course Hadlow's Mary isn't Austen's Mary. She couldn't be; after all, Austen's Mary barely existed at all.
Hadlow's Mary is a sensitive overlooked character. She's the ugly duckling in a world of bustling swans. She isn't loved by her mother or noticed by her father, she sits quietly at balls and creeps into the shadows. She's every lonely girl personified.
This novel starts, as all Austen-retellings do, with the arrival of Mr. Bingley. "Netherfield Park is let at last," Mrs. Bennet rejoices and the events starts to unfold though everything does look different seen through Mary's spectacles.
The novel then moves on to portray Mary when her father is dead and all her sisters married. She leads an unnerving life, traveling from sister to sister, trying to find her place. In the end, she lodges with the Gardiners. Here she finally emerges from her sister's shadows and gets to live without the restraints her name entails.
While the structure is good, the plot is solid and the writing style is authentic, Hadlow does fall into the trap of repeating Austen. Tiny easter-eggs and odd saying are sprinkled through the book, only designed to make you aware that this is indeed an Austen- spinoff.
The ending especially makes the mistake of imitating Austen instead of creating something new. (view spoiler) Ultimately Hadlow sabotages her novel's attempt at originality.
That said, it is an enjoyable book written with a profound respect for Austen's words and her characters. I only wish it could stand more on its own.
In Austen's world Mary is hardly a minor character; she is a part of the environment. Like the furniture and tapestry, she lives in the background and sets the scene that only the real characters can act on.
And so I was caught by the premise of this book that allows Mary to step onto stage. Though of course Hadlow's Mary isn't Austen's Mary. She couldn't be; after all, Austen's Mary barely existed at all.
Hadlow's Mary is a sensitive overlooked character. She's the ugly duckling in a world of bustling swans. She isn't loved by her mother or noticed by her father, she sits quietly at balls and creeps into the shadows. She's every lonely girl personified.
This novel starts, as all Austen-retellings do, with the arrival of Mr. Bingley. "Netherfield Park is let at last," Mrs. Bennet rejoices and the events starts to unfold though everything does look different seen through Mary's spectacles.
The novel then moves on to portray Mary when her father is dead and all her sisters married. She leads an unnerving life, traveling from sister to sister, trying to find her place. In the end, she lodges with the Gardiners. Here she finally emerges from her sister's shadows and gets to live without the restraints her name entails.
While the structure is good, the plot is solid and the writing style is authentic, Hadlow does fall into the trap of repeating Austen. Tiny easter-eggs and odd saying are sprinkled through the book, only designed to make you aware that this is indeed an Austen- spinoff.
The ending especially makes the mistake of imitating Austen instead of creating something new. (view spoiler) Ultimately Hadlow sabotages her novel's attempt at originality.
That said, it is an enjoyable book written with a profound respect for Austen's words and her characters. I only wish it could stand more on its own.
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Reading Progress
July 13, 2020
– Shelved
July 13, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
July 14, 2020
–
Started Reading
July 16, 2020
– Shelved as:
owned-books
July 16, 2020
– Shelved as:
jane-austen
July 16, 2020
– Shelved as:
historical-fiction
July 16, 2020
– Shelved as:
romance
July 16, 2020
–
Finished Reading
The problem I think is that Austen wanted 5 sisters, but she only had story arcs for three of them -- Jane, Lizzy and Lydia. You could easily eliminate Mary and poor Kitty (who doesn't even have the plot devices of playing piano awkwardly or being religious!). They are just "plot chum" with no purpose. (Is there Kitty Bennet fan fiction too? because Mary has spawned several sequels!)
The Easter eggs and quotes got rather annoying IMHO, as well as not one but 2-3 callouts to the novel Evelina by Frances Burney, a real 1790s novel that is clearly somewhat inspiration to P&P (yet nobody EVER mentions that Darcy is JUST LIKE the magically rich AND handsome hero of Evelina!).
Also repeating scenes with Lady de Bourgh, Caroline Bingley, etc. are tired devices. All the characters would have moved on, and wouldn't be repeating these things. Oh and making Mr. Ryder another "heir of Lady de Bourgh" -- just like Darcy -- and yet nobody comments on that to Mary? -- that's pretty lame. The character could have existed in this story with no relation to Lady de Bourgh at all.
I also found it was particularly mean and heartless in its rewriting of Charlotte Lucas -- a slightly sad, but sympathetic character in the original who "settles" for a loveless union -- but here is backbiting, rather Machiavellian! and underhanded to poor Mary (and is HER friend vs. Lizzy's friend!) and the whole "Collins really loves Mary" (but her visit reignites their marriage so that's all OK)....that whole thread was just problematical. It didn't ring true.
Also reusing the Gardiners as "magical fairy godparents" who get both Lizzy and Mary the ideal husbands.... lame.