The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow
7 Rating(s)
List: $32.99 | Sale: $23.10
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The Other Bennet Sister
A Novel

Author: Janice Hadlow

Narrator: Carla Mendonça

Unabridged: 18 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/31/2020


Synopsis

"Jane fans rejoice! . . . Exceptional storytelling and a true delight." —Helen Simonson, author of the New York Times bestselling novels Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Summer Before the War

Mary, the bookish ugly duckling of Pride and Prejudice’s five Bennet sisters, emerges from the shadows and transforms into a desired woman with choices of her own.

What if Mary Bennet’s life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice? What if the frustrated intellectual of the Bennet family, the marginalized middle daughter, the plain girl who takes refuge in her books, eventually found the fulfillment enjoyed by her prettier, more confident sisters? This is the plot of Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister, a debut novel with exactly the affection and authority to satisfy Jane Austen fans.

Ultimately, Mary’s journey is like that taken by every Austen heroine. She learns that she can only expect joy when she has accepted who she really is. She must throw off the false expectations and wrong ideas that have combined to obscure her true nature and prevented her from what makes her happy. Only when she undergoes this evolution does she have a chance at finding fulfillment; only then does she have the clarity to recognize her partner when he presents himself—and only at that moment is she genuinely worthy of love.

Mary’s destiny diverges from that of her sisters. It does not involve broad acres or landed gentry. But it does include a man; and, as in all Austen novels, Mary must decide whether he is the truly the one for her. In The Other Bennet Sister, Mary is a fully rounded character—complex, conflicted, and often uncertain; but also vulnerable, supremely sympathetic, and ultimately the protagonist of an uncommonly satisfying debut novel.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

About Janice Hadlow

Janice Hadlow worked at the BBC for more than two decades, and for ten of those years she ran BBC Two and BBC Four, two of the broadcaster’s major television channels. She was educated at Swanley School in Kent and graduated with a first class degree in history from King’s college, London. She is the author of A Royal Experiment, a biography of Great Britain's King George III. She currently lives in Edinburgh. The Other Bennet Sister is her first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Katie on April 30, 2020

I absolutely love this – it's a lovely, powerful and sweet book and I just adored it.......more

Goodreads review by Joan on March 31, 2020

The Other Bennet Sister is a transformative story told through the eyes of one of Pride and Prejudices most maligned characters. I am always hesitant to read a Pride and Prejudice sequel or retelling. I love Jane Austen and her books and can find fault with all the many attempts that try to take up......more

Goodreads review by Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ on June 15, 2021

Thoughtful, introspective and slow-paced story of the middle Bennet sister, Mary, who’s studious and priggish in Pride and Prejudice. She’s a lot more nuanced and complex in this novel, which begins some time before P&P and ends a few years after. With some help from Mrs Gardiner and others, Mary be......more

Goodreads review by Maja on March 05, 2021

MARY BENNET FINALLY FINDS HER PLACE In my opinion, Mary Bennet has always been somewhat of a question mark. Who is she? What does she dream of? And where is she going after the ending of Pride and Prejudice? Austen left Mary's story wide open for interpretation - and Hadlow is a great interpreter. He......more

Goodreads review by Krista on September 11, 2022

I will never look at Mary Bennet the same way again. I absolutely loved this story!......more


Awards

  • Library Journal Best Books of the Year
  • Christian Science Monitor Best Books of the Year