The Other Bennet Sister

A Novel

By: Janice Hadlow

Narrated by: Carla Mendonça

Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

"Jane fans rejoice!.... Exceptional storytelling and a true delight." (Helen Simonson, author of the New York Times best-selling 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.

Library Journal Best Books of the Year - 2020

Christian Science Monitor Best Books of the Year - 2020

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

©2020 Janice Hadlow (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

Library Journal Best Books of the Year 2020

Christian Science Monitor Best Books of the Year 2020

Worth the listen to the end

At first I wasn’t sure about this book but it really picked up and told an enjoyable story.

Fabulous!

This is the first time I’ve tried any Jane Austen “fan fiction” and I thought this was excellent. It expands on the story of Mary, the socially awkward Bennet sister, as well as fleshing out other characters such as Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas. The story was completely engaging, showing the P&P minor characters as three dimensional people, and really explores what it means to be a kind person and what it feels like to be among people who get you. There’s fashion and beauty, too, and the reader is wonderful. This long book was a delight from start to finish!

I really loved this book!

I don’t usually read books based on P&P. I don’t really know why since it’s one of my favorite books! I read or listen at least once an year for almost 30 years now!!!! It’s my comfort book, like my therapist says. I love it! I love Persuasion as well, but I’m always drawn to P&P.
I’m drawn to Persuasion because I totally identify with Anne. And so I identify myself with Mary as well. I always felt a bit angry that she was basically forgotten in the book. She was less important than the servents. Or almost as important.
And than I read a review telling about this book. OMG!!! I’m so happy that I got it! It’s such a perfect book! Such a perfect ending. And I’m so very happy right now for being able to listen to it (I’m sick and when in pain I don’t have much focus to read. Even to listen new books so I reread a lot. But this was like encountering an old friend.) I’m so very happy! I totally recommend this book!!!!

Mary is so strong!

I never thought I would ever dislike all of the Bennet family so much except for Mary. They are hateful, thoughtless, manipulative, selfish, self-indulgent and self-centered. Even Jane and Elizabeth are not very likable. They are not as bad as the rest but they still treat poor Mary like an unfeeling piece of furniture. Yes, Elizabeth does somewhat repent years later but does not act directly. She acts from a distance and only using her aunt as the conduit of "her monetary benevolence" as a form of repentance. Needless to say, I was in tears for most of the first half of the book because of the maltreatment Mary received from everyone she encountered before moving to London.

Her aunt and uncle Gardiner are truly kind and loving people that finally show Mary how it feels to be part of a loving family by including her in their everyday lives without mocking, belittling, or disdaining her. This is where she starts her transformation. After meeting the affable lawyer friend and distant relative of the Gardiner family, Mary slowly starts emerging from her cocoon to become a butterfly. Of course, there are several bumps along the way but Mary does get her HEA.

So good!

A wonderful interpretation of the Bennett family from Mary’s point of view. She comes out from the shadow and becomes a character one really cares about.

Worth the read

I enjoyed the story and performance equally, if not more than the Austen books. If I didn’t know any better, I would think Austen wrote this. The story is long, not predictable, and characters well thought out. My only disappointment is that it had to end.

READ IT!!! AUSTEN COULD HAVE WRITTEN IT HERSELF

and I cried listening. I gave Caroline bingley the middle finger multiple times without meaning to. I SWEAR ALL OF NYC DISAPPEARED WHEN I LISTENED TO THIS ON THE SUBWAY. READ. IT!!!!

Pride and Prejudice Continues Brilliantly

I was SO sorry to reach the end of this wonderful story. The reader gets to be a fly on the wall in the Bennet household and sees how the clear preferences of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet towards their other children stunted poor Mary’s self esteem and emotional equilibrium. Beloved and reviled characters from Pride and Prejudice all make appearances with some getting backstories of their own. New characters are introduced to great effect and the result is a seamless interweaving of the people and events that shaped P&P leading to a new, exciting branch of the story. We see the world and the people in it through Mary’s eyes and get to travel along with her as she finds her own happy ending. Such a delight!!!

Awesome stand-alone story!

This story was pleasingly unique in that it was a complementary story to Pride and Prejudice instead of a competitive one. The story was it's own yet still in the style of Jane Austen, which made it very easy to listen to and follow. Some stories that tie into the original are so jarringly different that it's difficult to make a connection. This author, however, didn't appear to attempt to change the character of any players but expounded on their foundations quite beautifully! Great book and a wonderful ending for "poor Mary"!

Love this book!

I never knew what was lacking in Pride and Prejudice until this book came along! This book answers questions I didn’t realize that I was asking! Janice Hadlow skillfully weaves Mary’s story in with the original so well that at times I could not remember what was the original and what was new. She develops the secondary characters of Pride and Prejudice beautifully. I hope this book is made into a movie someday.