The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow, 463 pagesMost of us are familiar with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the story of the five Bennet sisters whose overbearing mother is determined to see married off to wealthy gentlemen. By the end of the book (is a spoiler alert really necessary for a 200-year-old book?), four of Mrs. Bennet's daughters are married — the oldest two quite successfully, the youngest two somewhat less successfully — leaving only plain, boring Mary suffering from the worst case of middle child syndrome ever.
Hadlow's debut novel picks up where Austen left off, telling us Mary's story both during P&P and in the years after. It's the ultimate diamond in the rough, black sheep tale, with intelligence, humor, and a long fight for self confidence. I'm not a huge Austen fan — I've often said I prefer my Austen derivative, like with zombies or as a choose-your-own-adventure book — but I loved this story. Mary is definitely the sister I'd most like to hang out with, and the fact of that is Hadlow's crowning achievement. Great fun for anyone even remotely interested in Austen, derivative of not.
No comments:
Post a Comment