The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Narrated by Carla Mendonça
I found this challenge online to read a book that starts with every letter of the alphabet and thought, wait…I’ll do you one better I’ll read a Jane Austen book that starts with every letter of the alphabet. I started off just reading as I normally would, filling in the squares whenever I would read a book who’s title fit the letter.
I had only three slots empty and went searching for something that began with the letter O. One person on my Instagram suggested a book, but this popped up on Libby and I felt it would be easier to listen to this and read an additional slot.
This book follows the story of Pride and Prejudice from Mary Bennet’s point of view, along with extra chapters afterwards about what happened to her after the original story closes. Now Mary Bennet, not much has been devoted to her in retellings, at least not many that I have read so far.
I had a roller coaster of like/dislike for this book. First I didn’t enjoy it, then I became very invested, but then I felt it became tedious…but then some things happened and I was invested again…only for it to then drag on too much and my interest waned.
That’s another reason I was thankful for it being a library book, the due date prompted me to keep reading and get this review finished.
I do not feel as I can recommend this book as some parts and viewpoints into Pride and Prejudice from a different POV I really did enjoy, while others parts I had to really push myself to continue.
We start off with Mary being mistreated by her mother. To be fair, I have said this before and will say it again; I think people misunderstand the character of Mrs. Bennet in and treat her badly in their adaptions. Most of the original story is told from Elizabeth’s POV who was influenced by her father’s constant criticism, dislike, and mistreatment of her mother. Mrs. Bennet is doing the best she can with what knowledge she has and on the only method she knows will work for her children. After all she was a beautiful woman with no real dowry who was lucky that her beauty scored a gentleman. Therefore the only commodity she believes will help women with no dowry is beauty and unfortunately Mary , while a pretty woman, doesn’t fit the beauty standard of the day and in comparison to her sisters is found lacking. If Mr. Bennet had done a proper job of looking out for his family and not being a grasshopper about the whole things believing the future will take care of itself (a boy will come), they would be in a different place entirely. At least Mrs. Bennet is doing something instead of burying her head in the sand.
Most of the beginning of the book is Mary clashing with her mother and feeling bad about herself and her looks. This part was hard for me to listen to, as when she describes her plainness and having to get glasses it was giving me flashbacks to when I first had to get glasses, they were not a cool accessory as they later become and are now.
Mary was close to Elizabeth and Jane, but life and relationships change as siblings grow and everyone has paired off to have best friends with their sisters: Jane and Elizabeth along with Kitty and Lydia; leaving Mary alone.
Mary does have Mrs. Hill on her side who tries to help her find her place in all this. Mary tries to channel her loneliness into self improvement and thrusts herself into her piano playing and reading. She tries to connect to her father with their shared love of reading, but again her father is a truly terrible. He basically mocks her reading choices, but when asked fails to make any suggestions as what she should read. This make Mary feel stupid and terrible as she had planned a him a book of her favorite quotes. A gift better off destroyed then to prompt further jeers.
A part of me wanted this to be Mary’s evil super villain backstory, but that doesn’t happen.
Mary and Charlotte become quite good friends as they feel a kinship with each other. Charlotte warns Mary that if she ever sees a chance at marriage to take it, as she doesn’t want to end up like Charlotte, waiting around at another ball with no prospects.
Mary takes this to heart and decides to make a play for Mr. Collins when he comes to Longbourn. But while a man of the cloth, unfortunately Mr. Collins isn’t thinking of Proverbs 31:30 when selecting his bride and is instead focused on winning the beautiful Jane or Elizabeth; even though he and Mary have more similar interests.
Mary decides to show off her piano skills at the Netherfield ball to get Mr. Collins’ attention and ignores her teacher’s warning not to sing. Her plan does not go well as she is utterly humiliated and hurt by both Elizabeth and her father.
Suffice to say Mr. Collins does not choose her and ends up with Charlotte, who “apologizes” but is also a bit rude about the whole thing. That’s my problem with this book, everyone is so mean and cruel to Mary. I know this is Mary’s POV but did everyone but Mrs. Hill need to be such jerks.
After Lydia, Jane, and Elizabeth marry, it’s not long until Kitty finds someone and is also gone from their house too. It’s now just the three of them (Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, & Mary Bennet), but then Mr. Bennet dies and Mary finds herself stuck with her mother at the Bingleys. Life would be pleasant except the rain cloud of Caroline Bingley, as she takes great joy in tormenting Mary as she doesn’t have Elizabeth to inflict her anger on. Listening to this, Mary brings up a point about th Bingley’s father being merchants and all I can think is Caroline talks big game to Elizabeth and Mary about class when their grandfather (Mrs. Bennet’s father) was a merchant; making them much farther away then Caroline, the George Warleggan of the Austen world.
Mary finds herself being chipped away every day by this verbal abuse, and Jane and Mr. Bingley are blind to it (as they are too full of each other). After suffering for quite some time she decide fo flee to Pemberley
At Pemberley she and Elizabeth find themselves becoming friends again. The two fall into a wondeful routine with Elizabeth’s son. But that all comes crashing down when Mr. Darcy and Georgiana return. Elizabeth forgets all about Mary and excludes her when it comes to her new family. I get that Elizabeth is in a love bubble and focusing on her new family; but wouldn’t they encourage Mary to join her and Georgiana for music time as she too loves the piano? Wouldn’t they want to have Gerogina befriend Mary? Wouldn’t this be a great time to help Georgiana get out of her shell? Like it seems weird for them to ignore this possible help on developing Gerogiana’s emotional state.
As the days drag on Mary writes to Charlotte and goes to stay with them. She finds happiness with the Collins as she helps watch their son, spends time with Charlotte, studies in the library, etc. In fact, her studying brings her notice to Mr. Collins and soon they are discussing literature, as he teaches her Greek and the fine classics. Everything is great here too…until Charlotte grows cold and distant and Mrs. Hill warns Mary that if she continues in such a sway with Mr. Collins there will be talk about them. Mary decides she must move on and there is a sweet but sad scene that she shares with Mr. Collins in which he apologizes for overlooking her and she encourages him to try afresh with his wife. No one deserves to be lonely.
Mary decides to go with her Aunt Gardiner, which is what I have said from the beginning as it will open her up to more prospects. There she finds contentment as the Gardiners heap love and affection on Mary and she begins to settle into herself. Also being removed from an area when she is not being compared constantly to her sisters has also brought a bloom on to her. She even finds herself falling for a lawyer friend of the Gardiners as he awakens her to a love of fiction and poetry.
But while these two find each other, the book slogs on with another man becoming fascinated by Mary and creating an unnecessary love triangle, Caroline Bingley has an evil return, and we have quite a bit to go through until we reach the end.
As I said, parts of this were good but it also was very sad and unhappy that it made me unhappy reading/listening to it. Again I give it a mixed review, some parts were good, while others I did not enjoy. I know I will not be reading it again. Once was enough for me.
For more audiobooks, go to Sanditon by Jane Austen and Finished by Kate Riordan Audiobook Narrated by Alexandra Roach
For more Pride and Prejudice, go to The Gentlemen Are Detained
For more based on Jane Austen, go to The Intrigue at Highbury (Or, Emma’s Match)
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