The author imagines a full life for the virtually ignored sister from Jane Austen’s classic, Pride & Prejudice. Interesting and I like some of the ideas, but it is somewhat unbelievable.

Before I began reading Mary B, I saw several early reviews decrying Katherine J. Chen's treatment of some of the most beloved Bennets. While I do adore Austen's original novel, I chose to set aside my feelings about the original characters, as written in Pride and Prejudice, and instead read Mary B as an entirely distinct work of fiction (which wasn't so difficult, because it IS in fact an entirely distinct literary novel, not a work of fan fiction). In Chen’s vision, Mary is a complex, frustrated, and curious woman, underestimated and often ignored because of her plainness, but determined to claim or create a place for herself. The writing and characterization are beautiful. I look forward to seeing what Chen writes next!

As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy I shall give an honest review of this novel. Coming into this novel I knew it would be a retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I have heard of many retellings, or continuations but have not read any. I was intrigued to learn that it would be from the well-mannered Bennet sister Mary. This middle child had some moments in the original novel, for we have an idea of who she is but really do not know her but from Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet’s perspective. In this novel, her perspective rains supreme and we learn what occurred before and during Pride and Prejudice from her point of view. As well are told future events past the end of Austen’s original novel. The novel's author presented material found in Austen’s novel and embellished thereafter. Katherine J. Chen’s tone was approachable and relaxing. I found her style to be similar to Austen’s which was amazing to hear while reading. There were moments that had me gasping out loud, and others which made me laugh. The characterization of its lead character was enjoyable to read and found myself empathizing with Mary and having new feelings for Elizabeth. If you want to know what I am talking about read the novel. You will enjoy it if you loved the original Pride and Prejudice, and have merely another perspective of the world that Jane Austen has created. I highly recommend this novel to fans of Jane Austen and historical fiction. I give this novel four out of five stars.

I received an email from the publisher with a link to download this book, which I probably wouldn't have looked at otherwise, so I appreciate that personal outreach. I read the reviews and some readers mentioned there were some historical inconsistencies, but that doesn't bother me all that much: I read for a good story and give grace to authors when I can. In Mary B., Ms. Chen has taken one of the lesser known siblings from Jane Austen's most famous novels and given her a life and story of her own. The writing and sentence structure has the familiar cadence and pacing of Ms. Austen's own work, so I applaud the author for her efforts to get that right. I recognized familiar personalities (Mrs. Bennett!) and situations, but written from Mary's point of view. If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice reimaginings, I think you'd enjoy Mary B. It will certainly go on my book display when I do one to celebrate Jane Austen's birthday every year, along with more contemporary retellings, which my customers seem to enjoy. Thanks for the chance to review this title.

This is an interesting twist on PRIDE AND PREJUDICE that fleshes out the character of Mary Bennet. Lizzie is not the heroine here, which may shock many Austen devotees.

After finishing this book, it's clear to me why many of those who intensely love Pride and Prejudice might not have enjoyed it, and some reviews I've read certainly indicate not everyone was happy with it. It is as cutting and incisive as Lizzie Bennett in the original novel, although Lizzie is now the subject of that famous Bennett wit, and not always in the most flattering way. It makes for a very interesting perspective on a very beloved novel and series of films.

I wasn't positive what to expect from Mary B, only that I was charmed by the premise and very excited to read a story from one of P&P's least explored characters. I could not have been less disappointed. I adored this book, and while I was surprised to see Lizzie and even Jane, on occasion, painted in a less flattering light than in Pride and Prejudice, I thought it was thoughtfully and intelligently written. Mary, in Chen's imagining, is a sympathetic, smart, observant, and wonderful character, at terms bitter and depressed, yes, but always realistic about her life and those around her, and yet determined to continually demand more from both. She wants much and has a very modern perspective, wondering why she cannot be the one to deliver her own happiness, rather than waiting for a man to do so. Her feelings towards her sisters felt very realistic to me: she loves them intensely, and yet often can't stand them. Anyone with a family will understand that feeling well. I was particularly fond of, and surprised by, the tenderness with which Chen wrote Mr. Darcy and his developing friendship with Mary. It was a continual source of delight for me as a reader, and it seemed to me the author deeply understood and cherished these characters. Much like Darcy in P&P, Chen embraced the idea that Mary's reserved nature held hidden depths.

Most of all, what resonated with me was how the book confronted standards of beauty, both of Austen's time period and today. The world was and continues to be a cruel place for women (and often men) who do not meet the ideal of beauty, whether it is their physical appearance, weight, etc. Mary is socialized to believe she will never amount to anything because she is ugly, and then once the world has succeeded in instilling that belief in her mind, proceeds to ignore and forget her utterly, leaving Mary to her own devices. (Little does anyone know that will become her greatest gift.) Unlike Austen's original novels, Mary B does not succumb to the notion that an unmarried woman, or an "ugly" one, at that, is one of life's greatest tragedies, but rather one of its most formidable and liberated foes. In fact, those characters who once seemed to achieve Nirvana by marrying the men of their dreams sometimes come to realize they have perhaps cheated themselves of something greater. The themes of freedom and choice (and freedom of choice) reign in this book, and the ending left me so, so pleased. And it is impossible to forget, while reading, that Austen herself never married, instead making her own way in the world through her writing and intellect and shrewd observations of those around her. She was the hero of her own story, and so too is Mary B.

I think Mary B is one of the greatest celebrations of Austen and her work I have read in a long while, and a very moving tribute to both. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I have read <i>Pride & Prejudice</i> spin-offs, re-tellings, and continuations. Some have been wonderful, others have been an utter disappointment; unfortunately, <i>Mary B</i> falls into the latter category. Although Katherine J. Chen has made a strong attempt here - the writing is good and there were moments that I could picture so vividly fitting in to Austen's original world that captivated me so many years ago - I don't know that Mary was presented in a light strong enough to warrant her own story. I wanted to love this, but it was lacking in the wit and depth that a story told about this world deserves. Mary is woeful and desperate, and I was often quite put off by it. The romance in the later parts of the book felt cheap and unbelievable. I understand that this book is entirely its own story, and maybe this is all unfair to Chen, but I could not for the life of me suspend belief entirely and make myself truly enjoy this story.

I have read a lot of Austen retellings. Of course, some are better than others. I do not say this lightly but...this is not a good one. Mary deserves better than this story. There are other Mary Bennet stories. Do yourself a favor and go read one of those. For this version, apparently, the only way the author could see to make Mary interesting was to degrade every other character around her to be almost unrecognizable. Part I was decent enough, if uninspired and rather predictable, but the story goes off the rails in Parts II and III. Its conclusion is rather ludicrous. I will admit to finishing out of morbid curiosity to see just how much the author was willing to throw Austen out the window but I can't recommend it to others.

"She couldn’t know then the strength of her own wings: how high she’d soar, how marvelous her many flights and how diminished in size and importance the people and places she left behind would eventually become to her as she dared the brilliance of the sun."

Katherine J. Chen’s Mary B: A Novel is the second book I read this year based on Jane Austen’s well-loved classic Pride and Prejudice (the first being John Kessel’s Pride and Prometheus, where Mary Bennet meets Victor Frankenstein and his creation), likewise focusing on the oft-forgotten plain middle sister: Mary Bennet. I don’t know why I’ve been gravitating toward Pride and Prejudice retellings lately – if you can believe it, I also have two still sitting in my TBR pile: Carrie Kablean’s What Kitty Did Next and Judy McCrosky’s Miss Bingley Requests – but I am consistently underwhelmed. The original was such a masterpiece and retellings are notoriously never nearly as good.

I’m not a Jane Austen purist (if you are one, however, I’d recommend giving this book a pass), so at least I was able to enjoy this novel for what it was. I must admit, while it was better than I thought it would be – I particularly appreciated the nod to Jane Austen by having Mary become an author, and the writing was actually pretty good – there were many glaring inconsistencies and plot choices that took this novel from moderately enjoyable to an unfortunate let-down.

My main problem with this book was the characterization of the well-loved characters. I love Austen’s Lizzy – she was witty and charming and complex – but Chen’s Lizzy left a lot to be desired. In this novel, though I understand that the reader is experiencing Pride and Prejudice from Mary’s perspective, Lizzy comes off as much too vain, both in looks as well as her seeming determination to marry for money and not for love. Mary, too, acted uncharacteristically from her former self; though on some level I understand that the point of this novel was to show her changing and maturing, it was entirely unbelievable how easily she would have changed her underlying moral code.

An even bigger problem, though, was one of Mary’s love interests. It was not believable at all and, honestly, read more like fanfiction rather than a novel. I actually shouted “No!” several times when I realized what was happening, and a few more besides. I couldn’t be more disappointed that the author chose to go in that direction.

All-in-all, I would have liked Mary B: A Novel much better if the author would have written more believable characters and had not written Mary’s third love interest into the plot at all. Unfortunately, this book was a let-down where it might have painted an interesting picture of the “plain” middle Bennet sister.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Random House for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

https://allisonsadventuresintowonderlands.wordpress.com/2018/08/16/katherine-j-chens-mary-b-a-novel/

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

First, I have to say that I did not know that this was one of those "Pride and Prejudice" remake books. I do not understand the desire or purpose in rewriting a previously published novel.

Having said that, I really enjoyed this book. I found the storyline compelling and intriguing. The book focuses on Mary Bennett and of course, Mr. Darcy and the rest of the Bennatt girls.

I found the book refreshing and intriguing and was compelled to read it quickly.

If you love Pride and Prejudice rewrites---you will love it. Even if that is not your thing---give it a try...it is a very readable book.

For whatever reason i couldn't get into this novel so I did not finish. I may try again bc I've heard of others liking it. Great premise though.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this one. I'm always open for a bit of Austen fan-fiction so when someone from the publisher reached out to me about this one I figured why not?*

I'm not one of those who is obsessed with any particular character of Jane Austen's like the author. I love the broad strokes of her stories and the general caricatures and stereotypes she works in across all her work. So when the fan-fiction gets super specific, like this one, I'm never quite sure what will come out of it. Will I enjoy this authors take on the character? Will they stay true to not only Austen's works but the generally accepted views of the character? Will it be enjoyable and readable?

 I'm glad to say that this one was most definitely readable and even enjoyable, for the most part. I even enjoyed most of Chen's take on Mary Bennet, but I couldn't help but think this one strayed too far from my reading of Austen and what feels like the majority of people's readings of many characters outside of Austen.
Chen's writing was beautiful and easy to read, unlike many other writers in the Austen universe she chose not to mimic the style of the times and in doing so freed herself of quite a bit of the mistakes many of them make. The book and Chen's voice strengthened as she moved past the action of Pride and Prejudice, and yet that's when I felt she detoured away from the originals in a way that didn't work for me, but more on that later.

I had a few problems with the retelling portion because there were major events that were left out or glossed over. I have to assume this is a result of space/time, but the omission felt very odd. In particular I'm referring to Lydia's "elopement" with Wickham. The fact that this was only mentioned in passing after the fact seemed very odd to me. Mrs. Bennet's reactions to even the smallest thing were observed by all of her daughters and the staff and one can only imagine her reaction to something this scandalous and to have no mention of it (unless I missed it which I very well could have) is very odd. 

The other piece I had a problem with was Mary's interaction with Mr. Darcy at one of the balls, I believe the first. There is NO way this would happen in my world and in most people's Austen worlds. He's very clear that he will not and does not talk to strangers. Part of this is the build up of 200 years of iconic untouchable Mr. Darcy and the canon of the original Austen, but part of this is I think written directly in the text. At the point this happens in Mary B Darcy has already insulted Elizabeth, he has already made it known that he will only dance with the women he came with and has spent the majority of the time even though there are fewer women than men standing on the sidelines.

Now on to the post-Pride and Prejudice part of the book. This part I actually appreciated more than I thought I would. I'm not enthused over the character turns she gave to the primary characters from the original work, but she wrote what she did well. I think Chen would've been better served having created new characters or searching Austen's other works for throwaway characters.

Again, this comes down to personal opinion and what Austen's characters do in my continuation in my head, but there's no way Darcy and Elizabeth aren't happy. I won't go into more than that, but it felt too forced. It felt as if too much modern thought/experience was being forced into a marriage that came from overcoming pride and prejudice (see what I did there) to build a mostly perfect union. I also had an issue with Chen's re-use of almost exact quotes from the original work in different context:

"'No?' he repeated, almost in disbelief. 'Then you acknowledge by your refusal that there is something between you...or that there could be something between you.

'Oh, but how could there be, Mr. Darcy?' I asked, even as my voice quavered. I had never stood up to him this way before. 'As you put so well, it is impossible that anything of the kind should happen to one such as myself.'" (Chapter 21)

Hello Lady Catherine de Bourgh, your nephew is channeling you in a most unseemly manner when he bucked everything you thought to marry the woman he loved.

However, where the modern thoughts and experience didn't work on Darcy and Elizabeth, I think they most definitely worked on Mary. I loved that Chen, like others before her, merged Austen with one of her characters. In Mary becoming a published author with independent means she is able to take on a life that Austen could never dream of. 

I also didn't mind Chen making Mary a more modern woman when it came to sex and relations with men. It's already been shown historically that pre-marital sex was rampant during this time period. Sure it wasn't usually the landed gentry that were flouncing about, but it did happen. I wasn't happy with how the character Mary connects with on this level, because even though his background could make him such a man there was no indication in the novels (that I remember) that he wasn't perfectly respectable.

UGH - I feel like I've ragged on about this book in such a bad light when I really did enjoy most of it. I guess because I love Austen as much as I do and read as much fan-fiction as I do that I'm more apt to focus on the things that jar me out of my comfort zone. But honestly, Chen wrote a wonderful book that if removed from Austen I believe could stand on it's own with minimal adjustments to provide back story that isn't as iconic. Take this passage for example,

"Perhaps this is why I prefer reading to any other activity. When one reads, one is forced to look down at the words, and the imperfections of the face become less noticeable due to the angle of one's head. More so, the act of reading is a silent rebellion. To read in the presence of company is a most convenient excuse for not partaking in conversation. The book is a better tool than the piano in this regard. If you play and sing, then visitors are expected to listen, to applaud, and to compliment you on your so-called accomplishments. But if you are sitting behind your sisters and occupied with a book, it is as if to say to the guest, 'I would rather spend time with the litigious husbands, gamblers, and spendthrifts of this novel than with you, dear sir, even if you had no interest in wooing me in the first place." (Chapter 1)

There's something beautiful about this and daring because of the setting and character who says this. I think she also does a wonderful job encapsulating Austen's love, satirical use, and defense of the novel as an art form.

Recommendation: This sounds a lot worse than it is. I really appreciated Chen's view of the characters even if I don't agree with them. I think she's a writer on the edge of something, but what it is I don't know. I would love to see her write something non-Austen based because she developed great character that had depth and even got me to laugh a few times.

*I received a copy of Mary B from the publisher via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

I'm sorry, I really wanted to like this book. I love Pride and Prejudice, but this author took most of the beloved characters and fundamentally changed them. This story is from Mary's view point, which is very depressing. Her family never loved her, Lizzie and Jane are self-absorbed. Lydia and Kitty are mean. Since I really love P&P, this disturbed me.

The writing style is reminiscent of Jane Austen, but the story line is not. In fact, the story was very slow. It wasn't until I was maybe 50% into the book before I started to get into the story. Then events happened and I absolutely hated the book and I couldn't wait to be done. The various events are twisted and not anything like what Jane Austen herself would write. Jane pointed out the restricted and dependent life that women of the time lived. This one did too, but in a much more in-your-face way. I also did not like Mary's character. She also was not the same personality as in P&P. In fact, in some ways she was more like Lydia and Kitty.

If you love Pride and Prejudice, I would not recommend this book. In fact, I doubt I will read another book by this author.

A sweet read for people who just can't get enough of the characters from Pride And prejudice. Mary was my least favorite character in that novel, and this book brings her to life in a new way with a fresh voice. I enjoyed it.

I resisted this book because I am so fond of the original Pride and Prejudice, but it makes for fascinating reading.

Before even opening Mary B., I should have remembered that I subscribe to the school of thought that one should never try to run in the same lane as a classic. For me, the vast majority of sequels, variants, or even film adaptions, rarely live up to the original. I give author Katherine Chen credit for her courage and her attempt but this just didn’t work for me.

Mary B. Is the middle daughter of the famous Bennet family as created by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice. Being a middle daughter myself, I gave this one a try (even, as I said above, I should have known my tastes better.) Somehow I thought I would be able to relate to that middle child syndrome and I tried but my interest lagged. There were moments I enjoyed but two stars was as far as I could push my rating.

I just could not get into this book. The characters are not likeable.

I did enjoy the author's surrounding descriptions but the people, were irredeemable- especially Mary.

Sorry.

Unfortunately, I am a bit of a Pride and Prejudice purist. I will read variations and adaptations until the cows come home, but I want the characters to stay true to the original. I cannot buy a story where Lizzy and Darcy end up apart and with Mary Darcy's mistress. Nope. Not in a million years.

I appreciate Chen's writing, which is great, but I can't recommend this book. I see that it isn't getting good reviews, and I don't feel I can add to the pile up. I will not be posting this review on line. Best of luck and thanks for the read.

It is a truth that must be universally acknowledged that Jane Austen retellings don't always leave me satisfied. Earlier this summer I felt myself very giddy after reading about Kitty Bennett in What Kitty did Next and I couldn't wait to hear about middle sister, Mary. Alas, Mary is the Northanger Abbey of the Bennett sisters. It's going to take awhile before I find an adaptation that will make me grin.

Told in three parts, Mary B is Pride and Prejudice from Mary's perspective. The first 42% of the story tells us what we already know- Jane/Bingley, Elizabeth/Darcy, and Lydia/Wickham. Plus, Mary gets her heart broken by cousin, Mr Collins. The book then continues with Mary wanting to pursue being a novelist and dallying in the romantic world. Except the romance was so highly unbelievable that I wanted to throw my ereader across the room Call me a purest, but no man(or woman) should separate what Jane Austen has already written. Mr Darcy +Lizzy =forever!

Before I start my review-I just want to say thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in return for my honest review. I LOVE Jane Austen so I was excited to get this book set in the world of Pride and Prejudice.
Okay, now my review. This Mary is very angsty-I did pity her and felt happy for her in the end but it came at the high price of the author destroying my good opinion of my favorite characters, namely Darcy, Lizzy and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Why oh why did she completely recharacterize these characters??
Still, I finished it-it had the bones of a good book, just wish she would have created some new characters for Mary to interact with so that I felt better about reading it.