“The Other Bennett Sister” allows readers to imagine what the life of Mary Bennett might have been like. Of the Bennett sisters in the original and famous Austen novel, Mary plays the most unobtrusive role. This book is totally devoted to this obscure sister. Divided into four parts, the book shows the progress of Mary from the scholarly, ignored young woman, to a strong and insightful mature lady, sure of herself, her unique gifts, and her role in society.
Although the book seemed slow at times, I still wanted to read on to find our what happened to our heroine. I disliked her willingness to be subjugated and verbally abused by her family at the start of the book. However, Mary is vindicated as her character develops and she finds her welcome place in her aunt’s attractive and comfortable house, in the heart of London’s witty society. “Janeites” will certainly appreciate this addition to the Austen cannon.
I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

MARY! What a delight this book was.

Split into three parts - the first part - retelling Pride and Prejudice from Mary's point of view was a refreshing take on a classic. The second part takes place after Jane and Lizzy marry. Mr. Bennet has died and Mary is left without a home or money. She shifts between Jane and Lizzy's homes until she's invited by Charlotte Collins to come visit.....in Mary's former home. As Charlotte is want to do - she is enraged with jealousy and promptly asks Mary to leave. The third part finds Mary in a home, with people who love her.

It's hard to take a classic character and reframe someone's point of view. Much like Greta Gerwig's Little Women did for Amy March, Janice Hadlow has given Mary Bennet her true story.

Thanks to netGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really loved this LONG P&P spin-off. The first half takes place during the events of Pride and Prejudice and the second half two years later. I thought Mary was very relatable and lovely and am so pleased to have a happy ending to put to her story. Recommend!

I feel like I'm one of the rare people who enjoys Jane Austen but isn't completely obsessed - I like it in small doses and will occasionally read these types of retellings or side stories. Typically I find them disappointing but this one surprised me. Its probably the most interesting story I've read in this genre. I love how Hadlow took such an uninspired character and brought her out into her own. There aren't too many surprises in how things play out, but that didn't distract from my enjoyment of the story. I would definitely recommend that for those of us who wish we had more Lizzy but always knew we were more Mary than that.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful revisit to the story of Pride and Prejudice told from a very different perspective. All the known characters come to life and of course new ones too!
Mary Bennet finally gets her chance to shine. Portrayed as a weed in a bed of flowers Mary will discover that beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder and although everyone including her own mother never fails to try and put Mary in her place, she still manages to rise above the obstacles. Surly Mary is destined to carve her own love story full of all the usual uncertainties but more importantly she learns to love herself, just the way she is.
A lovely story of self worth that will even make the reader take a step back to observe their own dignity and how they perceive themselves. If you love Pride and Prejudice than I highly recommend!}

When I requested this novel I was into the ideal of reading the novel but shorty after reading the first chapter, I have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for taking the time to provide me an ARC of this novel.

The Other Bennet Sister By Janice Hadlow is a fascinating re-imagining of some of the fundamental building blocks of Pride and Prejudice.

Please view my latest video for the full review: https://youtu.be/9kc8gdTacDY

The Other Bennet Sister
A Novel
by Janice Hadlow
Thanks to @macmillanaus
#TheOtherBennetSister


What if Mary Bennet’s life took a different path from that laid out for her in Pride and Prejudice?
A delightful, charming Austin Spin Off. Is an exceptional coming of age.

Mary Bennet is a somewhat plain, but extremely intellectual woman, who is a constant disappointment to her mother who values beauty above all else. It would seem her destiny is to remain single at Longbourn.
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Marry sisters have all have married and her father have passed away. She excepts and invitation to stay with her Uncle and Aunt in London. Seeing all that London has to offer, she gains a new perpective on life. Mary’s story really takes off when she realizes that she needs to value herself above all else. When a chance for the unthinkable comes her way, will Mary be able to open her heart.
I enjoyed reading this book, it was perfect in so many ways.

What if the bookish, forgotten, often mocked and sidelined Bennet sister in Pride and Prejudice, Mary Bennet transforms her life by following her own choices? - This is the story of The Other Bennet sister.

Jane Austen is an epitome of authenticity and affection. The author has captured it well without altering the feel of the original time period and added elements which impressively elevates the standard. Mary is everything you would expect in a protagonist - conflicted, complex, uncertain, vulnerable yet lovely and sympathetic. The change in nature of Mary is rather fast than I expected it, but its still good! The first few pages retells P&P in Mary’s eyes, the later part is the actual transformation story, which has a life of its own. Its a wonderful debut, especially fitting for the current trend of trying to self-love, be visible, be loved and liked!

I honestly believe, when I reread P&P, it’ll make me see things differently 😊 and its about time I reread, its been so long!!

Thank you Netgalley, Henry Holt books and Janice Hadlow for the ARC.

A reimagined life for Mary Bennet, the often overlooked sister from Pride and Prejudice. I had an enjoyable experience reading this on my kindle (thank you @NetGalley, Henry Holt & Co. and the author for this free e-book in exchange for an honest review). It would be difficult not to care for Mary and to wish her the happiness she so deserves. At times, I was torn between loving the romance of the time period; the way that men behaved as gentlemen and then finding myself annoyed at the lack of power women had. Mary is such a strong and intelligent character, which made it difficult to see her reign herself in at times, due to the time period she is living in. However, there was an underlying feistiness and independence to Mary and that was quite something to witness. #NetGalley #TheOtherBennetSister #withhernosestuckinabook❤️📚

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

The Other Bennet Sister follows the lesser known Mary Bennet, one of the five Bennet sisters from Jane Austen's famed Pride and Prejudice. Mary is the studious and quiet middle sister who does not feature much in the original novel. This story follows her from just before the start of the original novel to a few years following the conclusion of Pride and Prejudice.

I reread Pride and Prejudice just prior to reading this book, which may have been a slight mistake. I would recommend a little distance between the two, as the initial portions of this book do mirror Austen's novel very closely in parts. While some readers might find this endearing, I found it a bit annoying. It made things a bit thick and slow to start for me, while I don't think this would have been an issue had I not read the original novel for at least a few months.

Regardless, once the book moves beyond where P&P ends (which really isn't that far into the novel), things pick up steam and it comes into its own. Mary becomes a very full and wonderful character, I developed a larger appreciation for Mrs. Gardiner, and I still wanted to slap Mrs. Bennet into the next century. (She really is a terrible person.)

I have to give a LOT of credit to the writing. I was really impressed with it. Not only was it good writing on its own, but it also maintained the accurate feel of writing for the era and had moments where it truly felt as though it could've been a genuine Austen novel. I had a good time reading this one and really appreciated the progression of Mary's character. She truly became her own and I was so happy with where the author took her. It was well worth the read. Now...if Mrs. Bennet (and maybe Caroline Bingley) had both met grizzly or highly embarrassing and punishing ends, maybe I would've given it 5 stars. Just kidding...kind of...

An enjoyable book for Pride & Prejudice lovers. However, this book was way too long, especially parts one and two, and could have benefited from tighter editing.

It is well known that the novels of Jane Austen (1775–1817), which enjoyed at best a modest success during her lifetime, have become ever more popular in the last fifty years or so. They support a small industry of remakes, spinoffs, and retellings. As Janice Hadlow notes while discussing The Other Bennet Sister (Henry Holt, 2020) on the New Books Network, one reason for that interest lies with Austen herself. A genius at characterization, Austen drops tiny pearls of insight into one secondary character or another throughout her novels, and these seeds, when properly nurtured, can develop in unexpected ways.

The Other Bennet Sister focuses on the life of the middle sister in Pride and Prejudice. Stuck between an older pair—beautiful, gentle Jane and pretty, sprightly Lizzie—and a younger duo whose good looks and sheer love of life compensate for a certain lack of decorum, Mary is bookish, awkward, and plain. In a family where the daughters’ only future requires them to marry well without the plump dowries that would make them attractive to men of their own gentry class, Mary’s traits doom her (at least in her mother’s eyes) to an unhappy and lonely spinsterhood. Even her scholarly father underestimates Mary, because she lacks the wit and self-confidence that so distinguishes Lizzie, his favorite.

Hadlow has given deep thought to what it would mean to grow up as Mary—what she wants, how she feels, which twists of fate and family turn her into the character we meet so briefly in Austen’s novel. But then The Other Bennet Sister goes beyond Pride and Prejudice to imagine how the Marys of the world might find happiness, even in the early nineteenth century. It is a captivating and heartening story, and you need not be an Austen fan to appreciate the journey.

This was a fun read to allow readers to find a possible ending for Mary Bennett. The story is quite lengthy, I could have done with a shorter take. The characters were well developed, and Mrs. Gardiner shined, as she did in Pride and Prejudice. Mary made a true transformation and truly came out a butterfly in the end.

Let me just say at the outset that I adore this book.  If you are a Jane Austen fan, definitely take a look at this title.


The other Bennet Sister is Mary.  If you have read P and P, you know how she is portrayed there.  In this title, readers will get to know Mary so much better.  I felt for her immediately as some of the first things to come up in the novel had to do with being a middle sister, bookish, needing glasses, not feeling pretty (enough) and not necessarily wanting to go to parties.  I could identify with these!  I also relate to Mary's efforts at self improvement as she approaches the piano and her father's library.  Watching Mary figure out her life while spending time with other members of the Bennet household made this a wonderful read for me.


I think that Ms. Hadlow has captured the tone of Jane Austen.  Mr. B is still sardonic, Mrs. B is a bit empty headed and the sisters are very much themselves. 


Another plus of this title for me is its length.  At 480 pages it is a novel to sink into.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this most enjoyable title.  All opinions are my own.

Preface to me and Jane Austen, as I believe that is important to establish before review this book: I have read only 2 Jane Austen novels at the urging of friends who LOVE Jane Austen and also at my own need to eventually read the classics. I very much enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Emma but didn't devour them in any way. For adaptations, I have only seen the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie and the Lizzie Bennet Diaries vlog on YouTube. All these things were done years ago and so I entered this book with basic Austen/P&P knowledge that could use a little refreshing.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I felt that it was engrossing and intriguing. I felt for Mary and rooted for her, extremely happy and content when things concluded the way I wanted them to. That being said, I did feel the book was about 100-150 pages too long. Even as casual Austen fan, I felt the passages that ran parallel to P&P to drag a bit. Even though it's been a few years, I found myself remembering and warming up to the story fairly quickly. Since at this time, Mary was at the lowest point in her self-regard, it hurt my heart to continuously read about all the instances where she was rebuffed by her family and friends. While I felt for Mary in all these situations -- stupid Mrs. Bennet! Stupid Lydia! Ugh, and Caroline Bingley, what a cretin! -- I couldn't help but get angry at how readily Mary let herself be bullied. It made her such a pitiable character, I almost couldn't continue since I wanted to slap her out of her reverie so badly. Luckily, Hadlow's writing is engrossing and I felt myself soldier on, determined that Mary will change her own fate. Once Mary started coming out of her shell in London amidst Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, I was cheering her on with much gusto. However, the fact that it took almost half the book to really come to that point was a little frustrating.

Once Mary became her own Austen heroine, with two suitors vying for her attention, I was especially excited to get to the conclusion. I was delighted to fall so head over heels for Mr. Hayward. Of course, in order to stick to true Austen fashion, we had to have Mr. Ryder come heat things up a notch. I loved that Mary became so comfortable with herself that she talked back to Caroline Bingley and realized she didn't have to be so timid all the time. This section began to drag a little as the fight between Mr. Hayward and Mr. Ryder came to a head in the Lake District. I understand that we needed to see Mary's stubbornness foil her once again, only to eventually win her the man, I just wish thing were more direct, with shorter thought-filled passages, to keep the reader's attention fully engaged.

Mary is a very universal character who's story is intriguing to anyone who likes a redemption story -- Austen fan or not. For those who identify with Mary or are able to have a great sympathy towards her will relish in her journey and keep reading to bask in her success. However, the amount of "poor Mary" story you have to get through to reach the good stuff is enough to deter any strong-minded readers who have less patience for weak characters (I can name quite a few friends who would not be able to get back the first 30% of this book just for that reason).

Disclosure: I won this book (in ebook format) as part of a giveaway.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a fan of Jane Austen's book's wants MORE. Modern retellings, remixes, and series' from other characters' points of view proliferate on the shelves. And Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice is no exception. She's the nerd of the Bennet sisters, and isn't treated very well in the initial novel. This novel attempts to show what comes after and how Mary grows from an unloved duckling to, if not a swan, at least a duck, able to be loved by others and itself.

I really enjoyed the conceit, and the plot and journey of Mary are satisfying and sweet. It was interesting to see Eliza's behavior from Mary's point of view, and Eliza and Mr. Bennet don't come off very well (and to be fully honest, even though they are my favorite characters, they probably don't deserve to be blameless or uncritically lionized). I especially enjoyed the author's willingness to change characters' motivations, personalities, and behavior over time (as they do in real life!). Not only Mary, but Charlotte Lucas, Mr. Collins (!!!), and to a lesser extent Eliza show meaningful changes in their personalities, motivations, and relationships.

The novel did make a few cardinal sins for me. The first was the length. It's almost double the length of the original novel. Maybe Mary's journey needed that space, and the book was a bit of a page turner as you get closer to the end, but especially at the beginning and middle it did drag. Second, and more difficult to forgive, the author did make additions and changes in a few places to the "onstage" events of Pride and Prejudice. I'm fine with authors creating or embellishing "off stage" events, but changing what we know the characters did or said in the original novel (even if they were only one or two very minor changes) is a step too far for me.

On the whole, a diverting and fun addition to the extended Pride and Prejudice family.

Side note - interesting article from the Atlantic (from 4 years ago) on the motivations behind Mary retellings: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/theres-something-about-mary-bennet/496322/

A joy to read for any Austen fan.

Mary is self-effacing, in love with books and deeply hurt by the teasing of her father and sisters. She has to develop her own sense of self and confidence and grow out of her sisters’ shadows.

Part 1 of this book gives us a new perspective (very faithfully), from Mary, into the scenes in Pride and Prejudice - up until Mr. Collins married Charlotte.
But when Part 2 begins, we are 2 years in the future, the other 4 Bennet sisters are married and poor Mary must find her own way. I was glad for the change because I although the retelling element was fun, I was much more interested to see where the story would go next.

I loved how generous and compassionate the book was towards Mary. She became three dimensional and grew into herself.
The book took a bit from the themes of Sense and Sensibility and a scene from Emma, keeping it very Austen. There were a few bits in the middle that could have been edited down (all the misery!), but mostly this was very fun to read.

I was delighted in the last chapters where Mary turns the expected scene of fulfillment and claims it for her own! The feminist ending I didn’t know I wanted for an Austen character!

As a bespectacled reader who's shy in social situations, I've always felt some sympathy for Mary Bennet. Jane Austen plays the bookish middle sister mostly for laughs in Pride & Prejudice, as she sings badly in public and makes awkward remarks. In The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow redeems Mary and gives her a rich inner life. The first part of the book parallels some of the plot of P&P, but most of it takes place two years later.

The style and pacing of this book feel very Austenian, with third party partial omniscient narration and relatively slow plot. There's a romance, but it's not really the point of the book. Mary is the star here, as she takes her first tentative steps into the world and learns about herself. A very satisfying redemption for Mary Bennet.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review!

I knew I’d never match the other vivacious, beautiful sisters in Pride and Prejudice. My identity was much closer to the bookish Mary. Not that my mother ever scorned me because I needed eye spectacles, but because if left to my own entertainment, I’d much rather be reading and learning than to participate in social chitchat. I spent the first half of the book watching Mary and worrying about her choices, knowing they weren’t in her best interests. Halfway through the book, with the support of her mother’s sister in London, Mary came into her own and, of course, all ended well. Well written in the style of Jane Austin, it doesn’t quite have the social satire Austin’s writings emit, but still it’s a good story about the forgotten Bennet sister.