'I prayed for a brother every night. My two older sisters also prayed. They felt the want of a brother equally keenly, for our father's estate was entailed upon a male heir and without a brother to provide for us or a rich husband to rescue us, we would all be destitute. '

Mary Bennet has been long overshadowed by the beauty and charm of her older sisters, Jane and Elizabeth, and by the forwardness and cheek of her younger sisters, Kitty and Lydia. From her post in the wings of the Bennet family, Mary now watches as Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy-and Mr Wickham-glide into her sisters' lives. While she can view these three gentlemen quite dispassionately (and as it turns out accurately) can she be equally clear-sighted when she finally falls in love herself?

In this elegant retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Mary finally learns — with a little help from the man she loves — to question her family's values and overcome her own brand of 'pride and prejudice'.

This is the story of Mary Bennet, the overlooked middle sister of Pride and Prejudice. It is Mary's narrative of life in the Bennet household, her family, her friendships and her first love with an unsuitable man. It is the story of a young girl desperate for attention and approval who eventually finds happiness in the most unlikely place.