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The Other Bennet Sister

Now a Major BBC Drama starring Richard E. Grant and Ruth Jones

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The Other Bennet Sister

By: Janice Hadlow
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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About this listen

The Other Bennet Sister presents Mary Bennet in a whole new light as she becomes Austen's newest leading lady.

Now a major BBC One TV series, starring Richard E. Grant, Ruth Jones and Ella Bruccoleri.

Read by the amazing Kristen Atherton.


One by one, the Bennet sisters have found their place. But what happens to the one left behind? This is the brilliant, witty, and heartbreakingly relatable story of Mary Bennet.

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, we know the fates of the five Bennet girls. But while her sisters are celebrated for their beauty of their wit, Mary is the "plain" middle sister, the introvert in a family of extroverts, and a constant disappointment to her mother.

Lonely and lacking connection, Mary turns to the only place she feels safe: books. Determined to be "right" since she can never be "beautiful", she prepares for a life of solitude at Longbourn.

One by one, the other sisters move on: Jane and Lizzy for love, and Lydia for respectability. Mary is destined to remain single, at least until her father dies and the house is bequeathed to the reviled Mr Collins.

But when that fateful day finally arrives, the life Mary expected is turned upside down. In the face of uncertainty, she slowly discovers that there is hope for the "plain" sister after all . . .

Experience the witty, life-affirming tale of a young woman finally finding her place in the world.

This is Mary Bennet's story.

'Will delight Pride and Prejudice fans' — The Independent

Coming of Age Destiny Family Life Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Regency Regency Romance Romance Feel-Good Heartfelt Witty

Critic reviews

[A] novel that will delight Pride and Prejudice fans
Janice Hadlow has dusted down Mary, the ugly Bennet sister, and fashioned her into a heroine that even Miss Austen would approve of. A treat (Daisy Goodwin, author of Victoria and The Fortune Hunter)
Immersive and engaging
It’s difficult not to race through those final pages (Jo Baker, author of LongBourn and The Body Lies)
This gorgeous book pays homage to Pride and Prejudice – and follows Mary Bennet, the overlooked middle Bennet sister. It’s a wonderfully warm, comforting read – perfect on a winter’s night
I absolutely love this novel – as will any young woman who has felt herself plain, shy, bookish and crushed (Amanda Craig, author of The Lie of the Land and The Golden Rule)
Fans will need no persuasion . . . Worthy of any Austen heroine
Jane fans rejoice! I loved this thoroughly estimable, worthy homage to Austen. Exceptional storytelling and a true delight (Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Summer Before the War)
Puts Mary front and centre stage exploring why she was so heartbreakingly sidelined by Mrs Bennet and gives humour and sensitivity to the most overlooked of the sisters
Impeccably researched, this lifts Mary from obscurity, as she breaks out of her mother's world and follows her own path
A wonderful, absorbing, accomplished book. I loved it (Stephanie Butland, author of Lost for Words and The Woman in the Photograph)
Entertaining and thoroughly engrossing
Vivid and convincing
Equal to the best Austen spin-offs, including Jo Baker’s Longbourn, this will delight Janeites as well as lovers of nuanced female coming-of-age tales (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
All stars
Most relevant
Loved this book. Really well written in the style of Austen. Really believable. The narrator was superb and Mrs Bennet sounded so much like Alison Steadman from the BBC production that it brought it even more to life. I can thoroughly recommend it and as I was gardening throughout, it made me spend longer in the garden than I should have!

The complete Bennet story

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This was just perfect and was so well crafted a novel that captures the ambiance of the original

Perfection

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I cannot say how much I enjoyed this book. At first, I thought it would be just a little twist on Pride and Prejudice, and it started out feeling like that. Once it veered from away from the story everyone knows, it became totally impossible to put down. It will live long in my memory.

Wonderful.

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one of the better P and P sequels focussing on Mary. The first half tells the story of events as they occurred during P and P from Mary's perspective and the second half when she moves to London and becomes part of an intense love triangle. Thoroughly enjoyable

excellent performance and good story

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Wow what a book worthy of being connected to Jane Austen.
Beautifully writen, very captivating and engaging from start to finish.
This story does start when Mary was younger and before her sisters got married, but everything is from Mary's point of view, so you get to see her relationship between her and her mum and dad and each sister as she was growing up.
All characters from P&P will make an appearance in this book some long some short but nothing is copied from P&P everything is from Mary's point of veiw and is written in Janice Hadlow's own words.
All this is beautifully writen without quoting big chunks of P&P. When it get to the point her sisters get married off she elegantly skips over it and alway keeps the focus on Mary's life.
From start to finish this book will have you captivated. I used every bit of my spare time to listen to this book.
If you love P&P you will love this story. And if your like me and want to know what happens to Mary and Kitty, this isthe book for you.

Jane Austen would have been proud!

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