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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

Now seen on BBC One, 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? The Other Bennet Sister 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
Pride and prejudice is one of my fave stories ever and this book is brilliant in how it revisits some of the fringe characters and brings them alive - Mr Collins, Charlotte, Aunt Gardiner and Miss Bingly, I just adore what the author has done with them - 5 stars. And the narrator does great voices for them, very a lá bbc dramatisation which is epic. The new characters are enjoyable too, as is the deeper look into the lives of ordinary people living in those times. But Mary! She is such a stupid, stupid individual. She seems to learn nothing from her experiences. She was merely irritating in part 1. But in part 2, how she behaves with Mr Rider generally, won't speak up or confide in her aunt and gets the hump with Mr Heyward when she is no better GRRRRR! The book is 3 hours longer than it needs to be because of her stupidity - seriously, I feel like pushing Mary off the top of bloody Scarfell. I am almost tempted not to listen to the last 3 hours because Mary doesnt deserve a happy ending. But I will, because everything in this book, apart from Mary, is fabulous! UPDATE: once she had suffered for two long months, and made me suffer along with her, Mary finally learned to say what she was thinking and was much less annoying. Story had lovely ending :)

I love and hate this book in equal measures

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Story was wonderful, like a pride and prejudice sequel! The narrator’s performance was brilliant, really captured the essence of the different characters.

Enjoyed this very much!

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This is the second time I have listened to this audio book. The narrator is the best I have come across, she captures Mary exactly the way I would imagine she would sound. The book makes Mary into a more 3 dimensional character and made me think of Mary in a very different light. All in all I would highly recommend it, the best P and P variation I have listened or read.

I love this book

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I hadn't heard of this book or the author and was potentially deterred by the length of the story. But it was lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed it

Very enjoyable find

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I enjoyed looking at one of my favourite stories from a different point of view. But, it was a bit long winded. the book could have been a quite a bit shorter and just as interesting.

interesting point of view

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