The Other Bennet Sister book thoughts

The Other Bennet Sister

by Janice Hadlow

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow, 2020

As soon as the first Hay Festival weekend was over and my part in preparing talks and content for it had completed, I snatched this book off of my shelf. I’ve been waiting to read this for months. It was to be my reward. I definitely heard about it through little clips that kept popping up on social media for the miniseries on the BBC. It looks lovely and intrigued me so much I looked up the source material and immediately knew I must read the book first. I’m so glad I did! What a delightful, charming, completely enthralling story. I hope to see the miniseries sometime and see how it does in staying true to Ms. Hadlow’s lovely novel.

I am not thrilled that I had to buy the miniseries cover version of the book, but none of the (20+) bookshops in our little town had any other cover for it. Sigh. I hate adaption book covers, but I did not let that deter me.

First off, I am a Pride & Prejudice friend. I have read the novel at least 3-4 times and I have seen the 1995 and the 2005 films. (Apparently there are 15+ film versions of it!) I could debate the better of those two most popular films, but that is another post altogether. It is a truly wonderful novel and beloved by many for good reasons. (Not to mention it is a strong basis for my favorite film, You’ve Got Mail, and Kathleen Kelly’s favorite novel in that too!) Being a fan of the original story, I am so thrilled by how Ms. Hadlow took that world and those characters and continued it. What a marvelously done job! And I find it a fascinating and brilliant idea for a story from the perspective of one of the minor characters, dear Mary. I confess I would not have called her dear until reading this new novel, and for that, I thank Ms. Hadlow.

The novel is set in 5 parts. The first part is Mary’s perspective of the events of Pride & Prejudice. It is much shortened, but gives such depth from a different view. I cannot say I had paid much attention to Mary’s view in the background and it is wonderfully done. I love this challenge of rethinking a familiar situation from an entirely different character’s perspective! What a mental exercise.

Parts 2-5 pick up Mary’s story two years after the end of Pride & Prejudice. So fun! I first loved getting a little glimpse of what Ms. Hadlow thinks happened to Jane and Lizzy and the rest of the Bennet crew. When you fall in love with characters and are sad to see their story end, you always wish someone would continue it for you. You get a bit of that here, but then the story really becomes Mary’s.

I feel like this story could be called a sort of coming-of-age story, or that big fancy word I learned while reading Jane Eyre: a Bildungsroman. I don’t want to give any of it away as I really did adore it and I highly recommend it, especially to Pride & Prejudice fans, but also to anyone who enjoys a really good novel with a classic feel. But there are a few observations from it that I don’t want to forget.

First, perspective is everything. I understand novels and minor characters and how you have to flatten some perspectives; but this novel really takes that concept and questions it. I think about other people’s perspectives, often to a fault, and this fed that very healthily. There is so much to this other character. So much personality, pain, longing, hopes and dreams, and she is completely overlooked by everyone – including the readers of Austen’s novel. It really is quite important to not disregard anyone’s importance and worth, no matter how minor they might seem.

Second, something that really stood out to me was how much single people were cared for and included in married homes. This might seem odd, but it really stuck out to me and was so lovely. The Gardiners were particularly wonderful examples and I long to be the kind of home they have – a home that welcomes everyone, makes them feel like family, cares for and feeds them, and wants the very best for them in everything.

Third, I don’t know how Ms. Austen would feel about the modern spin in this novel, but I personally think Ms. Hadlow did a fine job with it. It does feel like a modern push in the end, but it felt good and right and the kind of pushback on sexist society that we all should genuinely be contemplating and acting upon even still in this 21st century. I don’t know that it would have happened in Ms. Austen’s time period, but I kind of hope there were some women who found a bit more gumption and surprised the pants off their society expectations.

Fourth, I love the emphasis in this novel on caring for yourself and valuing yourself. There is a lot of talk and conversation around plainness and beauty and dullness, and I thought it was beautifully done to point at that and question it. We may not be in 19th century England anymore, but beauty standards still rule in many ways and young girls are always especially vulnerable to the messaging. Seeing what it did to Mary and how she worked through it and who encouraged her was absolutely beautiful. I have many many favorite quotes from this novel, but the first is this:

“A daffodil seems quite ordinary when planted between lilies. But looked at without them, it has its own kind of beauty.” – said by Mrs Hill (look her up and the fun info about who plays her in the miniseries! It will warm your heart so much.)

Finally, there is a really important theme of contentment in this novel that I really love. It takes place in one of the earlier scenes post Pride & Prejudice recap, but it is a really important setup that even Mary returns to in her most important moments in the end. It has to do with settling and contentment and choosing your own happiness. I’m still chewing on this a lot, but I think it is really important for everyone to consider, but possibly especially so for married people. To not allow apathy and mediocrity to rob the joys of the small life. To not stop trying and to focus on someone other than yourself. I won’t say more for fear of spoilers, but I think it is really important to notice.

Oh, I just loved this novel! If you’ve read it and want to chat about, message me for a tea and phone chat! I’m desperate to discuss with others who know and love the Bennet family. Thanks so much to Janice Hadlow for taking the Bennet’s farther and helping us all notice the middle daughter and give her a real story of her own. Delightful.