“In our house, no-one is obliged to sparkle. Which, I find, makes it far more likely that they might.”
Janice Hadlow, THE OTHER BENNET SISTER
Guess maybe I was right about that posting once or twice a month thing because OOF, grad school. Anyhoo…
I fell head over heels for this book, y’all. I really did. I’m a sucker for revisionist fiction, but I’ll admit I did come to this particular novel with some healthy skepticism – if you’re going to come for the well-known and well-beloved characters of Pride and Prejudice, you’d best not miss.
I enjoyed Longbourn a few years ago, but that book felt more like a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead for Jane Austen fans: the novel’s plot happened tangentially to the main plot of P&P, only occasionally checking in on the famous story to give us the events we all know so well from the servants’ point of view. In The Other Bennet Sister, we’re seeing famous events through the viewpoint of a supporting character from the novel, poor middle child Mary. P&P traces the stories of Jane, Lydia and, of course, Lizzie. This book is Mary’s chance to shine.
THE STORY
I don’t want to spoil too much, so I won’t spend much time on plot summary, but I will mention that I was surprised by how little time The Other Bennet Sister spends on the familiar events of P&P. We open with glimpses of Mary’s childhood, her strained relationship with her appearance-obsessed mother, her increasing isolation from her other sisters, and her developing interest in philosophical study. We then experience the first third or so of the Pride and Prejudice plot through Mary’s yearning for acceptance and constant small humiliations (I will never watch any version of the excruciating scene in which she plays pianoforte and sings at the Netherfield ball the same way again). Shortly after Mr. Collins leaves town, having secured Charlotte Lucas as his wife, we finish retracing P&P and jump way ahead to after Lizzie and Jane have married and settled down with their respective partners.
That’s Part One. In Part Two, Mary has been left living alone with her parents (Kitty also married quickly once the family became rich again) and must figure out what her place will be within her family. With which relative will she settle? To whom will she be the least “burden”? The novel deals sensitively with the bleak realities facing unmarried women even in wealthy families, and deals particularly well with Mary’s sad awkwardness upon revisiting Longbourn, her childhood home, once the Collinses take residence there.
That visit back to Longbourn, and the threat of having to become a governess, inspires a trip to London and Mary’s slow blossoming into a more independent woman away from the stifling judgement of her family. Of course, she finds herself the attention of two suitors. Of course, she finds the happiness she deserves. But she also finds self-respect, which feels just as deserved if not more so.
THE BABBLE
First off, if you’re going to riff on Austen then you need to do justice to Austen’s writing style, and I feel that Hadlow excels here. Hadlow does not try to make a direct imitation, but the voice sounds similar enough that you feel as though you have slipped back into the familiar world of Longbourn, Netherfield, Pemberley, and beyond.
Secondly, I love this novel if for no other reason than it finally gives credence to those of us who have been screaming at Mrs. Bennet for years something along the lines of “WHY ARE YOU SHOVING LIZZIE AT MR. COLLINS WHEN THE ANSWER IS CLEARLY MARY, YOU RIDICULOUS WOMAN!” But it also gives credible motivation for Mrs. Bennet’s actions, so, many thanks to Hadlow for that nod without it feeling like simple fan service. In fact, Hadlow seems to be on a quest here to rebrand two of Austen’s two most-ridiculed characters from the novel, giving depth not only to Mary but to Mr. Collins as well. Mary’s visit back to Longbourn was ultimately one of my favorite sequences of the entire book, rich in meaning and character development, and not just because I’m fascinated by the idea of Longbourn ownership these days. One objection, though: I’ve always been a fan of Charlotte Lucas, and it feels as if Hadlow’s vision requires some reworking of Charlotte’s character in a way that isn’t entirely flattering. I love the idea of Charlotte seeing Mary early on as a kindred spirit and similar “at-risk” young woman, and taking her under wing with pragmatic advice. But later her pragmatism comes across as coldness, heartbreaking to both Mary and Mr. Collins, and also to me. Charlotte may not be romantic, but she’s also never struck me as blunt to the point of being cruel.
I do love that the Gardiners once again come to the rescue of a Bennet sister, and this time truly help her to blossom and grow into a woman. The Gardiners don’t just offer Mary a chance to escape her family, they offer her a chance to escape her old self. And the fact that Mary, not Lizzie, winds up taking that long-awaited trip to the Lake District with her Aunt and Uncle feels exactly right. She is finally learning to appreciate poetry, after all. Lizzie didn’t need the Lakes. Mary does.
Much as I enjoyed watching Mary come into her own once the Gardiners adopted her into their family unit, I found the London third of the book the least interesting, if I’m being honest. Perhaps because it felt like dropping back into romantic comedy conventions after a heartfelt exploration of 18th-century womanhood and marriage? Or perhaps because I could see where this part of the story was headed from a mile a way.
But who cares? I loved it all. I dub this new required reading for any diehard Austen fan. So go forth, and read!
RATING:
* * * 1/2
RANDOM BABBLE:
- One ridiculed Austen character whom Hadlow doesn’t seem interested in revising: Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She’s as delightfully abominable as ever. Never change, Lady C.
- Points for callbacks to Mr. Collins’ gardening.
- Hill is still the best, forever and ever. What that woman has seen/put up with, I swear…
- The parallels to P&P plot structure at the very end might have either annoyed me or charmed me. They charmed me, because they were just different enough to be callbacks rather than hitting me over the head. (So, like, clearly not written by J.J. Abrams. For example.)
- Okay, one other quibble about Charlotte revisions then I’ll shut up about it: the book implies that Charlotte and Lizzie’s friendship never quite recovers from Charlotte’s announcement of her engagement to Mr. Collins. But wouldn’t that…significantly mess with the plot of P&P? Maybe I’m overthinking it.
- I like the subtle work that Hadlow does on the relationship between Mary and Lizzie, and the ups and downs of sisterly affection.
- I’m glad we got a brief glimpse of Spectacles Boy at the end. He was so nice! My heart broke for both of them at the beginning.
And for real, here’s how I want to see Charlotte and Lizzie forever:
Bookshelves & Babble 