Mary Bennet, the plain bookish sister from Pride and Prejudice, gets her own story in this enjoyable, but over-long, novel which is the basis for the recent BBC TV series. I liked the series so I decided to try the book. I think the book is better! The details of the story are more in keeping with the historical era and although the style is slightly modernised, it’s similar to Austen’s. The TV series somewhat ‘Bridgertonised’ the story and they added a friend/romantic rival called Anne Baxter, plus some references to the BBC’s P&P (two wet shirts!) and they made Mrs Bennet even more horrible.

The book follows P&P from Mary’s perspective and then what happens afterwards. When Mary has to leave their family home, as the Collinses take up residence, she feels uncomfortable at her sisters’ homes and her mother is always criticising her. Staying with her aunt in London is a lifeline for Mary, who is appreciated for her intellect and two men are interested in her; the eccentric but polite Tom Hayward, and the impulsive Mr Ryder who is pursued by Caroline Bingley.

Mary’s character development is central to the novel as she learns to stand up to people and know when to trust her emotions over rationality. Through Mr Hayward, she also gains an appreciation for poetry, when she used to prefer reading only facts. I felt as if I was reading an Austen book, as the structure and ideas were inspired by them, but that’s what I liked about it. There were further perspectives on characters such as Mr Collins, Mr Bennet and Mrs Hill, which might even enhance my next reading of P&P.

Published by Macmillan, 2020.