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The Unexpected Miss Bennet (2011)

by Patrice Sarath(Favorite Author)

3.85 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0425244210 (ISBN13: 9780425244210)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Berkley Trade

review 1: This story is a wonderful continuation/spin-off of Pride and Prejudice. It focuses primarily on Mary with a little bit about the other characters. I liked the focus on Mary who is the forgotten sister. I can relate to her shyness and bookishness. While I can't relate to her sermonizing and her reasons behind it or some of the decisions she makes, I can empathize with her. She's entirely likeable and sympathetic. She's not a drama queen middle child but a quiet one, lost in the middle. She's not a girl anymore and she faces and uncertain future and is determined to meet it on her own terms. Her suitor is very unexpected as well. I liked him a lot. The romance is very quiet and not really very present. It's closer to a meeting of the minds, as Georgette Heyer would call it, ... morebut not. Those looking for grand sweeping passion and heat, look elsewhere. Mary remains true to herself. That is what I loved most about this novel, that the characters were all true to Jane Austen's creations. Each one, except Mary, acted as they had at the finale of Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Collins is especially spot-on obnoxious! There is one exception, whose personality turns out to be a welcome surprise and an unexpected friend for Mary. There are a few minor bumps in the story but I enjoyed the story so much I forgot that some things were mentioned once or twice and never again. This is Mary's coming-of-age story and she grows and changes as a result of her experiences and reflections on them. Another wonderful thing about this novel is that it captures the tone of Jane Austen's writing while not copying it exactly or writing from an 1813 dictionary. The novel reads more like a young adult book than a classic Jane Austen novel but I liked the style. The writing flows smoothly and is easy to read. Janeites from teens on up will enjoy this wonderful story. I hope to read more from this author in the future. I would like to see Kitty, Georgiana and Anne's stories told.
review 2: I give most attempts to write any kind of sequel to Pride and Prejudice a wide berth; however, this book really intrigued me because it was dealing with Mary, who'd I'd never given much thought to. I was really impressed by how she was developed here, how her actions in the original novel can be understood as coming from a young girl that thought she had already figured out how the world worked (see: adolescence and parental neglect), but here she really gets a chance to mature and come into her own. The book also examines some other minor characters in a very interesting light. Her romantic lead was, well, unexpected and I had a bit of difficulty believing the attraction between them, but overall, I thought it was sweet. I'm glad that I read this and it's given me a new perspective for whenever I read P&P again. less

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