The Other Bennet Sister is dedicated to Mary, the grave middle sister from Pride and Prejudice whose personality is left undeveloped, shadowed by the more prominent individuals. But now we see what it’s like to belong to the Bennet family without a companion sister to help bear the mother’s unrelenting marriage expectations; Kitty and Lydia make up a team, as do Elizabeth and Jane, leaving Mary to her own devices. The legendary plot of P&P is featured but forms only portion of this story, most of which is set once the other sisters are safely married. That’s when we follow Mary from house to house, searching for her place, her people and her voice.

I can’t recommend the audiobook format for The Other Bennet Sister highly enough, because Kristin Atherton’s lively narration makes it utterly delightful! To my ears, the prose came across historic enough while easier to follow than actual classical texts.

There’s no doubt that part of my enjoyment can be traced to my love for P&P, but this is a strong book in its own right - its own Austenlike relationship drama and distinctive characters had me throughoutly entertained.