A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

THE UNEXPECTED MISS BENNET

Author: Patrice Sarath ISBN: 9780425244210 12/2011 HISTORICAL Publisher: BERKLEY
Time Period: Regency

The Unexpected Miss Bennet by Patrice Sarath
Pride and Prejudice's Mary Bennet gets her own story...

The third of five daughters, Miss Mary Bennet is a rather unremarkable girl. With her countenance being somewhere between plain and pretty and in possession of no great accomplishments, few expect the third Bennet daughter to attract a respectable man. But although she is shy and would much prefer to keep her nose stuck in a book, Mary is uncertain she wants to meekly follow the path to spinsterhood set before her.

Determined that Mary should have a chance at happiness, the elder Bennet sisters concoct a plan. Lizzy invites Mary to visit at Pemberley, hoping to give her sister a place to grow and make new acquaintances. But it is only when Mary strikes out independently that she can attempt to become accomplished in her own right. And in a family renowned for its remarkable Misses, Mary Bennet may turn out to be the most wholly unexpected of them all...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: Top Pick

Every time I get ready to read one of these books that take place ‘after’ the original Pride and Prejudice, my stomach gets all tied in knots! For some reason, I dread as much as I anticipate the story, and this was no different. But then I read the first sentence, and my heart just sang!

“It is a comforting belief among much of society, that a plain girl with a small fortune must have no more interest in matrimony than matrimony has in her.”

We all met Mary in the original, and we all had the picture of her in our minds, but this book will bring this young woman to life and she will surprise and delight you. It was a delight to watch her come into her own, to see her become a happy and confident young woman.

I just loved the way this author took our Mary away from all the preconceptions of her that I had, and on top of it, gave her a love story worthy of Jane and Lizzie. Mr. Tom Aikens was her perfect match and everything she needed. He was such a loveable hero, and I found myself in awe of how perfect they were for each other.

Oh, and to see and get a chance to catch up with everyone was pure bliss!

What I liked the best was this author’s prose, which was as close as one can get to Austen’s; and with it, she kept me grounded, so I hardly felt the transition from the original.

I highly recommend THE UNEXPECTED MISS BENNET to all Austen fans. As a matter a fact, this is a must for them, and it’s a definite keeper for me. I’ll still be tied up in knots, but possibly less so after this wonderful book.

Melanie Friedman

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