Review: "The Pursuit of Mary Bennet"

I recently won an advanced reading copy of Pamela Mingle's book "The Pursuit of Mary Bennet" (a "Pride and Prejudice" spin-off) through a Goodreads giveaway. I decided to post my review here as well as on the site.) But first, a synopsis, courtesy of Goodreads:

For most of her life Mary Bennet has been an object of ridicule. With a notable absence of the social graces, she has been an embarrassment to her family on more than one occasion. But lately, Mary has changed. She's matured and attained a respectable, if somewhat unpolished, decorum. But her peace and contentment are shattered when her sister Lydia turns up-very pregnant and separated from Wickham. Mary and Kitty are bustled off to stay with Jane and her husband. It is there that Mary meets Henry Walsh, whose attentions confound her. Unschooled in the game of love, her heart and her future are at risk. Is she worthy of love or should she take the safer path? In her journey of self-acceptance, she discovers the answer

I received a copy of The Pursuit of Mary Bennet through a Goodreads giveaway. I was excited to read it as a big Jane Austen fan. Pride and Prejudice might be my favorite of her novels, and I’ve seen several adaptations and other works based on it. However, before this, I’d only read one spin-off (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which I could never get into.) I stayed away from stories about Lizzy and Darcy as I felt they couldn’t do Austen justice. However, I hoped this book would be different. This was somewhat true.

I enjoyed this book partly because it explored Mary, a character not done justice in Pride and Prejudice or most adaptations. As I began reading, I liked Mary’s character and found her relatable, and enjoyed the portrayals of my other favorite characters. Lydia was unpleasant, but I felt believably so. I liked Mingle’s consideration of the characters’ relationships (for example, Mary’s undecidedness about Darcy’s character – Pride and Prejudice readers might love him, but Mary doesn’t know him like Lizzy does.)

Despite this, I began to like Mary’s character less around the middle of the book. Her actions begin to reveal character flaws, which make her arguably more realistic but less likable. I also became annoyed with her for not recognizing the truth about a certain character when it was plain to me as a reader.

I also became less enamored with the book because (1) I felt it didn’t quite meet my expectations in that it dealt more with childcare and less with light-hearted romance than expected, and (2) Mary’s love interest’s… well, interest… is also established early on, and he and Mary spend a bit of time together. This allowed a faster pace (and therefore faster reading), but I also missed the romantic tension and build-up of Austen’s novels.

tl;dr: The Pursuit of Mary Bennet isn’t perfect, but makes for an enjoyable look at a neglected Pride and Prejudice character.