NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY LIBRARY JOURNAL, NPR, AND CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
"An immersive and engaging new version of a familiar world . . . at once true to the source material and to life . . . Hadlow's great achievement is to shift our sympathies so completely that . . . it's difficult not to race through those final pages, desperate to know if [Mary] will, after all, be allowed--will allow herself--a happy ending."
--Jo Baker, The Guardian
"[A] winner. . . . Mary imparts [wisdom] to Hadlow's readers."
--The New York Times
"If you thought Mary, the nerdy, plain sibling in Pride & Prejudice, was too dull to warrant her own novel, think again: In Hadlow's imaginative retelling, the sister with no prospects finally gets some respect--and perhaps even a guy."
-O, The Oprah Magazine
"The Other Bennet Sister goes beyond Pride and Prejudice to imagine how the Marys of the world might find happiness . . . A captivating and heartening story."
--Literary Hub
"Spirited [and] sure to please . . . Hadlow proves adept at delivering plot twists and social commentary deserving of her mentor."
--The Star Tribune
"Debut novelist Hadlow manages it with aplomb.... [writing] with sensitivity, emotional clarity, and a quiet edge of social criticism Austen would have relished. Entertaining and thoroughly engrossing."
--Kirkus (starred review)
"Absolutely magical. . . . It is a marvel that The Other Bennet Sister is [Hadlow's] first novel. Her writing is elegant and wry, the story wise and engrossing. . . . [You'll] be surprised that you aren't actually reading Jane Austen."
--BookPage (starred review)
"[A] spectacular debut. . . . Writing in prose with the crisp liveliness of Austen's own, Hadlow remains true to the characterizations in Pride and Prejudice without letting them limit her. . . . This will delight Janeites as well as lovers of nuanced female coming-of-age tales."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Delightful. . . . This is a charming and enchanting story . . . [that readers of Pride and Prejudice] will love, as will historical fiction readers looking for intelligent heroines with agency and heart."
--Library Journal (starred review)
"Satisfyingly evocative of [Pride and Prejudice] and yet strikingly contemporary. . . . Hadlow grafts a contemporary coming-of-age story onto a literary masterpiece . . . building upon what Austen had achieved--writing boldly and honestly about women's lives."
--The Christian Science Monitor
"A touching redemption of one of the least-liked characters in Jane Austen's novels. . . . [Perfect for] any fan of the original."
--Portland Review of Books
"Gorgeous. . . . [The Other Bennet Sister] is a wonderfully, warm, comforting read--perfect on a winter's night."
--The Sun (UK)
"Impeccably researched, this lifts Mary from obscurity, as she breaks out of her mother's world and follows her own path."
--Daily Mail
"Heartfelt. . . . A triumphant novel that is determined, romantic, and hopeful."
--Medium
"A heroine that even Ms. Austen would approve of. A treat for--and for anyone else who likes their fiction to have sense and sensibility."
--Daisy Goodwin, New York Times bestselling author of The American Heiress and Victoria
"Jane fans rejoice! I loved this thoroughly estimable, worthy homage to Austen. Exceptional storytelling and a true delight."
--Helen Simonson, author of the New York Times bestselling novels Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Summer Before the War
