The Pursuit Of Mary Bennet (Pride & Prejudice Mysteries)

I admit, I am a sucker for all things Austen, but I do resist grabbing everything new after getting some real duds. Will always have a soft spot for Mary who always seemed to me to get lost in the shuffle. She was too sensible to go off about beaus and clothes the way silly Kitty and Lydia did, could never be judged beautiful like Lizzy and Jane so I've always wanted her to have something unique. I didn't want her to continue on the fringes, living at home always with her indifferent and thus extremely cruel parents, escaping life in the pages of books.Pamela Mingle's version of Mary's story is well written and absolutely kept my interest. There were some wonderful scenes in walks along streams and in woods, each social gathering was easily brought to life in my mind. The family dynamics are well fleshed and continue the original tale very smoothly.I'm just sitting here, still smiling, with a warm glow for Mary's story.

I read "The Pursuit of Mary Bennet" right after reading "Mary and the Captain" (author Nancy Lawrence). Because the latter was IMHO a superior story, I cannot rate this one very high in comparison. It had some nice touches, but Kitty was an irritatingly pallid imitation of Lydia, and her subsequent turn-around was just not believable. "Love conquers all" apparently, including selfish/self-centered behavior.......NOT.Lyly's review Dec 2019 mentions this felt somewhat like a rewrite of Elizabeth and Darcy's story. I agree; there are some changes made but not really enough to dispel the similarity of the H's insulting first marriage proposals and the angry refusals of such by the respective Bennet sisters.Also, the hero Mr. Walsh was a cardboard character. He just never jumped off the page for me to feel as if he was "real". Instead much was made of how handsome he was, but very little else. The guy had a secret, but no real flaws. That makes him a lot less interesting than a hero should be.It's a pleasant story, and the subplot of Lydia/Wickham/their daughter is well handled. But overall, I doubt I'll re-read it, and don't plan to keep it even in digital format.

This was an interesting take on P&P. It was fun to see beloved characters again and to really get to know Mary Bennet who is mostly invisible to her family. She visits her sisters and Kitty is also single but has her sight sent on a gentleman. (I was surprised it wasn’t Denny).👶🏼The book starts with drama caused by Lydia. That plot line seemed plausible. Lydia is with child but Wickham has left her and has a mistress. Lydia returns to Longbourn to give birth but Mr. Bennet won’t get a nursemaid for the baby believing Wickham should take responsibility...so Mary becomes nursemaid.👶🏼Mary learns how to care for Lydia’s baby while Lydia whines about her unfortunate life. (Nothing new there! 😅). And Mary and Kitty vie for attention of the same man.👶🏼There were a few plot points that I didn’t like and didn’t sit well with me but overall I liked it. Mary grew from being insufferable to a normal person - looking for love and affection where it’s sadly lacking from her family. I was surprised at some of her anger issues 😂😂😅😅👶🏼This was our August book club pick that I finally finished towards the end of September 😅👶🏼I think anyone who loves Jane Austen and her inspired works would like this book to continue being in the JA world. There’s even a glimpse of Mr. Collins 😁

It is a brave soul who attempts to pick up where Jane Austen left off. I loved the premise of telling the story of one of the least developed characters from P&P. The writer captures the tone but not the wit of the original. The older sisters seem to have lost all their original personalities and become school marm-ish. The mother and other two sisters are as obnoxious as ever, but told without wry humor, they are just obnoxious rather than somewhat amusing.

I'm a Jane Austen fan, so when I saw The Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Pamela Mingle I wanted to read it and I am very happy I did. Pamela Mingle turns the wall flower Mary Bennet into a rose of a character. I enjoyed this follow-on of Pride and Prejudice and think Jane Austen would be very happy with how the author gradually changes Mary from a girl with no reason to believe any man would be interested in her into a woman that is admired.

Having enjoyed all the Jane Austen fan fiction over the years, I immediately purchased this book. No one had written about Mary, the middle child, who seemed to be so much a part of the flighty younger Bennetts, but also had a dash of the good sense and compassion of the older daughters. At first, it felt nice to be at home with one of my most loved Austen families. We have the hysterical Mrs. Bennett, the dour Mr. Bennett, that bad-boy-and-bad girl Wickham and Lydia and jealous Kitty. But I began to feel as if this was a reprise of the Jane & Bingley and Elizabeth & Darcy stories. Not so! When Mary returns to her home a surprisingly "real" story begins. I do not want to write any spoilers but there is a whole other love affair--with an infant--that occurs, written with such delicacy and insight, making it immediately understandable to women and men alike. Later, Mary's soul searching and brutal self-recognition of her inner thoughts and feelings are absolutely groundbreaking and I feel that Austen herself would have written similarly if writing in the present century.

Several sequels of "Pride and Prejudice" that I've read have begun with the ending of the original Austen tale being rewritten; to my mind a mistake as a classic is just that a classic. This story did not and for that I give it a plus. However, it wasn't written in the Regency style and I doubt seriously that "eew" was a part of the vocabulary back then and equally doubtful that baby slings were even thought about at that time either. The plot of Mary finally finding the love she so much deserved was fine but revolving around her wanting to take her sister's baby a bit much. Regency and Victorian England were both periods of refined etiquette and high propriety so this part of the story did not fit at all. An easy read, but definitely not a true reflection of the period.

A very enjoyable story, offering a wonderful insight into the innermost thoughts of the often forgotten middle sister, Mary, who is generally overshadowed by the other Bennett girls.I like that it is written in the first person, allowing the reader to see right into the heart of a very sensitive and often lonely girl. It is well written, to the point that I hardly noticed the Americanisms, so engrossed was I in this touching and, at times, heart-wrenching tale of Mary's quest to break away from her 'bookish' label and get a real life which includes a life away from Longbourn .

Let's ignore the Americanism which occasionally slips into the characters speeches and forgive any slight mistakes as regards deviating from the Austin original. This is an enjoyable read and kept me entertained throughout. Not giving the ending away, it is enough to say that Mary finally finds herself centre stage and not outshone by her sisters. I particularly liked the way the Wickham saga was included and resolved. Hope to read more of Pamela Mingle's work.

I love Mary and it's nice for her to have some time in the sun. There's a few misunderstandings along the way, as well as Lydia's antics, but it's an enjoyable read.This was a lovely book, well written, reseached and some nice details to get you into the spirit.

a whimsical look at what may have happened in the life of Mary B - delightful read, not to heavy, so good for holidays!

Easy to read