Despairing Daughters and Reconciling Regrets
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
TYPE OF NOVEL: Alternate POV/Pride and Prejudice Variation
NOTE: This is the second book in the Mr. Bennet’s Memoirs series. And even though it is labeled as standalone novel, it is recommended that the first book in this series – Cake and Courtship – be read prior to this book
THE PREMISE:
Gentleman farmer, beleaguered husband, father of five, and devoted member of the Meryton Natural History Society – Mr. Bennet can now add begrudging romantic advisor to his curriculum vitae as he celebrates the success of assisting the son of his dear friend in his courtship dilemmas. But now with one daughter unhappily crossed in love, one acting uncharacteristically reserved, and one suffering from neglect and yearning to be cherished Mr. Bennet has his hands full with not only his daughters’ affairs of the heart, but the resurfacing of his own…
MY THOUGHTS:
Mark Brownlow’s depiction of Mr. Bennet is excellent in all ways. He effortlessly captures Mr. Bennet’s “quick parts, sarcastic humor, reserve, and caprice,” and reveals his fears, flaws, and favored pursuits – which happen to be the study of insects, sponge cake, and port (in no particular order). In this series we witness Mr. Bennet struggle with regret and his failings, yet also strive to honor his word and learn to embrace the joy and good that is present in his life.
I greatly enjoyed Mr. Brownlow’s portrayal of Mr. Bennet, I thought he captured his tone and temper just perfectly. In addition, I loved seeing the events of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Bennet’s perspective and observing how much he knows or can figure out being on the periphery. I especially enjoyed the rarity of seeing Mr. Bennet’s relationship with Mary in the spotlight in this installment as he tries to know Mary better and help her. I appreciated the honesty and sympathy with which Mr. Brownlow portrayed these two characters. And lastly, I loved each and every scene with the Meryton Natural History Society – this group is so endearing to me and I am so glad Mr. Bennet has his own support group!
I loved that Mr. Brownlow created a past romance for Mr. Bennet, his disappointment and heartbreak brilliantly explain his apathy and imprudent choice of marrying Mrs. Bennet. I appreciated how Mr. Brownlow brought Abigail Hayter back into Mr. Bennet’s life and how he portrayed all the anguish, challenges, and conflicting emotions of their encounters. However, I must admit I was not as endeared to Abigail Hayter as I wanted to be in this installment. I don’t know if I am missing some details or maybe I forgot something of import from the first book, but I thought she was a little bit unreasonable towards Mr. Bennet with her expectations and anger. It felt like she placed full culpability on Mr. Bennet for their past and I don’t feel that it is warranted. And instead of admiring his loyalty and honor, she seems to despise him for possessing such merits and believes him cowardly.
Despite my quibbles about Mrs. Hayter, I took vast pleasure in this splendidly thoughtful, perceptive, and unvarnished look at Mr. Bennet, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the time spent with such a dear and quirky man. Mr. Brownlow writes with exceptional skill, understanding, and eloquence. It is my sincere hope we see him publish more novels of this nature in the future!
I purchased Mr. Brownlow’s book and read it with great relish! It was a book that I could not put down. Mrs. Hayter tested Mr. Bennet during their courtship and made him feel his insecurities. They were supposed to meet, but the meeting didn’t occur thanks to Mrs. Hayter who was above him socially. So, you are correct. Mrs. Hayter is 50% at fault. She expected Mr. Bennet to run after her. Since he had no one to encourage him to go after her, he didn’t. In some ways Mr. Bennet is similar to Bingley when it comes to matters of the heart. He lacked confidence, and thus, the love of his life escaped him. Had Mrs. Hayter been more forth coming and told Mr. Bennet that he was the man for her, they would have married. She dilly dallied too much, and they both lost. Reading the first book will clear up the problem in understanding what happened between the two of them. They discuss it in the first book.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I loved Mrs. Hayter in the first book (I ended up skimming it some while writing my review) – and I loved this brilliant past Mr. Brownlow created for Mr. Bennet. Great comparison about Mr. Bennet and Mr. Bingley!
I read both this story and the one proceeding it, as I had won copies of both…lucky me. I enjoyed those stories.
Lucky you, indeed!! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Haven’t read this yet but fully intend to as I thoroughly enjoyed the first one. I’ve always had a soft spot for Mr Bennet and loved the way Mark portrayed him. Lovely review Meredith.
Thank you, Teresa!! I am so with you on loving Mr. Brownlow’s portrayal of Mr. Bennet – I think he got his so right!
I enjoyed the first book, and am glad to know that a second is now available.
Yes!! I love Mark’s writing and I am so glad to see him publish more books!
wonderful review.
d
Thank you, Denise!
Beautiful review. I have not read this yet and am glad to see your points of concern. When I do read it, I can now watch for those concerns and look for those missing pieces. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. We always look forward to seeing what you think about new and old books. Blessings, stay safe, and healthy.
Thank you, Jeanne! If you haven’t read the first book of this series – I’d definitely plan to read both books in close succession of each other.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so glad you find the reviews helpful!
I had the two books on my TBR for a long time and finally read them a couple of months ago because someone on Goodreads picked them out for me. I was soooo glad I got that kick in the pants to get started. What amazing stories told from Mr Bennet’s point of view. I’m not ashamed to say I went through a handful of tissues reading through these. I loved how Mr. Bennet tried so hard to make it possible for Mary to be happy.
Unless Mr Brownlow writes another book from Mrs. Hayter’s point of view I can only speculate why she acted the way she did in the second book. In the end she was probably mortified that in competition with Mrs. Bennet she came in last. But she wasn’t in competition with Mrs. Bennet, she was competing against Mr. Bennet’s honor.
I know I’ll want to reread these in the future. I hope your review gets more people to read Mr. Brownlow’s books.
Oh that’s great, Michelle! I am so glad you got the chance to read this series!
I agree about what Mr. Bennet did for Mary – I loved his perseverance for her…of course the amount of work needed on her behalf did make me think a little less of Mr. Spigott.
I do understand and sympathize Mrs. Hayter’s need and insecurity with Mr. Bennet, it is a tortuous situation to be in, but I couldn’t forgive her being upset with Mr. Bennet’s honor.
I hope my review does the same! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!