What If Mr. and Mrs. Bennet Were Truly Dysfunctional As Spouses and Parents?
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Gift from Publisher
TYPE OF NOVEL: Pride and Prejudice Variation Novella
THE PREMISE: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are severely unhappy in their marriage and have created a hostile, abusive, and distressing home environment for their daughters. So much so, that Elizabeth has placed herself in a position to safeguard, nurture, and properly rear her younger sisters. But will Elizabeth’s fervent sense of familial responsibility cause her to sacrifice her own future happiness…
MY THOUGHTS: It is amazing how believable this premise is! Lucy Marin’s alterations for Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are slight and very credible. They both are already such selfish creatures that share little affection or respect for each other. She just heightened their open animosity towards each other and their neglect for their daughters’ welfares. Sadly, it fit very well with what we know of these characters. It also felt like a plausible representation of what the Palmers’ marriage could look like in twenty years.
Elizabeth is the hero of this tale. I loved seeing here sisterly devotion (which we have seen before in P&P) amplified and equally distributed to all her sisters. In addition, I also loved seeing how Elizabeth’s younger sisters flourished and improved under their older sister’s guidance and support. While they still retain their natural proclivities and personality distinctions, they were less selfish and ignorant. In addition, it was lovely to see how Elizabeth’s selfless and nurturing care for her sisters was what initially attracts Mr. Darcy’s notice and was one of her qualities he admired most. I appreciated how Mr. Darcy was acutely aware of all the little things Elizabeth did for her sisters, how he became Elizabeth’s friend that she opened up to about troubles at home, and how he cared very deeply about Elizabeth’s concerns and happiness. This is a Mr. Darcy full of emotional maturity, selfless consideration, and empathy. *swoon*
I applaud and admire Lucy Marin for choosing to portray a more distressing and unhappy home life for the Bennet sisters. It is sadly something many readers can understand and sympathize with – no matter what time period they are living in. I appreciated the authenticity and tempered mood of this premise. However, I would have loved to have seen Lucy Marin tap a little more into the emotional poignancy of this premise. Instead of telling readers about the off-page scenes of strife and the impact they had on the Bennet daughters, maybe have some scenes take place on page and have the readers witness and feel the same difficult and tumultuous emotions as the characters (like she did so brilliantly with Being Mrs. Darcy).
Her Sisterly Love is a most tender and heartwarming Pride and Prejudice novella variation. I think readers will enjoy seeing the affinity and loyalty portrayed between the Bennet sisters, the unique situation of Mr and Mrs. Bennet being placed in the roles of antagonists, and Elizabeth’s experience with falling in love but feeling the pressures of her familial responsibilities. I recommend!
I have this on my wish-list and, after reading your review, see that I now need to grab it and read it. As an older child, I relate to being the one responsible for younger siblings when our parents were otherwise occupied. Thanks for this insightful review. Blessings, Meredith. We appreciate you and your blog.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Jeanne! I think you will love this one. Elizabeth’s responsibility and care for her sisters is so lovely to witness.
An excellent review of a superb and emotional story.
Thank you, Sam!!
I read and enjoyed this story. Great review, Meredith.
Thank you, Sheila!
Great review, I loved this book.
Thank you, Elodie!
Thank you Meredith. I have this on my wish list and after reading your review I’m even more determined to read it. I can totally believe Mr and Mrs Bennet could neglect their responsibilities totally as they are both pretty selfish in the original so this is not a stretch. I can also see that Elizabeth would be the one to step up and take charge! I love that Darcy is impressed and becomes her helpful friend. Wonderful!
For me, it was surprising that their behaviors in this story weren’t THAT surprising – or even that much altered. YOU will LOVE Darcy in this story!
I really enjoyed reading this book, it’s my first by this author but now I know she has written others I will definitely check it out!
That’s wonderful! I so loved Being Mrs. Darcy – the emotions in that story totally blew me away.
This one is on my TBR list, it sounds like a good read. Enjoyed your review, Meredith.
Thanks so much, Ceri! I hope you get the chance to enjoy this story soon!
Great review, Meredith. And based on your review I’m bumping Her Sisterly Love up toward the top on my wish list, dang that tottering wish list…it’s about as cranky and demanding as my TBR.
The trope where Elizabeth is actively taking her sisters under her wings and tutelage is one I really like although I sometimes don’t like so much what forces Elizabeth into that role, i.e., Mr & Mrs B. I’m reading a book right now where I have never wanted to physically hurt one or both of that pair. Egads. Knowing that, once I finish this one I think I’ll be reading a handful of others to cleanse my brain. But I do want to read Lucy Marin’s book. Thank you Meredith.
Thank you so much, Michelle! I’m happy to hear you are giving this one a bump! Elizabeth’s goodness is so inspiring in this tale. That sounds like a good plan.
wonderful review
Thank you, friend!
This story definitely has a top-notch Darcy to swoon over. His kind understanding and gentleness with Elizabeth are so sweet.
I agree! I just love how observant and perceptive he is! He really sees her.
What a great review and the special bond between the sisters sounds wonderful, so I added it to the top of my list 🙂
Wonderful! I loved seeing all the sisters’ support and affinity for each other.