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    Unavailable
    Mary B: A Novel: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice
    Unavailable
    Mary B: A Novel: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice
    Unavailable
    Mary B: A Novel: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice
    Audiobook11 hours

    Mary B: A Novel: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice

    Written by Katherine J. Chen

    Narrated by Marisa Calin

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The overlooked middle sister in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice casts off her prim exterior and takes center stage in this fresh retelling of the classic novel.

    I will tell you the story of how I knew myself to be plain and therefore devoid of the one virtue which it behooves every woman to have.

    What is to be done with Mary Bennet? She possesses neither the beauty of her eldest sister, Jane, nor the high-spirited wit of second-born Lizzy. Even compared to her frivolous younger siblings, Kitty and Lydia, Mary knows she is lacking in the ways that matter for single, not-so-well-to-do women in nineteenth-century England who must secure their futures through the finding of a husband. As her sisters wed, one by one, Mary pictures herself growing old, a spinster with no estate to run or children to mind, dependent on the charity of others. At least she has the silent rebellion and secret pleasures of reading and writing to keep her company.

    But even her fictional creations are no match for the scandal, tragedy, and romance that eventually visit Mary's own life. In Mary B, listeners are transported beyond the center of the ballroom to discover that wallflowers are sometimes the most intriguing guests at the party. Beneath Mary's plain appearance and bookish demeanor simmers an inner life brimming with passion, humor, and imagination—and a voice that demands to be heard.

    Set before, during, and after the events of Pride and Prejudice, Katherine J. Chen's vividly original debut novel pays homage to a beloved classic while envisioning a life that is difficult to achieve in any era: that of a truly independent woman.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 24, 2018
    ISBN9780525631392
    Unavailable
    Mary B: A Novel: An Untold Story of Pride and Prejudice

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    Reviews for Mary B

    3/5

    8 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Simply riveting. I fell in love with Darcy utterly. Die hard Pride and Prejudice fans may take issue with the way some of the characters develop but I was personally fine with it. You really start to root for Mary B as she suffers the indignity of being the overlooked plain child who looks like she will grow up to be an overlooked plain woman. You can whole heartedly emphatise with the seeming helplessness of her situation and so it's easy to want more for her, to want her to win. Some of the situations are hilarious- Mary is funny simply because she is flawed in her total inability to see herself and yet her observations of life around her are brilliantly insightful and even spiteful at times. There is equal meaure of tragedy and sadness. particularly also love the voices in the audio book, the accents are perfect. The way the different voices speak makes it as if you can see them. i will miss Mary B and look forward to revisiting my favourite moments with her again.
    • 4/5
      This was a good book, but I didn’t like how it changed the character of the principle characters to suit her storyline.

      I never mind when authors want to “add-on” and finish a story that was started. What I do mind, is the hijacking of Elizabeth Bennet and turning her into something without decorum or being changed by true love in a way that would make her love her money and status above her Darcy.

      It was interesting enough to want to finish. However, it didn’t do justice to Jane Austen’s characters.
    • 2/5
      Though well written, this story does not reflect Austen’s characters. The author has taken the names and relationships and made totally different characters of them. A reasonable book on its own but rather disappointing for a reader looking for the world of Jane Austen.