The Independence of miss Mary Bennet - Colleen McCullough

The Independence of miss Mary Bennet - Colleen McCullough (2008)

Stumbling across this book in a local Borders, I restrained myself from buying it and went to the library website instead. Such restraint!!! To be honest though, I have only bought one book in the last 6 months, as there is such a glut of great books to be borrowed. Also they have got so expensive, that really I don't want to waste the money.

So miss Mary Bennet, is the lovely younger sister of Lizzie and Jane Bennet, who were the main characters of Pride and Prejudice. Set twenty years after the first book, Mary is finally relieved of her duties of looking after her mother, and has found some freedom as a free and single woman. Determined not to be trapped looking after more family members, she chooses instead to travel the North of England, researching the countries poor and looking at their living and working conditions.

I think Colleen McCullough is a fine author, but I thought she struggled a bit in the first few chapters. They didn't really flow for me, and I thought she must have struggled trying to introduce so much back story in a few pages. Once I got into it I very much enjoyed getting reacquainted with Elizabeth, Jane and Lydia Bennet, and finding out what happened with Mr Darcy (apparently even more pompous). Then I found the middle bits, where Mary falls into some troubles became a bit muddled and I skipped large portions in order to get back into the main story. For that I can only say that it I feel the book floats between a 2/5 and 3/5.

I see that there a few such follow up stories floating around at the moment, and it is interesting to read everyones spin on this 200 year old story. I wonder which version Miss Jane Austen would prefer?