The Other Bennet Sister (Hadlow) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for THE OTHER BENNET SISTER … then take off on your own:

1. When the novel opens, how does Mary Bennet in The Other Bennet Sister compare to Mary Bennet in Pride and Prejudice? (See question #8.)

2. In this story, we view the Bennet family through Mary's point of view. How does this viewpoint change your perception of the Bennet family? Or does it? What about Jane, Elizabeth, Kitty, and Lydia—again, as seen through Mary's eyes? Are they different from Austen's original characterizations? Consider, especially, Elizabeth, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice: is she still as admirable as she was in P & P?

3. (Follow-up to Question 2) How have the Bennet family dynamics molded Mary into the person she is at the beginning of the novel? Consider, especially, her relationship to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet? Consider, also, the sisters, to which she forms a sort of "fifth wheel" with regards to the Jane-Elizabeth and Kitty-Lydia pairings.

4. How would you describe the personality that lies beneath Mary Bennet's unassuming exterior? What are her desires and passions? What does she want, or need, out of life? How determined is she to fulfill those wants?

5. Homeless, once her father dies, Mary must depend on the kindness of others. Consider the Gardiner household: how does the family differ from the one she grew up in? What do the Gardiners place value on—as opposed to the qualities the Bennet family values?

6. In P & P, Charlotte Lucas is Elizabeth's friend, who also serves as a foil for Elizabeth. She marries Mr. Collins, settling for a lesser man than Elizabeth is willing to. What role does Charlotte play in the The Other Bennet Sister?

7. While Janice Hadlow has written a modern coming-of-age story, how has she remained faithful to Austen's original work—its style, voice, and the way it echoes of the social mores of the early 1800s?

8. (Follow-up to Question 1) How does Mary Bennet emerge by the end of the book? What has she learned? What has she gained? How has she grown?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online and off, with attribution. Thanks.)

top of page (summary)