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The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet Audiobook
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(2.01) - 1,377 listener ratings
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Lizzy Bennet married Mr. Darcy, Jane Bennet married Mr. Bingley—but what became of the middle daughter, Mary? Readers of Pride and Prejudice will remember that there were five Bennet sisters. Now, twenty years on, Jane has a happy marriage and large family; Lizzy and Mr. Darcy now have a formidable social reputation; Lydia has a reputation of quite another kind; Kitty is much in demand in London’s parlors and ballrooms; but what of Mary? Mary is quietly celebrating her independence, having nursed her ailing mother for many years. She decides to write a book to bring the plight of the poor to everyone’s attention. But with more resolve than experience as she sets out to travel around the country, it’s not only her family who are concerned about her.
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"Takes place about 20 years after the Pride and Prejudice storyline. At first it is hard to read because the author takes the story in different directions than I thought they would go, but I enjoyed this book a lot. "
— Christine (4 out of 5 stars)
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet Listener Reviews
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" So I ended up liking this book, BUT my major beef with it is how much of a total douche bag Darcy is in this book. "
— Yovani, 2/7/2014 -
" This is a "what happened after the end of Pride & Prejudice" book. It takes place 18 or 20 years later, about the time Mrs. Bennet dies. Lizzie & Darcy's marriage is crumbling. Jane has way too many children--but her marriage is obviously happy. Lydia's become a drunk, and Mary is finally free of taking care of her hypochondriac mother. She's decided to travel, and write an expose of life among the poor. The book explores all of these lives--and even gives Mary a little romance, though not nearly enough time is spent on it. McCullough seems to get a bit lost in Mary's misadventures while traveling. All the threads get wrapped up, perhaps too tidily, in the end. It was an interesting take on the "what happened then?" trope. "
— Gail, 1/31/2014 -
" I should have known better and so should you. You probably already know you won't be able to finish this book. "
— Ramona, 1/24/2014 -
" Totally ridiculous and melodramatic, this book takes an excellent concept for a Pride and Prejudice sequel novel - Mary, after twenty years as a spinster taking care of her mother, sets out on a crusade to document the lives of the poor in England - and just takes it to an odd, odd place. I enjoyed the descriptions of Elizabeth and Darcy's unhappiness, but the rest of the plot involves cults, kidnappings, and children held as slaves in underground caves. "
— Meghan, 1/23/2014 -
" It was nice to focus on the other Bennet girls, but I just didn't like the fact that she made Darcy such a tyrant. I couldn't seem to get over that. But I liked Mary's spirit. "
— ReneeB, 1/19/2014 -
" Implausible and at times downright ridiculous .. but mildly entertaining. Makes you appreciate Austen even more. "
— Brenda, 1/19/2014 -
" I shouldn't have expected this one to be on the scale of The Thorn Birds or her other works...this was disappointing. Too much of a romance-kind of book, which isn't my preference. "
— Jsmith1000, 1/16/2014 -
" Please steer clear of this appalling book. It is dire. You have been warned! "
— Lily, 11/26/2013 -
" Very fun to read. It begins by taking Elizabeth and Darcy out of happily ever after in incredibly believable events. Then returns them to happily ever after in true Austin tradition. "
— Cathy, 11/26/2013 -
" Not terrible, sometimes a little disjointed, the last few pages were just hilarious. "
— Angel, 10/18/2013 -
" I would have given it no stars if I could. What an appalling book. On behalf of Jane Austen I was outraged. "
— Shirley, 4/10/2013 -
" I have written this review so many times. At least it feels like that. So where is it. Hmm. "
— Catherine, 1/6/2013 -
" Colleen McCullough has a sure deft hand and her continuation of the Pride & Prejudice saga (20 years on) is quite a page turner. A wonderful read on a full Christmas dinner stomach; doesn't tax the intellect or the emotions too much. "
— Julia, 4/21/2012 -
" Read the first chapter and had to put it down. Terrible. "
— Robin, 2/24/2012 -
" entertaining, but kinda weird. it had another one of those 'brady bunch' endings where EVERYTHING works out...in five pages. "
— Gina, 1/31/2012 -
" I always have a problem with books that carry on the lives of characters created by other writers. No matter how well written, the lives of classic characters written by classic authors shouldn't be extrapolated! Jane Austen ended Pride and Prejudice where she did for a reason - the tale was told. "
— Frances, 8/4/2011 -
" A fun read for those who wish Jane Austin were still writing today. "
— Alana, 7/30/2011 -
" I expected this to be better. Oh well "
— Liz, 6/27/2011 -
" it's good to recall the characters in the old novel. interesting... "
— Fleur, 6/5/2011 -
" Not her best, but okay. A little fantastic and unbelievable is spots but I can't say I hated it. A bit of fluff is the best way I can describe it. <br/> <br/>McCullough's Tim and Thornbirds, and First Man in Rome are muuuch better! "
— Rita, 6/1/2011 -
" I couldn't get past page 20. "
— Kristen, 5/7/2011 -
" Utter utter crap. I'm only glad it was a library book so I hadn't wasted any money on it. I can't believe that this is written by the same genius who wrote the Masters of Rome series. "
— Rowan, 4/25/2011 -
" She is such a good writer and the story had a good pace. But - I just didn't like the portrayal of Elizabeth ahd Darcy and how badly the first years of their marriage went. "
— Ritu, 3/18/2011 -
" Not terrible, sometimes a little disjointed, the last few pages were just hilarious. "
— Angel, 2/7/2011 -
" A good romp more in the style of Georgette Heyer than Jane Austen - not that the book has pretensions to write in the style of Austen. "
— Sa, 1/27/2011 -
" I loved this story!! I didn't want it to end. "
— Christa, 1/15/2011
About Colleen McCullough
Colleen McCullough (1937–2015) enjoyed worldwide renown, and her novels are bestsellers in a multitude of languages. She is the internationally acclaimed author of The Thorn Birds, Tim, An Indecent Obsession, A Creed for the Third Millennium, The Ladies of Missalonghi, The First Man in Rome, The Grass Crown, Fortune’s Favorites, Caesar’s Women, and other novels.
About Jen Taylor
Jen Taylor is a voice actress best known for her role as Cortana in various Halo games and as Zoey in Left 4 Dead. In addition to her voice-over work, Taylor is also an accomplished stage actress and has appeared in a number of films and television series.