Book Review: The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet

The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennett
by Lindz McLeod
Review by Julie Carpenter
 

If you have never read Lindz McLeod, the first thing to know is that each book she writes is a brand-new experience. Her ability to write in various genres and voices, from intense and interior, to a fairytale remove is unparalleled. Her writing scope is equal to the reading taste of the most voracious readers.

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In this novel, a sapphic romance set in the world of Pride and Prejudice, we are welcomed into the home of Charlotte Lucas, freshly widowed, childless, and still living in the parsonage at Rosings, though not for long. Lady Catherine must have a chaplain and Charlotte must go. When her best friend Lizzie cannot visit during the mourning period to offer comfort, due to her son's illness, she sends her sister, Mary Bennett. And thus, we begin this “unlikely” romance.

These two characters, portrayed lovingly, but minimally by Jane Austen become complex and compelling characters as written by Mcleod. Dear reader…it works seamlessly. I’m now planning to read Pride and Prejudice again, just to enjoy all the tidbits about Charlotte and Mary (now that I know their futures).

When we begin reading, we feel as if we are simply meeting two characters with whom we had but a bare acquaintance previously, sitting in the drawing room, and getting to know them through conversation while sharing Mrs. Waites' rum cake. (Read the book to enjoy Mrs. Waites and her cake!) In Charlotte’s case, we come to know her deeply through her love of gardening; Mary tells us about her love for art and reading. In both cases, we delight that our friendship with them deepens without ever questioning that this, indeed, is who they are and have always been—had we bothered to engage more deeply with them as characters.

One slips deeply and immediately into Austen’s version of Regency England. The gardens are lovely, the teas, the meals, the landscapes—all draw us in and swathe us like a light summer wrap. The romance is enhanced by the author’s use of the language of flowers and the secretive way that Mary and Charlotte must talk about their feelings. In fact, the way McLeod handles the romance seems like the way such relationships must have been carried out. This adds depth to the novel: a lingering sweetness with a tinge of sorrow that lovers should ever be required to face such complexity and danger to be together.

I could go on and on but won’t, except to say, if you love romance, or maybe even if you don’t, you will love this book.
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Highly recommended!
 

Bio:

​Lindz McLeod is a queer, working-class, Scottish writer, poet, and editor who dabbles in the surreal. 


She was the Competition Secretary of the Edinburgh Writers' Club from 2019-2023, and was elected as their Club President in 2023. Her work has been taught in schools and universities, made into avant-garde opera, and has been displayed in the Victoria & Albert Museum in Dundee. Lindz is an experienced freelance editor and writing coach for both fiction and non-fiction, as well as an experienced workshop host. ​

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