When Charlotte Lucas resigned herself in marriage to the peculiar Mr. Collins she never imagined that four years would put her firmly back on the shelf. In the unfortunate death of her husband Charlotte does not have long to decide her next steps before she is turned out of her home at Hunsford Parsonage – to either return to Lucas Lodge or remarry. Sensing her desperation yet unable to travel from Pemberley, Lizzie sends her sister Mary to provide support and necessary company in her stead. Charlotte was never close with the younger Bennet sister but in the several years since she last saw her Mary has taken charge of her life, establishing herself away from her family by way of her eccentric aunt. Mary is nothing like Charlotte remembers, but her passion for botany meets her own fierce connection to the flowers she tends in her garden. Bonding over botany and scientific pursuits, Charlotte’s friendship with Mary is unlike anything she has ever experienced and it feels close to the companionship that she envisioned of love. But with all her uncertainty and everything she has been taught to uphold, Charlotte must decide if she can place her entire future on the line for a life so set apart from the expectations of polite society.
As a Jane Austen girlie who has always yearned for a sapphic romance centered around the character of Mary Bennet, it feels like this entire book was written for me. Austen reimaginings have always held a special place in my heart, especially those that investigate her work through a queer lens, and at long last I can obsess over a new favorite. The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is a queer historical romance that draws together a love story between Charlotte Lucas, now widowed, and the fearsomely independent Mary Bennet. Lindz Mcleod echoes the imaginings of many Jane Austen fans with a historical romance that extends past the canon into the queer communities of this time that persevered and thrived and further explores issues surrounding class and gender within that sphere. Like the flowers carefully placated into bloom at Hunsford, Mcleod tends a love story that had my heart aching for resolution and happiness for these two kindred spirits held back only by the time period in which they lived and all of its stifling expectations.
The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is everything an extension of a Jane Austen novel should be – a true testament to her work, her words, and the intimate lives of her characters. To understand how perfectly this romance fits into the existing canon I must first commend just how much Lindz Mcleod grasps the essence of these two characters. This could easily be an addition to Pride and Prejudice with how aligned the characterization of Charlotte and Mary is to the source material, and the focus on period-specific prose makes it feel all the more so. Despite what we already know about Charlotte characterized through Lizzie in Pride and Prejudice this is the first time we get to be solely in her perspective. With this newfound point of view, it is easy to understand Charlotte as someone who has defined herself through her worth and what she can be for others. In accepting the proposal of Mr. Collins, Charlotte thought she could finally be what everyone wanted and when confronted with his death must wrest with that beast of worth she thought long vanquished. Mary Bennet, on the other hand, is an inquisitive young woman who desired meaning for her identity as she came of age and sought that out through her aunt and her personal education. These two women could not have led more different lives, but Mcleod shows just how much they stand to gain through love and the life that they could have together.
It isn’t easy to mend the wounds of a time period when queer people were largely ostracized and were lucky to lead happy lives. Knowing this, I appreciate the attention Mcleod pays to the queer communities that did thrive even if it was from the shadows, and the queer relationships that had happy endings outside of the typical conventions of marriage. The distinction between Charlotte’s discovery of her Lesbian identity, to Mary who has always known she was different, is heightened by Aunt Cecily, a woman who has created a safe haven for queer folk on her estate at Canterbury where Mary resides. I loved the inclusion of queer side characters that intersected the narrative and how that was normalized alongside the romantic development between Mary and Charlotte. The journal passages at the beginning of each chapter hiding a queer love story in plain sight that Charlotte had to uncover was also a nice touch. Even with these nuances, Charlotte, who has been given no opportunities to understand herself struggles with her identity and a way forward beyond marriage and spinsterhood. The socialization that she is only what she can be to others impedes her ability to attain happiness with Mary because doing so would mean going against all that she has been taught to value. The fulfilling life she could lead by going into the working class and financing a life for herself is out of reach as she cannot see beyond her value and the class distinctions that push her toward another marriage.
The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is an exceptional romance between two women searching for meaning and acceptance in a world determined to push them to the sidelines. Jane Austen has always focused on the romance that develops within and in between the rules of polite society and Mcleod extends that into her queer historical romance with those rules creating narrative tension and the lack of dialogue around sexuality serving to elevate it further. I thoroughly enjoyed the representation of the rituals of courtship through the language of flowers which Charlotte employs to send messages to Mary throughout the novel. As she wasn’t given the tools to speak her mind it was a softer way for her to share how she felt and it was truly giving pining and repressed feelings. Charlotte was so real for making an elaborate bouquet with a secret message expecting Mary to understand any of it though. The focus on small gestures, the senses, and hidden meaning through flowers made this book a masterclass in longing and they all build to a resolution which left me so hopeful. The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet is for every Jane Austen fan that found themselves in between the lines and the unspoken queer characters. Lindz Mcleod brings everything great about Austen and the historical romance together with a tangled and imperfect love story about choosing the unconventional paths, and ultimately ourselves.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warnings: death, misogyny, homophobia
Literaryrobin 