The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet ~ Paperback ~ Colleen McCullough

Everyone knows the story of Elizabeth and Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. But what about their sister Mary, she of the atrocious singing voice and the staidly religious bent of mind? Master storyteller Colleen McCullough paints a life for Mary Bennet twenty years after Jane Austen's novel closes. So far on in time, each of Mary's sisters is settled in her own way. Happily married Jane is the mother of many children; Elizabeth has to cope with an unwelcome social pre–eminence she had not envisioned; Lydia is still entranced by military officers; and Kitty is one of the stars of London's fashionable salons. Events transpire that free Mary from her family obligations and dangle the allurements of independence before her hungry gaze. Fired with zeal by the newspaper letters of the mystery man Argus, she resolves to publish a book about the plight of England's poor. Plunging from one predicament into another, Mary embarks upon a mission of investigation that eventually leads her into mortal danger and reveals the surprising identity of Argus. The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet is both a page–turning look at the ongoing lives of the Bennet sisters, and a sparkling romance that shows it is never too late to find love. Abounding with beloved characters in new guises as well as people we have not met before, it is funny, tragic, and eminently satisfying. * Praise for Antony and Cleopatra: 'An irresistible read' Daily Mail 'Full of passion, greed, intrigue and betraya, a thoroughly entertaining read' Glasgow Herald * Praise for Colleen McCullough: 'Fast-moving and immensely readable,this book is a page turner from start to finish' Maeve Binchy 'McCullough piles on the drama' Daily Mail 'Absorbing' Sunday Telegraph 'Compelling, passionate and gritty' She 'Deliciously addictive!a classic tale of wealth and power--an engrossing read' Sainsbury's magazine Author Biography Colleen McCullough was born in western New South Wales in 1937. A neuroscientist by training, she worked in various Sydney and English hospitals before settling into ten years of research and teaching in the Department of Neurology at the Yale Medical School in the USA. In 1974 her first novel, Tim, was published in New York, followed by the bestselling The Thorn Birds in 1977 and a string of successful novels, including the acclaimed Masters of Rome series. In 1980 she settled in Norfolk Island, where she lives with her husband, Ric Robinson, and a cat named Shady.