When Mary Met the Colonel

When Mary Met the Colonel is the perfect novella to read between some Darcy and Elizabeth centered books. It is romantic, interesting and loving. The characters are different from the ones we are used to of course, but their love doesn’t pale in comparison, it is as strong as the one we usually see in Darcy and Elizabeth.

Victoria Kincaid created the perfect love story for Mary Bennett and showed us that maybe she is not at all what we think she is. We know her to be plain and boring, but did we ever truly paid attention to her? Did we ever see any character interact with her in a meaningful conversation? Maybe all it took to see the real Mary was to pay attention! And that was exactly what Col. Fitzwilliam did 🙂

We all assume Mary is only concerned about Fordyce’s sermons but, in this novella, it is revealed she has more in common with Col. Fitzwilliam than we might think, and maybe there is a reason why she quotes Fordyce so often 🙂

For me, one of Victoria Kincaid’s greatest achievements in this book was the development of Mary’s character and making her the perfect bride for Col. Fitzwilliam. At first sight, they have very different interests, and it is not quite obvious how they could be a truly matched couple, but the author mastered this adversity in a perfect way.

I enjoyed seeing Colonel Fitzwilliam show Mary that she mattered, that she was not inferior to her sisters, only different, with different qualities. I liked how he was able to make her change, to give her the confidence she needed to become more invested in improving her appearance and her company.

I liked that she was not like Elizabeth. I have often seen Col. Fitzwilliam be paired with ladies who are similar to Elizabeth, and for me it was refreshing to see characters who were very different from Darcy and Elizabeth because, truth is, they should be. It is true Darcy and Elizabeth are the most important characters in Pride and Prejudice, but there is so much more to it. There are so many characters who are interesting because they are different.

I also liked seeing Mary’s devotion for the Colonel and her interest in his stories and his personality. To her Col. Fitzwilliam is not just a dashing red coat who is amiable at all times, he is more than that, and he deserves to be known and loved for who is underneath the regimentals.

It gave me an enormous pleasure to read this novella and to be in the company of these wonderful characters. I have enjoyed many of Victoria Kinkaid’s books, but none gave such a feeling of freedom and happiness as this novella.

 

When Mary Met the Colonel is available at:

Amazon.com –  When Mary Met the Colonel

Amazon.co.uk –When Mary Met the Colonel: A Pride and Prejudice Novella

Amazon.fr –When Mary Met the Colonel: A Pride and Prejudice Novella (English Edition)