The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey by Don Jacobson

The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey is the first book of the Bennet Wardrobe Saga, a series that explores the adventures each Bennet family member has following their interaction with the family Wardrobe.

The Bennet Wardrobe is a time travel device of sorts that transports people with the Bennet bloodline to any place in the past or future that is best for them. The Bennet family member cannot choose where they will go, it is up to the Wardrobe to understand where they need to be, and they cannot go back and forward as they please, so we will have only one adventure per Bennet family member.

The book starts a few generates prior to Thomas Bennet and his daughters existence, so the reader is able to see the Wardrobe being built and used for the first. We are also acquainted with the Wardrobe rules that will have a huge impact in the story and the evolution of the family line.

I absolutely love time travel novels and even if this isn’t a regular time travel story, I loved all aspects that were associated with the time travel, which means I loved these initial chapters. They were an introduction to the time travel story and it was amusing to learn about all the wardrobe rules, how it was created and also to learn the entire story of the Bennet family, namely how Mr. Bennet ended up as Master of Longbourn.

I felt compelled to read page after page (actually listen chapter after chapter) just to learn about what would happen to all characters, because even if this is Mary’s story, the truth is that all Bennet family will appear and have their own stories introduced in this first novel of the series.

Mary’s love interest and Kitty’s story kept me motivated to continue reading, and made me want to read the second volume of the saga immediately, but I also loved the fact that the book focuses mostly on Mary. The only quibble I had with it was that the changes in her character and in Mrs. Bennet’s were too drastic and sudden in my opinion.

This story is complex and full of small details that are crucial for the narrative; nevertheless, it is easy for the reader to follow it due to the writer’s ability to explain everything. It has many hints concerning the next stories in the saga and as the story progresses readers are pulled into it.

It is very difficult to create such a story and only a talented story teller could pull it through, so congrats are in order for Don Jacobson for crafting such a complex and appealing story. It is not every author who is able to develop such an intricate story.

The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey is a captivating novel which is so different from anything ever written in the genre, that it occupied a place that was unexplored until this moment. I hope this is a trend that came to stay because it is indeed compelling, fresh and stimulating.

I highly recommend this book to readers who want something a little different than usual and that will stimulate them as readers. This is not the average JAFF book, and the author was able to think outside of the box, so if you’re looking for something that differs from the regular boring plot while following the entire Bennet family’s story, this is the book for you.

Audiobook Narration:

Elizabeth Bennet’s Level

The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey is a very difficult book to narrate but Amanda Berry did an incredible job, particularly with the many different accents that appear in the book. The incredible ability to portray all accents perfectly was my favourite part of this narration putting it into an Elizabeth Bennet’s level.

 

 

You can find The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

and on Audible