Books like The Pursuit of Mary Bennet by Pamela Mingle

Mary Bennet has spent most of her life a laughingstock—her family's humor toward her lack of social polish has made her an embarrassment. Recent years have seen a quiet maturation as she has adopted a respectful, if unpolished, decorum. A sudden upheaval arrives when her sister Lydia falls unexpectedly pregnant and breaks off her ill‑advised engagement to Wickham. Mary and her companion Kitty are sent to live with Jane and her husband, where their lives intersect with those of the earnest Henry Walsh. Mary’s inexperience in matters of the heart puts her future—and her sense of self—at stake. Through her trials and the kindness of those around her, Mary begins a journey of self‑acceptance, questioning whether she deserves love or should pursue a safer path. The story follows her growth as she learns to trust herself and confronts the social expectations of her time.

First publish date: 2013