Mary Crawford: Revisiting at Mansfield Park

by Julia Barrett

Julia Barrett (pseudonym for Julia Braun Kessler) is the author of two other continuations to great novels of Jane Austen, as well as a completion of her last effort. They An Entertainment, a sequel to Pride and Prejudice, The Third Sister, a continuation of Sense and Sensibility, and Jane Austen's A Fragment of Her Last Novel, Completed. As a novelist, she has addressed herself to picking up Austen's wonderful creations -- people so lively and vivid -- to see if she could prolong our encounter with them and increase our pleasure -- while keeping to the author's themes, speaking her language, and holding true to her marvelous wit. Under her own name, Julia Braun Kessler's first book was Getting Even With Getting Old, a study of aging in different cultures. Her career in writing, editing, and journalism includes contributions to prominent national magazines and newspapers. She served as features editor for Seventeen magazine, research editor for Encyclopedia Americana, and publications director at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. She also taught Humanities courses at UCLA. Mary Crawford in converse with her sister Mrs. Grant, upon their views of the married state.

167 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Julia Barrett was the pseudonym adopted by Julia Braun Kessler and British-born novelist Gabrielle Donnelly in the writing of Presumption, An Entertainment, a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Julia Braun Kessler then continued on her own (as Julia Barrett) with three more continuations of Jane Austen's works: The Third Sister, A Continuation of Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen's Charlotte: Her Fragment of A Last Novel, Completed, and the forthcoming, Mary Crawford: or, Revisiting At Mansfield Park.

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman denounced for shallow, self-centeredness takes a long painful journey from a sparkling London of parties and frivolity to an engaging, thinking woman. I do enjoy a solid story of redemption and a person conquering their flaws so it was satisfying to read a Mansfield Park sequel that portrays Mary Crawford's further story.

Mary Crawford was stung by Edmund Bertram reviling her and turning to faint Fanny Price and, at first, she dusted off Mansfield from her skirts and lived a life of London revelry. But, her heart was not in it and it isn't long before her dissipated brother's escapades threaten to make her the butt of gossip so she moves with her widowed sister, Mrs. Grant, into a cottage back in the neighborhood of Mansfield. She has no desire to mingle with a family still wounded from the actions of her and her brother so she and Mrs. Grant form new acquaintances with a new genteel family in the neighborhood. It is there she encounters both a women's group set on promoting thinking women and educating women that their minds are the equal of men. She also encounters a man who draws her into a spirited philosophical exchange and dares her to become a better thinker and advocate for her ideas.

Mary takes up the challenge and studies on her own, meets with the ladies group, and sets her mind to furthering what she has learned with other ladies. Encounters with the new, local society leader, Mrs. Bertram nee Price who still is reserved to Mary and her more welcoming brother Lt. Price are side considerations. But, the escalating fracas still brewing between her brother Henry and Mrs. Rushworth, the fallen Bertram daughter, drive her and Mrs. Grant to see refuge in London with their new friends the Lyttleton family. Mary continues her lively discourse with the Lyttleton son, growing friendship with his sister, and meets a great female French thinker. She is on the verge of a happy turn in her life when Henry's wastrel, rakish ways interfere once again.

This was my first occasion to enjoy this author's work. I know there are earlier books exploring some of Jane Austen's lesser known female characters and I do want to read them. Julia Barrett took on the formidable challenge of delving deep into Austen's world so that the written style, characters' language, behavior, and thinking, descriptions and backdrop events reflect the Regency world and something of Austen.

I was in awe because she did this while adding in a philosophical movement of women thinkers (way before feminism could be termed such) and had the discourses included. For some, this will be rather heavy reading, even ponderous at times, as a result of all that I have mentioned. I know that I had to give due thought to what I read.

The central character, Mary Crawford, was never a stupid person and she was always something of a witty rogue in Austen's story. So, it was not a stretch to see her embrace this women's movement when she saw the London scene for the hollow entertainment it was. She doesn't go so far as to become a dour and prim type, but adds steadiness of mind to her playful spirits. In truth, her regrets over the Bertram family and her brother's current antics keep her from feeling all that playful.

There is a subtle romance in this one. In truth, it could be called the love triangle trope though the reader is the one who has sport for choice because Mary is never in doubt as to her leanings.

I liked the kind-hearted, compassionate Mrs. Grant and I was intrigued how the author portrayed the Mansfield Park party who were painted closer to stark than romanticized. Henry Crawford is nauseating and retains nothing to make one even consider him attractive.

All in all, this soul and mind journey captivated me and I definitely want to come back for more from the author. Those who like a deeper, thought-provoking challenge paired with their Austenesque sequels should give this one a go.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mansfield Park variation that concentrates on the Crawfords, especially Mary and her development. Will she get her redemption and a happy ending, but what of her brother Henry.
An entertaining story

[Elizabeth Rasche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It's sort of a redemption story for Mary Crawford, so if you like keeping her as a treacherous character, this might not appeal to you. But it was a fun way to return to the characters you love from Mansfield Park (most of them, anyway--some stay pretty well off-screen)

[Erika RS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretentious language, unbelievable character shifts, and anachronistic feminism, but still entertaining enough for the few bus rides it took to get through it.