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Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin

Young Jane Young

by Gabrielle Zevin

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  • Published:
  • Aug 2017, 320 pages
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  • Nancy J Emery
    Young Jane Young
    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The novel was character driven through a period of history most on us can remember and probably have opinions about. The author stays away from political ramifications and guides us through the lives of mother and daughter and a glimpse of grandmother. Pay attention to the details and the revelations at the end will surprise you.
  • Kathrin C. (Corona, CA)
    Life, Mothers and Daughters
    This novel took the story of one young woman's romantic foible with long term repercussions and let the perspectives flow from three generations of the Grossman family women and girl - Rachel (the very in-control mom with the not-so-controlled daughter, Aviva (later to be known as Jane Young) and Jane's daughter Ruby with the "unknown" dad. Romance, politics, youth, persistence and smarts told with abundant humor and wit. This book worked for me as a series of intertwined vignettes but not so much as a novel. Still it was a very enjoyable read, made me laugh out loud and had some very poignant plays on human nature.
  • Sherilyn R. (St George, UT)
    Witty and Fun
    I enjoyed Gabrielle Zevin's, A Storied Life of A.J. Fikry for it's moving and witty portrayal of books and there power to help us see things in different ways. Young Jane Young was similar in style: witty and fun but also delivering a message about politics, facing challenges and the ways in which the roles and portrayals of women are very much limited. Even with such weighty topics, this was a fun summer read and I would definitely recommend it.
  • Becky M. (Crumpler, NC)
    Takes a while, but then takes off
    I found this novel hard to get into, but I'm glad I persisted. Written through points of view, Young Jane Young traces the story of a young woman's life--where an indiscretion in her youth comes back to haunt her later--as seen through the eyes of Jane's mother, Jane's daughter, and Jane herself. All three women are strong personalities, but it is Jane and her daughter who carry the story. The last portion of the book, through Jane's eyes, reads like those books of our youth when we could choose the ending we wanted. Except Jane chooses for us as we watch her story unfold. All in all, worth the read.
  • Lynn R. (Dixon, IL)
    Yesh!-Good Read
    This book is about being female at all stages of life and the complexities of family, love and career in person and online. The characters are endearing and the dialogue is spot on. I liked the layout of the novel and the creative elements the author used. Ruby's pen pal correspondence with Fatima was wonderful and the "choose your own adventure" section was fun.
  • Joyce W. (Rochester, MN)
    Jane Young finds herself
    This book is light and witty. The characters are very believable. Women will enjoy the relationships and the modern internet usage. I will recommend this book to my friends because it is a quick, funny read, and we need something to read to escape from the depressing daily happenings in the news.
  • Sara P. (Longview, WA)
    Young Jane Young
    This is the story of mother and daughter relationships told in multiple viewpoints. The relationships were clearly defined and very interesting especially showing how they evolved in different ways. I liked Ruby, the youngest daughter in the two relationships. It is also about running away and secrets, which are always revealed in the most awful ways. I did cheer when both mother-daughter relationships survived and grew.

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