What do readers think of Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin? Write your own review.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This story is told from several different viewpoints, and uses unusual formats—one section is composed of a teenager's emails to her pen pal in Indonesia. That provides a fresh feel to a plot that might seem to have been used too often recently—a young woman has an affair with an older, married man and has to change her name and move to a different part of the country to escape the scandal that has caused. I had some trouble getting into the book at the beginning, but found it to be an entertaining read altogether and would recommend it.

So enjoyed this book!
Each of the main female characters (and this is definitely a book for and about women!) had their turn in moving the story along. Their voices were unique and interesting. I especially enjoyed Ruby and her relationship with her mother, Aviva. She is a child who has trouble fitting in but is like every other thirteen year old when it comes to judging her mother. Aviva has become a successful adult with a full life even though she was taken advantage of and shamed as an young impressionable college student. They come to understand and appreciate each other as they begin to truly know each other.
This is a contemporary light read full of humor with fully drawn characters. I definitely recommend.