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Kate G. (Bronx, NY)
A Worthy Follow-Up
Young Jane Young is a different story than The Storied Life of AJ Fikry, but Gabrielle Zevin has such a great writing style that I kept turning the pages and flew through it. Jane Young made poor decisions while in college and they haunted and followed her after graduation. She successfully remakes her life, moving away and raising her daughter. As always, when secrets are kept, they are revealed in the most uncomfortable ways. This story is fairly light in tone, and a worthy addition to your TBR.
Bonnie B. (Fairbanks, AK)
Avivagate
Aviva Grossman is the Monica Lewinsky of South Florida. While she is in college at the University of Miami, she begins an internship with a congressman. The internship leads to her having an affair with the married congressman and she charts the intimate aspects of their affair on her blog. Though her blog is supposed to be about an 'anonymous' person, it is obvious that her lover is the congressman. After being shamed, Aviva changes her name to Jane Young and moves to Maine where she works as an event planner. She has a daughter who she is raising as a single mother. All appears to be going well for Jane until
…more she decides to run for mayor of her small town and her past comes out. I found the dialog trite at times and did not feel much compassion for any of the characters, all of whom seemed to be without much depth. (less)I enjoyed reading this book while in my mind categorizing it as a beach read--not at all a heavy read. The story unfolds in a three person narrative but the first part was a bit difficult to get into. It picks up considerably with Aviva's story and is generally interesting until the end. The ending wasn't particularly satisfying perhaps leaving an opening for a sequel. All in all, I was happy to have read it.
Freya H. (Towanda, PA)
Young Jane Young
Having read and really liked "The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry", I was looking forward to "Young Jane Young".
It was a disappointment. If you want a fast read with
characters who are not particularly likable, this is for you. I will say, though, that Jane was a real survivor.
Patricia T. (Fallbrook, CA)
Young Jane Young, Gabrielle Zevin
Washington DC, a Congressman, an Intern, a blog that refuses to die, and comes back to haunt. The story is largely moved along by dialogue, sometimes funny and witty, sometimes bratty, sometimes warm and human, but ultimately for me, rather irritating. People just don't talk to each other in short, snappy sentences, not all the time. The final section was gimmicky, and this book did not do it for me.
Nancy H. (Lisle, IL)
No one to like
This book suffers from having no one to like. I didn't much like the book, yet I found I couldn't put it down. It reminded me of our current political climate—there's no one to root for, but I want to see what happens next. I'm often a fan of the multiple-perspectives tactic, but instead of providing me insight into the characters' motivations, it just left me even more annoyed with the characters and their flaws. I found many aspects of the plot unconvincing. And who wants to rehash the Monica Lewinsky story? Loved Fikry - not a fan of this one.
Erin J. (Milwaukie, OR)
Nuggets of an interesting story get lost among the rambles
I am what is known to Nancy Pearl fans as a "character doorway" reader. Since this novel definitely has character as its primary doorway, I expected to really enjoy it. However, I never really connected with any of the characters, and the structure of the story didn't quite gel for me either--it lacked cohesion, which further distanced me from caring about the people in it. I really struggled to figure out what was going on when each section was narrated from the point of view of a different character, and some sections rambled or jumped around in time, making it incredibly difficult to construct a mental
…more timeline or know what to pay attention to. I spent too much energy focusing on details of timing rather than becoming absorbed in the story itself. Had the book better matched its blurbs, particularly the one on Goodreads, I think I would have loved it. I'm sure plenty of readers would disagree with me, but I think tightening up the narration and not starting with Rachel's point of view would have made a world of difference. This novel strikes me as the book version of a student essay written without a clear thesis statement: nuggets of goodness but scattered, and with loose ends dangling.
I don't mean to sound harsh. I didn't hate it, and I can see how some readers will absolutely love it. I did enjoy the narrative conceits of letters to a pen pal and choose-your-own-adventure. Even though it took me a while to finish, and the pace of the story arc was very slow, it still felt like it read fast, particularly the final chapters.
Readers' advisors will want to note that there is a fair amount of profanity, and since it's centered around a sex scandal, there are references to sexual activities, including anal sex, and plenty of face-palmingly poor decisions. (less)I really loved "The Storied Life of AJ Fikry" - not so this one. Perhaps it is the title - in my view, I think it is a dumb title! I just couldn't find anything sympathetic about the characters - and it was so "Monica Lewinsky" that I just didn't like anyone. I realize that this is just my opinion, but I expected better from this writer. Having said all that, it would probably be a really good book club selection as it would probably generate a lot of discussion.
