Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
It wasn’t bad, but I expected to like it more than I did. Parts were rather unnecessary and/or somewhat dull.
With the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate blessing, Maxwell provides us with Jane's perspective on the Ape-Man who rescued her from certain death.
My Take
This really is good. If you enjoy the Tarzan stories (or movies!), you will enjoy this perspective of an "emancipated" woman of 1905, whose dream of exploring Africa at her father's side is fulfilled.
Maxwell uses language beautifully: creating a setting for 1905; using the words [of the time] a woman of good family, champing at the restrictive bits of being a woman, would use to express her frustration; and, digging into Jane's thoughts as she discovers the freedom of being wild in an unEnglish jungle, freedom from the restrictions of her mother and her society, and the freedom of learning what is important to her as a person.
It's an adventurous blend of H. Rider Haggard, Robinson Crusoe, Burroughs, history, and a scientific journal as we settle into Jane's head and take this journey into her time period and her adventures.
Using Burroughs in the prologue and the epilogue was brilliant and gave the story a great sense of reality. Maxwell's starting with the scene in the anatomy lab with the hassle Jane receives from her fellow student was very useful in setting the time's attitudes towards women.
Maxwell handled Tarzan's re-learning English very well and the slow reveal on Tarzan's history as a child.
It's another instance of bullying being tolerated and all the people it affects. The destruction. The waste!
I find myself wanting to complain about John and Alice. Once they realized their plight, why didn't they make a stab at leaving? Of course, it would ruin the story and run counter to Burroughs' original, so I guess I'm complaining about Burroughs. But then, is that fair when such adventure stories were still being "invented" so to speak?
Oh, I love the part where Tarzan and Jane play with the elephants. I want to dive off that cliff and paddle around under their bellies and around their legs...sigh...
Mmmm, loose thread. Just when did Jane (or Tarzan) retrieve the notebook??
Jane did irritate me a bit with her worries over how Tarzan would survive in civilization. I mean, duh, go and try it. If he doesn't like it, if Jane doesn't like it, nothing says they can't come back to Africa.
Arghhh, the ending was a total pain. Oh, it was happy enough, but Maxwell left out the reunion… I do hate it when the author makes me fill in such gaps. I love using my own imagination to picture the people, the settings, the style of dress, the architecture...BUT NOT the damned story! Makes me want a sequel...ahem.
The Story
Jane is happiest when roaming the fields on her horse Leicester with her dogs or in the laboratory with her father. When the opportunity to accompany her father on his latest expedition to Africa arises, Jane is quick to pack.
It's a trip that will open her eyes to truths about her mother, the society from which she comes to that which she embraces, and about love.
The Characters
Jane Porter is the twenty-year-old daughter of Professor Archimedes "Archie" Phinneaus Porter, the professor of anatomy at Cambridge University, who is an enthusiastic supporter of Darwin's theories.
Tarzan, a.k.a., John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, was raised by the Mangani, a species that excites Jane tremendously. John and Alice Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke, were Tarzan's parents. Their story is heartbreaking. Kala is his foster mother; Jai his foster sister. Kerchak is the insane leader of the Mangani. Mr. Grey helps keep watch over Jane.
Chief Waziri and Ulu, the charm doctor, are of the Waziri tribe.
Ral Conrath is an enthusiastic supporter of Dubois' find and easily charms Mrs. Porter. Paul D'Arnot is the translator hired in Freetown. Yabi is the native Mbele guide.
Captain Kelly is enthusiastic about free women who can think for themselves. Mrs. Cecily Fournier is the widow in Freetown who has Jane stay with her when they first arrive---and gives her good advice. Mr. Barry is the man interested in Cecily.
Edgar Rice Burroughs is the original creator of the Tarzan stories. A lovely homage to a very inventive writer. Eugène Dubois found Java man and is a friend of Professor Porter. Professor Ernst Haeckel, a zoologist and comparative anatomist, is also supportive.
The Cover
The cover is a wide range of greens with the suggestion of newsprint in the scratchings as a feral, leather-clad Jane, framed in by the jungle, stares out at us, one leg poised to spring from the branch. Nothing will get by this woman whom Tarzan has taught.
The title is succinct, for she is Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan.
My Take
This really is good. If you enjoy the Tarzan stories (or movies!), you will enjoy this perspective of an "emancipated" woman of 1905, whose dream of exploring Africa at her father's side is fulfilled.
Maxwell uses language beautifully: creating a setting for 1905; using the words [of the time] a woman of good family, champing at the restrictive bits of being a woman, would use to express her frustration; and, digging into Jane's thoughts as she discovers the freedom of being wild in an unEnglish jungle, freedom from the restrictions of her mother and her society, and the freedom of learning what is important to her as a person.
It's an adventurous blend of H. Rider Haggard, Robinson Crusoe, Burroughs, history, and a scientific journal as we settle into Jane's head and take this journey into her time period and her adventures.
Using Burroughs in the prologue and the epilogue was brilliant and gave the story a great sense of reality. Maxwell's starting with the scene in the anatomy lab with the hassle Jane receives from her fellow student was very useful in setting the time's attitudes towards women.
Maxwell handled Tarzan's re-learning English very well and the slow reveal on Tarzan's history as a child.
It's another instance of bullying being tolerated and all the people it affects. The destruction. The waste!
I find myself wanting to complain about John and Alice. Once they realized their plight, why didn't they make a stab at leaving? Of course, it would ruin the story and run counter to Burroughs' original, so I guess I'm complaining about Burroughs. But then, is that fair when such adventure stories were still being "invented" so to speak?
Oh, I love the part where Tarzan and Jane play with the elephants. I want to dive off that cliff and paddle around under their bellies and around their legs...sigh...
Mmmm, loose thread. Just when did Jane (or Tarzan) retrieve the notebook??
Jane did irritate me a bit with her worries over how Tarzan would survive in civilization. I mean, duh, go and try it. If he doesn't like it, if Jane doesn't like it, nothing says they can't come back to Africa.
Arghhh, the ending was a total pain. Oh, it was happy enough, but Maxwell left out the reunion… I do hate it when the author makes me fill in such gaps. I love using my own imagination to picture the people, the settings, the style of dress, the architecture...BUT NOT the damned story! Makes me want a sequel...ahem.
The Story
Jane is happiest when roaming the fields on her horse Leicester with her dogs or in the laboratory with her father. When the opportunity to accompany her father on his latest expedition to Africa arises, Jane is quick to pack.
It's a trip that will open her eyes to truths about her mother, the society from which she comes to that which she embraces, and about love.
The Characters
Jane Porter is the twenty-year-old daughter of Professor Archimedes "Archie" Phinneaus Porter, the professor of anatomy at Cambridge University, who is an enthusiastic supporter of Darwin's theories.
Tarzan, a.k.a., John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, was raised by the Mangani, a species that excites Jane tremendously. John and Alice Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke, were Tarzan's parents. Their story is heartbreaking. Kala is his foster mother; Jai his foster sister. Kerchak is the insane leader of the Mangani. Mr. Grey helps keep watch over Jane.
Chief Waziri and Ulu, the charm doctor, are of the Waziri tribe.
Ral Conrath is an enthusiastic supporter of Dubois' find and easily charms Mrs. Porter. Paul D'Arnot is the translator hired in Freetown. Yabi is the native Mbele guide.
Captain Kelly is enthusiastic about free women who can think for themselves. Mrs. Cecily Fournier is the widow in Freetown who has Jane stay with her when they first arrive---and gives her good advice. Mr. Barry is the man interested in Cecily.
Edgar Rice Burroughs is the original creator of the Tarzan stories. A lovely homage to a very inventive writer. Eugène Dubois found Java man and is a friend of Professor Porter. Professor Ernst Haeckel, a zoologist and comparative anatomist, is also supportive.
The Cover
The cover is a wide range of greens with the suggestion of newsprint in the scratchings as a feral, leather-clad Jane, framed in by the jungle, stares out at us, one leg poised to spring from the branch. Nothing will get by this woman whom Tarzan has taught.
The title is succinct, for she is Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan.
3.5/6
Decent book. I’ve never actually read any of the Tarzan books, only watched the Disney movie. It’s so interesting to see what Disney changed (why did they give the bad guy Tarzan’s English name??) probably won’t read again, had to force myself a bit at the end there. But that might be because I had other books that are calling to me.
Decent book. I’ve never actually read any of the Tarzan books, only watched the Disney movie. It’s so interesting to see what Disney changed (why did they give the bad guy Tarzan’s English name??) probably won’t read again, had to force myself a bit at the end there. But that might be because I had other books that are calling to me.
Uhmmmm I must admit I unabashedly loved this. I adore Tarzan and Jane, and when I discovered this book I was so excited, if a little apprehensive about it. But the whole story was so engaging, and Maxwell's writing was so transportive, and every time I picked it up I was engrossed in this other world.
I really liked Jane's character; she was strong and stubborn and intelligent and even a little grating at times, but even that I enjoyed about her because it all just fleshed her out so well.
The take on the Tarzan story was really interesting; but I can't say much without spoiling, so I won't.
Maxwell's style of writing is so evocative and lush, it was perfect for this story so centred on setting and feeling, both physical and emotional. Sometimes her sentences were a little overdone, but I found that was rare and more often sat back thinking how lovely it all was.
Obviously, it isn't without it's faults. But honestly, I like to rate a book based on my pure enjoyment of it rather than its scale of literary achievement. So I gave Jane 5 stars because it was an amazing adventure that I will be treasuring for a long time.
I really liked Jane's character; she was strong and stubborn and intelligent and even a little grating at times, but even that I enjoyed about her because it all just fleshed her out so well.
The take on the Tarzan story was really interesting; but I can't say much without spoiling, so I won't.
Maxwell's style of writing is so evocative and lush, it was perfect for this story so centred on setting and feeling, both physical and emotional. Sometimes her sentences were a little overdone, but I found that was rare and more often sat back thinking how lovely it all was.
Obviously, it isn't without it's faults. But honestly, I like to rate a book based on my pure enjoyment of it rather than its scale of literary achievement. So I gave Jane 5 stars because it was an amazing adventure that I will be treasuring for a long time.
Very interesting take on the story of Tarzan told from Jane's perspective, however, I thought it a bit graphic and sexual. Jane comes from an English aristocratic family in the late 1800's and early 1900's when it was thought taboo for a lady to even show her ankles. The idea that she would sit down and tell a complete stranger erotic tales of her time in the jungle just doesn't make sense. She may have been a changed woman, but society certainly wasn't. I think it would've been a perfectly fine tale without all the numerous mentions of human body parts. Just sayin'.
If you like your heroines spunky, and you don't care for the softer version of Tarzan's Jane, this is the novel for you. Jane Porter, in Robin Maxwell's tribute to the classic Burroughs' tale, emerges as the quintessential 'new woman' of the early 20th century. The daughter of an American scientist and an upper class Englishwoman, Jane is fighting to become a serious scientist in her own right. When the amazing opportunity to mount an expedition to deepest west Africa comes along she and her father jump at the chance.
Unfortunately, Ral Conrath, an American adventurer who talked Jane's father into funding the expedition, turns out to be an amoral mercenary in league with the Belgians who are laying waste to west Africa's rich resources. When Jane discovers his shady dealings and confronts him, Conrath allows a leopard to attack her, hoping her discoveries will die with her. Enter Tarzan, who saves her and nurses her back to health.
The rest of the novel is a fascinating mix of scientific discovery, harrowing physical adventures, passionate love and brutal revenge. Purist Burroughs' fans might not care for some of Maxwell take on their hero's lover, but Maxwell did have the blessing of both Burroughs' grandson and the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate when she wrote the novel. Although reared in vastly different circumstances, both Jane and Tarzan are resourceful, intelligent, and passionate. Maxwell doesn't make Jane superhuman, any more than she makes Tarzan a mere grunting, muscle-bound heartthrob. She endows Jane with all the human faults, frailties and mistaken assumptions of people living in Jane's time. Another thoroughly enjoyable novel by a master of historical fiction.
Unfortunately, Ral Conrath, an American adventurer who talked Jane's father into funding the expedition, turns out to be an amoral mercenary in league with the Belgians who are laying waste to west Africa's rich resources. When Jane discovers his shady dealings and confronts him, Conrath allows a leopard to attack her, hoping her discoveries will die with her. Enter Tarzan, who saves her and nurses her back to health.
The rest of the novel is a fascinating mix of scientific discovery, harrowing physical adventures, passionate love and brutal revenge. Purist Burroughs' fans might not care for some of Maxwell take on their hero's lover, but Maxwell did have the blessing of both Burroughs' grandson and the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate when she wrote the novel. Although reared in vastly different circumstances, both Jane and Tarzan are resourceful, intelligent, and passionate. Maxwell doesn't make Jane superhuman, any more than she makes Tarzan a mere grunting, muscle-bound heartthrob. She endows Jane with all the human faults, frailties and mistaken assumptions of people living in Jane's time. Another thoroughly enjoyable novel by a master of historical fiction.
This novel brought back memories of my childhood and watching old Tarzan movies with my dad on a Satruday afternoon. Vivid introduction to Tarzan canon for anyone unfamiliar. A lot of action packed into the end and leaves room for a sequal which I would pick up. Loved that it was from Jane's viewpoint as a modern girl of the late 1900's (for her time a New Woman). Fun and fast.
Like the author, I too had a burgeoning crush on Tarzan in my adolescence. Specifically the Christopher Lambert version of "Greystoke". This novel was an excellent portrayal of the dichotomy between Victorian sensibilities and the growing field of paleoanthropology. Tarzan's character is compelling and believable and Jane's relationship with him is painstakingly developed. A wonderful story.
There isn't much to explain about Jane's plot--other than what you already know. Robin Maxwell takes on "Tarzan" from Jane's perspective, putting a scientific and feminist edge on the male-driven action story. Here Jane Porter, stereotypical damsel in distress, is reimagined as a scientist exploring the wilderness. Even once a betrayal sends her into the care of feral child turned "ape man" Tarzan, she's not one to sit back and relax.
The Good
This was so damn fun. "Jane" had me at the title, but I had no idea that I would enjoy it as much as I did. I've always kind of related to the fantasy of Jane. However, I preferred the--however inaccurate--Disney version to ERB's swooning lady, draped in Tarzan's arms at every minute. I related to the Jane I created in my mind: kind of quirky, extremely intelligent, and not one to back down from a challenge, however frightening it might be. She'd have to be all those things to put up with Tarzan, right?
Apparently Robin Maxwell agrees with me. Jane is so engaging. She's a lady of the times with a twist. It's not like she immediately abandons her ingrained culture to embrace Tarzan's world. But she's curious, both about this man and the various species he lives with. She's ballsy from the beginning, but gradually grows moreso, and the character you see at the beginning of the novel is not the woman you'll find at the end. In many ways I found that "Jane" had a coming of age/blossoming into sexuality theme similar to "The Blue Lagoon"--in a good way. Despite all the dangers Jane encountered, I wanted to go there.
Tarzan, if a more distant character, is similarly humanized. Maxwell explores exactly how damaged this individual must be without losing his charm. I felt for this guy in a way I never had before. It was honestly heartbreaking.
Similarly, Maxwell explores the culture of the Mangani in a way that just fascinated me. I'm normally not one to be interested in the evolution and the missing link, but "Jane" made me interested. The villainous Kerchak is also suitably terrifying yet still an animal and thus not entirely culpable for what he does? It's a fine line.
The romance is there. It's a difficult balance to strike because Tarzan needs to be both a child and a man. But oh, does Maxwell strike it. I raced through this book, waiting for the sexual tension between Tarzan and Jane to be resolved. Maxwell also pleased me by bringing up the conflict between love and lust rather than making our heroine automatically fall for our hero.
Basically, it was great.
The Bad
There are definitely some more clinical passages and the "civilized" parts of the novel--flashbacks to Jane's life in England, her confrontations with the other villain of the novel--are less interesting than the post-Tarzan scenes. But it's nothing that ruins the novel, and I had no real problems with it. It's just a flaw.
The Ugly
Nope.
The Verdict
Fun, fun, fun. Give "Jane" a shot and you'll be transported to another world.
The Good
This was so damn fun. "Jane" had me at the title, but I had no idea that I would enjoy it as much as I did. I've always kind of related to the fantasy of Jane. However, I preferred the--however inaccurate--Disney version to ERB's swooning lady, draped in Tarzan's arms at every minute. I related to the Jane I created in my mind: kind of quirky, extremely intelligent, and not one to back down from a challenge, however frightening it might be. She'd have to be all those things to put up with Tarzan, right?
Apparently Robin Maxwell agrees with me. Jane is so engaging. She's a lady of the times with a twist. It's not like she immediately abandons her ingrained culture to embrace Tarzan's world. But she's curious, both about this man and the various species he lives with. She's ballsy from the beginning, but gradually grows moreso, and the character you see at the beginning of the novel is not the woman you'll find at the end. In many ways I found that "Jane" had a coming of age/blossoming into sexuality theme similar to "The Blue Lagoon"--in a good way. Despite all the dangers Jane encountered, I wanted to go there.
Tarzan, if a more distant character, is similarly humanized. Maxwell explores exactly how damaged this individual must be without losing his charm. I felt for this guy in a way I never had before. It was honestly heartbreaking.
Similarly, Maxwell explores the culture of the Mangani in a way that just fascinated me. I'm normally not one to be interested in the evolution and the missing link, but "Jane" made me interested. The villainous Kerchak is also suitably terrifying yet still an animal and thus not entirely culpable for what he does? It's a fine line.
The romance is there. It's a difficult balance to strike because Tarzan needs to be both a child and a man. But oh, does Maxwell strike it. I raced through this book, waiting for the sexual tension between Tarzan and Jane to be resolved. Maxwell also pleased me by bringing up the conflict between love and lust rather than making our heroine automatically fall for our hero.
Basically, it was great.
The Bad
There are definitely some more clinical passages and the "civilized" parts of the novel--flashbacks to Jane's life in England, her confrontations with the other villain of the novel--are less interesting than the post-Tarzan scenes. But it's nothing that ruins the novel, and I had no real problems with it. It's just a flaw.
The Ugly
Nope.
The Verdict
Fun, fun, fun. Give "Jane" a shot and you'll be transported to another world.