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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
3.5
Jane Porter is studying to be a paleoanthropologist. It’s an unlikely profession for a woman, and even more unlikely for a woman of her station. Her father is encouraging, and obsessed with the same fever for scientific endeavors. Ral Conrath soon shows up in their lives and provides proof that fossils of the missing link might be found in Western Africa. Jane and her father are swayed and Conrath sets the travel arrangements. When events become disastrous in Africa, Jane finds herself waking up in the care of a wild man: Tarzan.
This is the Tarzan story told through the eyes of Jane. I have never read the classic Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. That means I cannot say how close this version is to the original story. Jane starts the novel out by presenting a skeleton to an academic committee, and claiming that not only is it the missing link, but it is not that old. No one believes it, and the academic community doesn’t see her in a good light. Only one man stays behind, Edgar Rice Burroughs, who she tells of her adventures in the wild.
The story is told through first person, via Jane. Other than the opening with Burroughs, it has a slow start. At first Jane is studying at Cambridge. Her fellow male students have cutting remarks, and her mother finds all of it inappropriate. There is also a student that Jane points out by name more than a couple times, but never really says or does much. It isn’t until they are in Africa the story starts to speed up.
Africa through Jane’s eyes is rich and vivid in detail without being over bearing on the reader. I enjoyed most of the scenes where she is doing nothing but observing. The drama with Conrath starts to unfold until it erupts and Tarzan makes his appearance. I enjoyed the budding relationship between him and Jane. Tarzan introduces Jane to his world, but he also introduces Jane to what she has come to Africa to originally find. I won’t say anymore on this, I already feel like I am coming dangerously close to spoilers.
The scenery for a love story is fantastic, but the love story itself is frustrating. Jane and Tarzan constantly get close, but every time something stops them. Instead of building tension, it can build frustration. Of course this isn’t just a love story, it’s an adventure story. The adventuring wasn’t as action packed as it could have been. There are small bits of excitement throughout the novel leading up to a major climax. The climax, which is rich in detail, maybe too rich when it comes to Jane’s point of view; often times the scene pans away from her.
Then came a ‘WTF!?’ ending. I was excited to read how Tarzan and Jane were going to make it work in the modern world. I found this a more interesting concept than the jungle adventure. Burroughs sums up my feelings perfectly at the end of the novel. You left us hanging Jane! This novel is supposed to be a standalone, but then why the cliffhanger?
I did enjoy the novel. It has a few flaws towards the end, but for the most part it immerses itself in an exotic Africa that was a wonderful experience. It isn’t hard reading, but it is set in the early 1900’s and has all the trappings of the time period. Jane on the other hand is not a woman of her time, she wants more, and who can blame her. Her calling takes her to Africa, and in the arms of Tarzan.
Jane Porter is studying to be a paleoanthropologist. It’s an unlikely profession for a woman, and even more unlikely for a woman of her station. Her father is encouraging, and obsessed with the same fever for scientific endeavors. Ral Conrath soon shows up in their lives and provides proof that fossils of the missing link might be found in Western Africa. Jane and her father are swayed and Conrath sets the travel arrangements. When events become disastrous in Africa, Jane finds herself waking up in the care of a wild man: Tarzan.
This is the Tarzan story told through the eyes of Jane. I have never read the classic Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. That means I cannot say how close this version is to the original story. Jane starts the novel out by presenting a skeleton to an academic committee, and claiming that not only is it the missing link, but it is not that old. No one believes it, and the academic community doesn’t see her in a good light. Only one man stays behind, Edgar Rice Burroughs, who she tells of her adventures in the wild.
The story is told through first person, via Jane. Other than the opening with Burroughs, it has a slow start. At first Jane is studying at Cambridge. Her fellow male students have cutting remarks, and her mother finds all of it inappropriate. There is also a student that Jane points out by name more than a couple times, but never really says or does much. It isn’t until they are in Africa the story starts to speed up.
Africa through Jane’s eyes is rich and vivid in detail without being over bearing on the reader. I enjoyed most of the scenes where she is doing nothing but observing. The drama with Conrath starts to unfold until it erupts and Tarzan makes his appearance. I enjoyed the budding relationship between him and Jane. Tarzan introduces Jane to his world, but he also introduces Jane to what she has come to Africa to originally find. I won’t say anymore on this, I already feel like I am coming dangerously close to spoilers.
The scenery for a love story is fantastic, but the love story itself is frustrating. Jane and Tarzan constantly get close, but every time something stops them. Instead of building tension, it can build frustration. Of course this isn’t just a love story, it’s an adventure story. The adventuring wasn’t as action packed as it could have been. There are small bits of excitement throughout the novel leading up to a major climax. The climax, which is rich in detail, maybe too rich when it comes to Jane’s point of view; often times the scene pans away from her.
Then came a ‘WTF!?’ ending. I was excited to read how Tarzan and Jane were going to make it work in the modern world. I found this a more interesting concept than the jungle adventure. Burroughs sums up my feelings perfectly at the end of the novel. You left us hanging Jane! This novel is supposed to be a standalone, but then why the cliffhanger?
I did enjoy the novel. It has a few flaws towards the end, but for the most part it immerses itself in an exotic Africa that was a wonderful experience. It isn’t hard reading, but it is set in the early 1900’s and has all the trappings of the time period. Jane on the other hand is not a woman of her time, she wants more, and who can blame her. Her calling takes her to Africa, and in the arms of Tarzan.
Great twist on the original story - Jane is finally given a back story worthy of her.
I was, for some reason, unabashedly excited for this book the moment I learned about it. Even though I hadn't read any of the Tarzan novels (until last month), the idea of Jane's story, through her eyes, immediately grabbed imagination.
Briefly, this book and I got off to a rocky start. The novel's opening sentence -- Good Lord, she was magnificent! -- about our heroine Jane did not endear the book to me, I admit. (I hate it when authors are overly in love with their heroines.) When the character thinking about how awesome Jane was turned out to be none other than Edgar Rice Burroughs, I just about threw the book down.
Thankfully, I didn't, and around page 17, the story really started. Jane, sharing her tale with Ed Burroughs, begins in Africa, when she wakes up in a nest made by a gorgeous man of European descent, savage and wild. Flashing back to how she ended up in Africa, and her growing relationship with the man she comes to call Tarzan, we meet a woman striving to find her own identity, indulged and encouraged by a brilliant father, interested in science, anthropology, and evolution. A chance meeting with an American adventurer leads her and her father on an expedition into Africa which changes her entire life.
Maxwell hit all the right notes for me in evoking Jane as a Victorian 'New Woman' and I'm grateful she had Jane embrace that radical identity (rather than, say, have Jane be conservative but feisty, blah blah). In chewing over what Jane Porter might be like, I immediately thought of Mary Kingsley, and to my delight, Maxwell has Jane being a huge Kingsley fangirl. Jane is a woman of privilege who both relishes her privilege -- it gets her into Cambridge -- and bristles at it -- she loves to fight her mother about getting married. She's both curious about sex and dresses modestly (sans corset, of course!). She has contradictions, strengths, and shortcomings that felt authentic to me, and yet embodied the kind of larger-than-life ideal of the pulp world she came from.
This is a Burroughs estate authorized Tarzan novel, and I was a little nervous it might suffer from a sunny, cheesy tone but to my surprise (and relief), there is some darkness, an awareness of the thorny, problematic setting and mores of the era, and unabashed sensuality. (Jane's lingering, longing, lustful admiration of Tarzan's body was a bit lost on me, but I have friends who love cheesecake and I think they'll appreciate Jane's feelings.)
Unsure if I needed the background, last month I went ahead and read Burroughs' first Tarzan novel, which was a fine but not a favorite read for me. I will say I don't think you need to have read the Tarzan books to enjoy this one -- it very much is a standalone novel that is set in a universe familiar to many, but with new twists, angles, and arcs. It is both an homage to a pulp hero and mythos as well as an original historical novel.
Briefly, this book and I got off to a rocky start. The novel's opening sentence -- Good Lord, she was magnificent! -- about our heroine Jane did not endear the book to me, I admit. (I hate it when authors are overly in love with their heroines.) When the character thinking about how awesome Jane was turned out to be none other than Edgar Rice Burroughs, I just about threw the book down.
Thankfully, I didn't, and around page 17, the story really started. Jane, sharing her tale with Ed Burroughs, begins in Africa, when she wakes up in a nest made by a gorgeous man of European descent, savage and wild. Flashing back to how she ended up in Africa, and her growing relationship with the man she comes to call Tarzan, we meet a woman striving to find her own identity, indulged and encouraged by a brilliant father, interested in science, anthropology, and evolution. A chance meeting with an American adventurer leads her and her father on an expedition into Africa which changes her entire life.
Maxwell hit all the right notes for me in evoking Jane as a Victorian 'New Woman' and I'm grateful she had Jane embrace that radical identity (rather than, say, have Jane be conservative but feisty, blah blah). In chewing over what Jane Porter might be like, I immediately thought of Mary Kingsley, and to my delight, Maxwell has Jane being a huge Kingsley fangirl. Jane is a woman of privilege who both relishes her privilege -- it gets her into Cambridge -- and bristles at it -- she loves to fight her mother about getting married. She's both curious about sex and dresses modestly (sans corset, of course!). She has contradictions, strengths, and shortcomings that felt authentic to me, and yet embodied the kind of larger-than-life ideal of the pulp world she came from.
This is a Burroughs estate authorized Tarzan novel, and I was a little nervous it might suffer from a sunny, cheesy tone but to my surprise (and relief), there is some darkness, an awareness of the thorny, problematic setting and mores of the era, and unabashed sensuality. (Jane's lingering, longing, lustful admiration of Tarzan's body was a bit lost on me, but I have friends who love cheesecake and I think they'll appreciate Jane's feelings.)
Unsure if I needed the background, last month I went ahead and read Burroughs' first Tarzan novel, which was a fine but not a favorite read for me. I will say I don't think you need to have read the Tarzan books to enjoy this one -- it very much is a standalone novel that is set in a universe familiar to many, but with new twists, angles, and arcs. It is both an homage to a pulp hero and mythos as well as an original historical novel.
Everything an adventure should be. I love Jane's character: her ambition, her determination, her intelligence. Seeing her wild journey throughout the trials she faces and how she works through and triumphs over them was...so freeing for me as a reader, actually. It was immensely satisfying.
I cannot praise enough the description and complexity in this book. There are many character arcs and plotlines that converge and move each other along. The paradisaical "Eden" is portrayed so well that I felt like I was there and getting the same awed inspiration that Jane does. I got completely swept up in some of the scenes, like the fire dancing. So powerful, so enticing.
I had some minor quibbles with some of the story arc framing (e.g. a flashback from Tarzan's perspective somehow delving into another character's thoughts); the "I'm not like the other girls and therefore better" aspect Jane takes on (though she does work through this slightly); and a couple instances of sex happening after the characters are angry. However, none of these things last long, happen often, or detract from the excellent aspects of this story.
Note that I have not read the original Tarzan stories so I cannot make any comparisons, but this retelling from Jane's perspective is brilliant.
I cannot praise enough the description and complexity in this book. There are many character arcs and plotlines that converge and move each other along. The paradisaical "Eden" is portrayed so well that I felt like I was there and getting the same awed inspiration that Jane does. I got completely swept up in some of the scenes, like the fire dancing. So powerful, so enticing.
I had some minor quibbles with some of the story arc framing (e.g. a flashback from Tarzan's perspective somehow delving into another character's thoughts); the "I'm not like the other girls and therefore better" aspect Jane takes on (though she does work through this slightly); and a couple instances of sex happening after the characters are angry. However, none of these things last long, happen often, or detract from the excellent aspects of this story.
Note that I have not read the original Tarzan stories so I cannot make any comparisons, but this retelling from Jane's perspective is brilliant.
I liked it, but then again, I didn't. Two and a half stars and
Spoiler
... WHY DID THE END END LIKE THAT? Tarzan -wut? Jane - after him!
3.5
There were some clear flaws, which I will hopefully be discussing in a video review. There were also some great things. But now, I'm totally geeked for Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
video review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Emi7FxFRlM
There were some clear flaws, which I will hopefully be discussing in a video review. There were also some great things. But now, I'm totally geeked for Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
video review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Emi7FxFRlM
I recently read "Tarzan of the Apes" for the first time, having read some other Burroughs novels and thought I'd try his most famous hero. I liked the book, but thought Jane was a rather flat character, who couldn't compare to Burroughs' Martian heroine Dejah Thoris. So when I saw this book, I jumped at the chance to read Tarzan from the perspective of a fleshed-out, updated Jane. And I was sorely disappointed. The idea is still good, but not the way this book tackles the story.
There's no love story here. Granted, the one in TotA isn't a big part of the story and it doesn't have a happy ending (at least, not till the sequels), but the way this book was advertised I thought I'd be reading the epic love story of one of literature's great couples. It's only hinted at; I suppose there will be a sequel and then maybe then we'll get that part of the story. The only thing between Jane and Tarzan is raw animal lust. To be expected, I suppose, but I would have liked more development. Tarzan himself is reduced to a supporting character. Jane mostly seems to be fascinated with using him for study and escaping her confined life in England (and Burroughs' Jane is an American! I know the movies tend to portray her as English, but I was surprised Maxwell chose to change her nationality, too). I didn't buy for a moment that she wanted Tarzan for anything other than sex and access to the Mangani for study. Maxwell falls prey to "tell, don't show". Jane is constantly narrating about how different she is from other women, how modern she is, how awesome she is because she's a feminist and an atheist and independent and a university student, but the reader is never shown any actions that make Jane a likable or admirable heroine. She mostly just uses people to get her way, and is rude and insulting to anyone who dares not to share her specific narrow worldview. She is supposed to be a Strong Female Character, but comes off as a Whiny Brat. Even Burroughs' Jane was more likable than that, and she's mostly there to be the pretty love interest.
I didn't care for Maxwell's decision to change aspects of Tarzan's back story. What sense does it make for him to be nearly four years old when his parents are killed? In the original he's still a nursing baby so his survival depended on Kala adopting him. And there is nothing added to the story by having Kerchak assault and murder Tarzan's human mother, except shock value. The Claytons' diary entries were hilarious in their precise narration: Tarzan's father's last line is (paraphrased), "dear God, there are footfalls on the roof!" Yes, because you would take the time to write that down while you were hearing your home invaded by vicious ape-men. Diaries in fiction are usually over-precise, but narrating what's happening to you as it's happening strained my suspension of disbelief too far.
Jane Porter is still a character worth writing about, and someday I hope a book comes along that tells her side of the story properly.
There's no love story here. Granted, the one in TotA isn't a big part of the story and it doesn't have a happy ending (at least, not till the sequels), but the way this book was advertised I thought I'd be reading the epic love story of one of literature's great couples. It's only hinted at; I suppose there will be a sequel and then maybe then we'll get that part of the story. The only thing between Jane and Tarzan is raw animal lust. To be expected, I suppose, but I would have liked more development. Tarzan himself is reduced to a supporting character. Jane mostly seems to be fascinated with using him for study and escaping her confined life in England (and Burroughs' Jane is an American! I know the movies tend to portray her as English, but I was surprised Maxwell chose to change her nationality, too). I didn't buy for a moment that she wanted Tarzan for anything other than sex and access to the Mangani for study. Maxwell falls prey to "tell, don't show". Jane is constantly narrating about how different she is from other women, how modern she is, how awesome she is because she's a feminist and an atheist and independent and a university student, but the reader is never shown any actions that make Jane a likable or admirable heroine. She mostly just uses people to get her way, and is rude and insulting to anyone who dares not to share her specific narrow worldview. She is supposed to be a Strong Female Character, but comes off as a Whiny Brat. Even Burroughs' Jane was more likable than that, and she's mostly there to be the pretty love interest.
I didn't care for Maxwell's decision to change aspects of Tarzan's back story. What sense does it make for him to be nearly four years old when his parents are killed? In the original he's still a nursing baby so his survival depended on Kala adopting him. And there is nothing added to the story by having Kerchak assault and murder Tarzan's human mother, except shock value. The Claytons' diary entries were hilarious in their precise narration: Tarzan's father's last line is (paraphrased), "dear God, there are footfalls on the roof!" Yes, because you would take the time to write that down while you were hearing your home invaded by vicious ape-men. Diaries in fiction are usually over-precise, but narrating what's happening to you as it's happening strained my suspension of disbelief too far.
Jane Porter is still a character worth writing about, and someday I hope a book comes along that tells her side of the story properly.
adventurous
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
Admittedly, I have never read any of the original Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs; however, I'm familiar with some of the movies. Tarzan and Jane are still very well known characters even today. The relationship between Tarzan and Jane is still interesting to many today. They are definitely a timeless pair. This book marks the first "spin-off" authorized by the author's estate, which is very cool! I really enjoyed this book. You definitely don't need to be familiar with the story to find some enjoyment in the book.
Jane Porter of the Tarzan stories is an awesome character. The story takes place during the early part of the 1900s when women adventurers and scientists were very few and far between. In her mid-twenties, Jane's unmarried status was already a little bit of an anomaly. She's tough, strong, and determined to do what she wants. Jane is the narrator of the book, which I thought really helped to pull you into the story. It takes awhile to get there but throughout the book, Jane really grows and becomes more comfortable with herself, which was cool to see.
Yes, this is an adventure book but there isn't a whole lot of action, especially not at the beginning. This book is definitely more of a sort of quiet adventure with a lot more focus on the characters and setting than an actual adventure. The real adventure only comes in the latter half of the book.
Some of the changes in time were a little bit confusing. At least in the ARC version (which is the version I read), there are very few indications of how much time had passed between each event. It confused the flow a little bit as the book jumps around a little bit.
Overall, I really liked this book. Jane is awesome. Tarzan is a fantastic character. It seems like there possibly could be a sequel to the book, which I would absolutely love.
Bottom line: A quiet story for both those new and not so new to the Tarzan stories.
Jane Porter of the Tarzan stories is an awesome character. The story takes place during the early part of the 1900s when women adventurers and scientists were very few and far between. In her mid-twenties, Jane's unmarried status was already a little bit of an anomaly. She's tough, strong, and determined to do what she wants. Jane is the narrator of the book, which I thought really helped to pull you into the story. It takes awhile to get there but throughout the book, Jane really grows and becomes more comfortable with herself, which was cool to see.
Yes, this is an adventure book but there isn't a whole lot of action, especially not at the beginning. This book is definitely more of a sort of quiet adventure with a lot more focus on the characters and setting than an actual adventure. The real adventure only comes in the latter half of the book.
Some of the changes in time were a little bit confusing. At least in the ARC version (which is the version I read), there are very few indications of how much time had passed between each event. It confused the flow a little bit as the book jumps around a little bit.
Overall, I really liked this book. Jane is awesome. Tarzan is a fantastic character. It seems like there possibly could be a sequel to the book, which I would absolutely love.
Bottom line: A quiet story for both those new and not so new to the Tarzan stories.
I was delighted to accidentally discover Jane the Woman Who Loved Tarzan. Though in her author's statement at the end of the book, Ms. Maxwell claims she has never read a single Tarzan book, yet she kept me as enthralled as Edgar Rice Burroughs did with the original Tarzan books. By the time Jane and Tarzan were fighting her nemesis in Opar, I was literally sitting on the edge of the couch reading as fast as I could. I loved that the story was written in Jane's point-of-view while being book-ended by her meeting Edgar Rice Burroughs and telling him her story. Jane is a strong heroine, studying anatomy at university, the first woman in the class. There is downplayed passion between Tarzan and Jane (in keeping with the original sexless ERB stories). In addition, there is a refreshing give-and-take in their roles. He teaches her to survive in the jungle; she teaches him to survive in England; together they uncover the mystery of his parentage; together they face their mutual nemeses. As a physician and naturalist, I enjoyed the anatomy and more technical paleontological aspects of this novel as much as I enjoyed the action scenes.