Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Mary Jane

Review of Mary Jane
By: Jessica Anya Blau
I have some knowledge of the 70s through my parents having grown up then, like Mary Jane, and through the history from movies and shows. Reading this novel, I did recognize some of the music and knew a little history about this time period. Mary Jane is a 14-year-old in the 70s living in Baltimore Maryland with conservative parents. She’s in choir at church and loves cooking with her mom, but her life is changed forever when she gets her first summer job as a nanny for a 5-year-old girl named Izzy Cone. Izzy’s parents couldn’t be more opposite of Mary Jane’s. Dr. Cone is psychiatrist treating a famous of his drug addiction and he and his wife famous actress Sheba are living with Cones. Mrs. Cone is a mother, who isn’t great at being housewife or mother, but loves her daughter more than anything. They introduce Mary Jane to whole new world of great music and fun lifestyle.
This is coming of age story as Mary Jane is introduced to a world that is very different from her own with its good and bad sides. She has been sheltered so long by her conservation and religious parents that she is surprised by the contrasting lifestyles from her own. She realizes her parents are not always right, a realization I think a lot of kids go through. Despite being away from her mom, Mary Jane still maintains the skills her mom taught her and most of her value system, though not all. She realizes how racist and judgmental her parents are, but it’s also proven she could never fully lose her mom’s influence. She’s able to cook for the Cones and keep the house organize while teaching Izzy important life lessons. Mostly the atmosphere of the Cone’s house was fun and I wanted to be there joining in on the fun without the drugs. All the characters came off as complex, especially Jimmy and Sheba, making me enjoy getting to know them, flaws and all. With Jimmy I kept picturing either Alice Cooper or David Tenant in the Fright Night remake. Sheba made me think of Cher. As far as the writing, the only thing that bothered me was how sometimes Blau would give a play by play of the steps characters took to do something like getting in the car. There is drug addiction and a scene of graphic sexual content. There also a lot of dropping of the F word. I can’t help but wonder what Mary Jane would be like as an adult after this experience. What I love about historical fiction is I get to escape to a time in history I will never get to experience, but only hear about. I got experience a decade of great music, fun fashion, and free love (and the sexual revolution).

Content Warnings

stellaauream's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

readingwithmeredith's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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