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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this for my work book club; it wasn’t one I voted for but I was pleasantly surprised by it! The plot is slow and it’s a lot of day-to-day activities, but it somehow was still really engaging and I couldn’t put it down. I read it in two days!
I do like character-driven books though so maybe it’s not surprising I liked it. You get a real feel for Baltimore in the 70s, and what it’s like for this young sheltered girl to be captivated by a movie star and her rock star husband. Mary Jane was easy to like and root for; her naivety was charming and felt real, rather than annoying. Instead of being overshadowed by the other larger-than-life-type characters, Mary Jane is the standout. Her growth and development over the course of the story feels earned and natural. Her relationship with her mother especially felt authentic, and I liked where the author took it. I liked the other characters as well, particularly her young charge, Izzy, and our movie star, Sheba.
If you enjoy 70s music, you’ll probably appreciate this book even more than I did—there are a lot of musical references that add to certain scenes.
A sweet and poignant coming-of-age story, this book made me laugh, made me care about the characters, made my heart swell in pride and joy (and sometimes alarm) at their decisions and growth, and made me want to keep reading, which is all I really ask for from a book.
Be on the lookout for it—it publishes May 11!
Read if you like: Daisy Jones and the Six, Almost Famous, anything to do with the 70s, group therapy.
I do like character-driven books though so maybe it’s not surprising I liked it. You get a real feel for Baltimore in the 70s, and what it’s like for this young sheltered girl to be captivated by a movie star and her rock star husband. Mary Jane was easy to like and root for; her naivety was charming and felt real, rather than annoying. Instead of being overshadowed by the other larger-than-life-type characters, Mary Jane is the standout. Her growth and development over the course of the story feels earned and natural. Her relationship with her mother especially felt authentic, and I liked where the author took it. I liked the other characters as well, particularly her young charge, Izzy, and our movie star, Sheba.
If you enjoy 70s music, you’ll probably appreciate this book even more than I did—there are a lot of musical references that add to certain scenes.
A sweet and poignant coming-of-age story, this book made me laugh, made me care about the characters, made my heart swell in pride and joy (and sometimes alarm) at their decisions and growth, and made me want to keep reading, which is all I really ask for from a book.
Be on the lookout for it—it publishes May 11!
Read if you like: Daisy Jones and the Six, Almost Famous, anything to do with the 70s, group therapy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Addiction, Antisemitism, Drug use, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
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