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greengaybles's review against another edition
4.0
It’s probably unfair to expect any book to live up to the place that Dear John, I Love Jane occupies in my heart. I was uniquely positioned to be touched and moved by that book, just beginning to poke a toe out of the closet and start to consider that I might not be straight, while in a long-term relationship with a man. The first time I read it, though the essays weren’t all perfect of course, I felt such relief, such an overwhelming sense of being seen and known. I thought, there’s something here, and there was. Every subsequent reading—and there have been many—has filled me with equally moving emotions.
Greetings from Janeland couldn’t hold a candle to that, but I shouldn’t have expected it to. I’m not in the same place anymore. I’m single, fully out (though my identity is undergoing another radical shift), comfortable with myself and my desires. But still, the essays here are engrossing, thought-provoking, entertaining. I like that there is more diversity in this sequel than there was in the original, both in terms of race and of gender expression. I enjoyed reading about old familiar friends from the first anthology continuing on their journeys, as well as meeting new ones just beginning. I was never bored, and I’m certain that I’ll read it again.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 is that I rate books according to my personal feelings about them, not an objective score, and this just didn’t immediately entrance me the way Dear John did. It’s not really a fault of the book itself, so perhaps it’s an unfair rating, but it’s the one that feels true.
Greetings from Janeland couldn’t hold a candle to that, but I shouldn’t have expected it to. I’m not in the same place anymore. I’m single, fully out (though my identity is undergoing another radical shift), comfortable with myself and my desires. But still, the essays here are engrossing, thought-provoking, entertaining. I like that there is more diversity in this sequel than there was in the original, both in terms of race and of gender expression. I enjoyed reading about old familiar friends from the first anthology continuing on their journeys, as well as meeting new ones just beginning. I was never bored, and I’m certain that I’ll read it again.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 is that I rate books according to my personal feelings about them, not an objective score, and this just didn’t immediately entrance me the way Dear John did. It’s not really a fault of the book itself, so perhaps it’s an unfair rating, but it’s the one that feels true.
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