Reviews

In reality, this was probably a 4.75, but WOW it got me out of a reading slump. Zevin is so witty and writes characters that are so full of life and energy. I felt equally compelled to all of the women and it felt so incredibly important, even now. I look forward to reading more of her books.

iamhausfrau's review

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

4.25

confused_cat's review

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funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

I read the entire book within 3 hours! This is like my first time finishing a novel in one sitting.
I just love the author's writing style (even though I have no idea half of the Jewish terms she uses).

What a fun read.

My only complain is the ending is not satisfying enough.

Content Warnings

graciesmom's review

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4.0

Fun fast read!

katykelly's review

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4.0

A story about starting over and adolescence, wrapped inside a topical look at a political scandal and how it is affected by gender

Elsewhere, A.J. Fikry - books I've loved by Zevin. This sounded so very different yet just as intriguing.

Aviva Grossman, as a young intern, had an affair with a married congressman. Found it, it was Aviva who bore the brunt of the media attacks. Changing her name and moving away, she has a thriving business and a teenage daughter. Who is about to find out about her mother's past.

A dual story about mother and daughter, about the past and present, 'Jane' shows us her perspective of what happened and just how inaccurate media portrayals can be. Ruby, her daughter, is a bright adolescent who must decide for herself what to believe and how she feels about her family history.

It's well composed and moves nicely between time periods, the idea of blaming women for such affairs a current one, especially as it is also compared in the book to the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky example.

This will be excellent for discussion with teenagers in classes or book groups, and is certainly suitable for adults as well.

I enjoyed the idea of reinvention, and of Aviva/Jane moving on with her life. There are some mysteries to Ruby's story and the story wraps them up nicely just at the close.

With some sexual content, this is best suited to KS3 and above, ideally ages 14 and over.

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.

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