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Very charming summer read! "Mary Jane" manages to perfectly capture that feeling of being a 14-year-old girl: responsible beyond your years, yet still incredibly young and naive. Over the course of her summer at the Cone's house, Mary Jane slowly moves from a stiff and sheltered child into a more rebellious and free-thinking individual. I particularly loved the setting of 1975 Baltimore, which I think goes to further accentuate Mary Jane's disillusionment with her family's rigid and traditional values. Though a few characters felt a little underdeveloped, many of them were strong and compelling. Equal parts incredibly charming and deeply flawed. The protagonist herself, Mary Jane, is interesting in how she filters the world around her through the eyes of a 14-year-old. I enjoyed reading her commentary, which is sharply astute at times, and innocent and ignorant at others.
Admittedly, the plot-line itself is a little cliched: girl abandons tradition and order in favor of a more carefree way of life. The story definitely sets up the Cone family as the "good ones," despite their many "quirky" flaws, and Mary Jane's own family, the Dillard's, as the oppressive and "bad" ones. Though I think the story tries to reconcile this at the very end, I think it's a bit too little too late, and doesn't exactly fix the one-dimensional portraits we've been fed about Mary Jane's own family.
Though the book suffers a bit from its own cliches and cheese, I still enjoyed reading "Mary Jane." It's a fun portrait of '70s culture and all its trappings (particularly the sex, drugs, and rock n roll). all told from the perspective of a young girl. 4.5 stars!
Admittedly, the plot-line itself is a little cliched: girl abandons tradition and order in favor of a more carefree way of life. The story definitely sets up the Cone family as the "good ones," despite their many "quirky" flaws, and Mary Jane's own family, the Dillard's, as the oppressive and "bad" ones. Though I think the story tries to reconcile this at the very end, I think it's a bit too little too late, and doesn't exactly fix the one-dimensional portraits we've been fed about Mary Jane's own family.
Though the book suffers a bit from its own cliches and cheese, I still enjoyed reading "Mary Jane." It's a fun portrait of '70s culture and all its trappings (particularly the sex, drugs, and rock n roll). all told from the perspective of a young girl. 4.5 stars!