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A review by difficultwomanreads
Jane by Robin Maxwell
4.0
There isn't much to explain about Jane's plot--other than what you already know. Robin Maxwell takes on "Tarzan" from Jane's perspective, putting a scientific and feminist edge on the male-driven action story. Here Jane Porter, stereotypical damsel in distress, is reimagined as a scientist exploring the wilderness. Even once a betrayal sends her into the care of feral child turned "ape man" Tarzan, she's not one to sit back and relax.
The Good
This was so damn fun. "Jane" had me at the title, but I had no idea that I would enjoy it as much as I did. I've always kind of related to the fantasy of Jane. However, I preferred the--however inaccurate--Disney version to ERB's swooning lady, draped in Tarzan's arms at every minute. I related to the Jane I created in my mind: kind of quirky, extremely intelligent, and not one to back down from a challenge, however frightening it might be. She'd have to be all those things to put up with Tarzan, right?
Apparently Robin Maxwell agrees with me. Jane is so engaging. She's a lady of the times with a twist. It's not like she immediately abandons her ingrained culture to embrace Tarzan's world. But she's curious, both about this man and the various species he lives with. She's ballsy from the beginning, but gradually grows moreso, and the character you see at the beginning of the novel is not the woman you'll find at the end. In many ways I found that "Jane" had a coming of age/blossoming into sexuality theme similar to "The Blue Lagoon"--in a good way. Despite all the dangers Jane encountered, I wanted to go there.
Tarzan, if a more distant character, is similarly humanized. Maxwell explores exactly how damaged this individual must be without losing his charm. I felt for this guy in a way I never had before. It was honestly heartbreaking.
Similarly, Maxwell explores the culture of the Mangani in a way that just fascinated me. I'm normally not one to be interested in the evolution and the missing link, but "Jane" made me interested. The villainous Kerchak is also suitably terrifying yet still an animal and thus not entirely culpable for what he does? It's a fine line.
The romance is there. It's a difficult balance to strike because Tarzan needs to be both a child and a man. But oh, does Maxwell strike it. I raced through this book, waiting for the sexual tension between Tarzan and Jane to be resolved. Maxwell also pleased me by bringing up the conflict between love and lust rather than making our heroine automatically fall for our hero.
Basically, it was great.
The Bad
There are definitely some more clinical passages and the "civilized" parts of the novel--flashbacks to Jane's life in England, her confrontations with the other villain of the novel--are less interesting than the post-Tarzan scenes. But it's nothing that ruins the novel, and I had no real problems with it. It's just a flaw.
The Ugly
Nope.
The Verdict
Fun, fun, fun. Give "Jane" a shot and you'll be transported to another world.
The Good
This was so damn fun. "Jane" had me at the title, but I had no idea that I would enjoy it as much as I did. I've always kind of related to the fantasy of Jane. However, I preferred the--however inaccurate--Disney version to ERB's swooning lady, draped in Tarzan's arms at every minute. I related to the Jane I created in my mind: kind of quirky, extremely intelligent, and not one to back down from a challenge, however frightening it might be. She'd have to be all those things to put up with Tarzan, right?
Apparently Robin Maxwell agrees with me. Jane is so engaging. She's a lady of the times with a twist. It's not like she immediately abandons her ingrained culture to embrace Tarzan's world. But she's curious, both about this man and the various species he lives with. She's ballsy from the beginning, but gradually grows moreso, and the character you see at the beginning of the novel is not the woman you'll find at the end. In many ways I found that "Jane" had a coming of age/blossoming into sexuality theme similar to "The Blue Lagoon"--in a good way. Despite all the dangers Jane encountered, I wanted to go there.
Tarzan, if a more distant character, is similarly humanized. Maxwell explores exactly how damaged this individual must be without losing his charm. I felt for this guy in a way I never had before. It was honestly heartbreaking.
Similarly, Maxwell explores the culture of the Mangani in a way that just fascinated me. I'm normally not one to be interested in the evolution and the missing link, but "Jane" made me interested. The villainous Kerchak is also suitably terrifying yet still an animal and thus not entirely culpable for what he does? It's a fine line.
The romance is there. It's a difficult balance to strike because Tarzan needs to be both a child and a man. But oh, does Maxwell strike it. I raced through this book, waiting for the sexual tension between Tarzan and Jane to be resolved. Maxwell also pleased me by bringing up the conflict between love and lust rather than making our heroine automatically fall for our hero.
Basically, it was great.
The Bad
There are definitely some more clinical passages and the "civilized" parts of the novel--flashbacks to Jane's life in England, her confrontations with the other villain of the novel--are less interesting than the post-Tarzan scenes. But it's nothing that ruins the novel, and I had no real problems with it. It's just a flaw.
The Ugly
Nope.
The Verdict
Fun, fun, fun. Give "Jane" a shot and you'll be transported to another world.