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Young Jane Young: A Novel
Escrito por Gabrielle Zevin
Narrado por Karen White
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Young Jane Young's heroine is Aviva Grossman, an ambitious Congressional intern in Florida who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her boss—who is beloved, admired, successful, and very married—and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the Congressman doesn't take the fall, but Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins. She becomes a late night talk show punchline; she is slut shamed and considered a blight on politics in general.
How does one go on after this? In Aviva's case, she sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. She tries to start over as a wedding planner, to be smarter about her life, and to raise her daughter to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, she decides to run for public office herself, that long ago mistake trails her via the Internet like a scarlet A. For in our age, Google guarantees that the past is never, ever, truly past, that everything you've done will live on for everyone to know about for all eternity. And it's only a matter of time until Aviva's daughter, Ruby, finds out who her mother was, and is, and must decide whether she can still respect her.
How does one go on after this? In Aviva's case, she sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. She tries to start over as a wedding planner, to be smarter about her life, and to raise her daughter to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, she decides to run for public office herself, that long ago mistake trails her via the Internet like a scarlet A. For in our age, Google guarantees that the past is never, ever, truly past, that everything you've done will live on for everyone to know about for all eternity. And it's only a matter of time until Aviva's daughter, Ruby, finds out who her mother was, and is, and must decide whether she can still respect her.
Acciones del libro
Comenzar a escucharInformación sobre el libro
Young Jane Young: A Novel
Escrito por Gabrielle Zevin
Narrado por Karen White
Descripción
Young Jane Young's heroine is Aviva Grossman, an ambitious Congressional intern in Florida who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her boss—who is beloved, admired, successful, and very married—and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the Congressman doesn't take the fall, but Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins. She becomes a late night talk show punchline; she is slut shamed and considered a blight on politics in general.
How does one go on after this? In Aviva's case, she sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. She tries to start over as a wedding planner, to be smarter about her life, and to raise her daughter to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, she decides to run for public office herself, that long ago mistake trails her via the Internet like a scarlet A. For in our age, Google guarantees that the past is never, ever, truly past, that everything you've done will live on for everyone to know about for all eternity. And it's only a matter of time until Aviva's daughter, Ruby, finds out who her mother was, and is, and must decide whether she can still respect her.
How does one go on after this? In Aviva's case, she sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. She tries to start over as a wedding planner, to be smarter about her life, and to raise her daughter to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, she decides to run for public office herself, that long ago mistake trails her via the Internet like a scarlet A. For in our age, Google guarantees that the past is never, ever, truly past, that everything you've done will live on for everyone to know about for all eternity. And it's only a matter of time until Aviva's daughter, Ruby, finds out who her mother was, and is, and must decide whether she can still respect her.
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I was sent this book from the publisher. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review. I was not really sure if this was going to be for me, but I had heard great things about it. I ended up really enjoying this one. I actually listened to it on audiobook which I really loved as well.This story is told in five different parts. I actually enjoyed all five parts. Each section is told from a different persons POV, but all of the characters are connected. The story flows well from part to part. I was not sure if I was going to like this format, but it really worked.Part five is like a pick your own adventure novel, and I liked that. I wish it was really like that though. However; I still found myself picking my own option which normally followed the flow of what the author was going to pick anyway. I think this was a fun twist to the story.I am taking off one star for that ending. I feel the story ended with so many more questions.
Rating: 3Read in one snowy day--a page-turner. Story is told from several women's point of view, which works well.
Rating: 4Loved this hilarious yet serious novel. It has a great message for young women maturing in times like these. Highly recommended for substance, great characters and great fun.
Rating: 5Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC. What a fun read! Read in a day, while I laughed out loud!
The main characters are witty and spunky, all the way down to the youngest who is in middle school. It was easy to connect with each character quickly also. This will be a great beach read! Haven't been disappointed by this author yet! Thanks Gabrielle Zevin!
Rating: 4The main characters are witty and spunky, all the way down to the youngest who is in middle school. It was easy to connect with each character quickly also. This will be a great beach read! Haven't been disappointed by this author yet! Thanks Gabrielle Zevin!
Pretty good story. I thought "The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry" was more interesting.
Rating: 3At once reminiscent and referencing of the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal, Young Jane Young is the story of an intern who has an affair with a Congressman and what happens when the affair becomes public knowledge. The story is told from differing viewpoints, most hilariously that of Jane’s mother Rachel. The narratives are from differing points in time– before, during and after the affair, and they are not linear, and yet this telling works surprisingly well.
The tone of the novel is fairly light, reminiscent of "Bridget’s Jones’ Diary" and "The Rosie Effect", and the fourth wall is breached when the reader is asked “What Would You Do” type questions, with multiple answers provided. The answer that is the one that the characters choose is, of course, never the correct one, the one that we, the all knowing reader would have chosen. Choices are a big theme in this novel, and some readers may find themselves exasperated by the poor choices made in the story, but without poor choices/mistakes, there would be no learning, no consequences and definitely, no story! So if you have always made the right choice, never led with your heart instead of your head, never taken a risk, well this novel may frustrate and annoy you. For the rest of us, this is a fun, easy, read with memorable characters, a few surprises, some insights and many laughs.
Rating: 4The tone of the novel is fairly light, reminiscent of "Bridget’s Jones’ Diary" and "The Rosie Effect", and the fourth wall is breached when the reader is asked “What Would You Do” type questions, with multiple answers provided. The answer that is the one that the characters choose is, of course, never the correct one, the one that we, the all knowing reader would have chosen. Choices are a big theme in this novel, and some readers may find themselves exasperated by the poor choices made in the story, but without poor choices/mistakes, there would be no learning, no consequences and definitely, no story! So if you have always made the right choice, never led with your heart instead of your head, never taken a risk, well this novel may frustrate and annoy you. For the rest of us, this is a fun, easy, read with memorable characters, a few surprises, some insights and many laughs.
I don't like the cover, but I absolutely loved this heartwarming and heartbreaking story! This was so refreshing read, fast moving and interesting to read the plot from 4 characters view point, still connected and story goes on, the characters were nicely built with suspense elements and interesting details. I enjoy G.Zevin's story telling. I am so glad it was not even a tiny bit cheap story and stereotyped in some way, sad it hasn't made through the final of Goodreads nominee vote for the last round and I had to check double have I missed it.. It touched several topics including politics, society norms and it's own absurd, smart and strong woman, friendship and mentions Jewish community more than once.It is a story about how to find your own way to live and think you are doing the best when you have done the worst, made mistakes and when everyone around you is leaving you and don't care about you at all. My heart was breaking for Aviva's mother and the pain she was going through as well, how she faced the classic backstabbing from those the most dear to her. However, I did wonder did Aviva knew about them at the time when being in college...My favorite parts of the book were told by Rachel, Jane and Embeth view point. The book made me lough at times and cry at the end. Embeth is wife to the politician who was the one who did cheat, and there she is, still together with this man who goes into campaign again and being more than 10 years in politics you don't even need to prepare a speech, you can just go and say whatever you have told over and over again and everyone will be happy as long as you keep a joke here and there. I found her character warming and ready to put up with the public nonsense.
Rating: 5I enjoyed this book and the narrator! The beginning and ending was good however the middle was a bit slow and boring.
Rating: 4Lots of stuff to like in this book, including a visit to the Jewish community in Southern Florida.
Rating: 4I picked this book up on a whim, mostly because the title struck me and I liked the cover. (Could I find a more stupid reason to choose a book? Not that I mind!)
Anyway, I could NOT put this one down!!! I'm so totally going to be checking out more of Gabrielle Zevin's work, because I LOVE the way she wrote this book!!!
Rating: 5Anyway, I could NOT put this one down!!! I'm so totally going to be checking out more of Gabrielle Zevin's work, because I LOVE the way she wrote this book!!!
Good quick read from the author of "The Storied Life of A. J Fikry". Story of a sex-scandal and its aftermath is told from the perspectives of several women.
Rating: 3A fun and well-written book, a fast read that is breezy but focuses on a serious topic. I liked it, and it's impressively done. She's a very talented writer.I must be quirky, however, because the part most people liked -- the succession of narrators -- was my least favorite. The problem for me was that the first narrator, Rachel Shapiro, was so wonderful that I felt cheated when the story moved onto the others, who lacked plausibility in comparison. I also found it annoying that part of the book was in email format, and that's the part narrated by the least realistic character.But it's a good story, by a sure-handed, talented author, and easy to recommend.
Rating: 4A young congressional intern has an affair with her married boss, and her life is tainted forever. How she deals with it is the subject of this book, narrated by herself, her mother, her daughter, and the congressman's wife. It's an odd mishmash - a couple of sections seem to be played mainly for laughs, and the parts narrated by daughter Ruby and the wronged wife (Embeth) are particularly weak (an imaginary parrot - really?). I didn't find much to recommend in this fluffy concoction.
Rating: 3As a student intern, Aviva Grossman had an affair with her married boss, the local congressman. When it was discovered, she was shamed and laughed at, left with no prospects. She has changed her name and moved to Maine, where she lives with her daughter and runs an event planning business. But since she posted her experiences online, she can never completely leave her past behind.
Rating: 4I adored Gabrielle Zevin's previous book, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry and was eager to read her just released novel, Young Jane Young.We meet sixty four year old Rachel in the the opening chapters as she tries out online dating. I loved her sassy voice and dry sense of humour and found myself chuckling over her thoughts and comments. Her chapter then segues into the life of the next main character - her daughter Aviva. Aviva is working for a congressman - and crosses a line, having an affair with the married man. Her life goes off the rails from the fallout of this decision, until she decides to start over with a new name - Jane. She relocates in another state - and daughter Ruby is born. Jane's chapter segues into Ruby's. And the inevitable fate that awaits all three. The last viewpoint is that of the congressman's wife Embeth.What a rich and varied story this was! Young Jane Young was an unexpected, unpredictable and yet very satisfying read. This one event effects all four leads in so many ways and their various outlooks, reactions and responses are dependent on each individual's age, experience and life philosophy. I loved each voice and was hard pressed to have a favourite. But, if forced to pick, I would have to say that I enjoyed Ruby the most. Her letters to her penpal are the basis for a lot of what she is feeling and doing and a lot of it is heartbreaking. I loved the insertion of epistolary elements. Zevin employs this for Aviva/Jane as well. We are privy to her journal, written in a Choose Your Own Adventure style. Choices are given and we see how and why her life took the path it did."The rub of the Choose Your Own Adventure stories is that if you don't make a few bad choices, the story will be terribly boring. If you do everything right and you're always good, the story will be very short."Mother, daughters, friends, the path taken and not taken. The echoes of a choice made, the denial and acceptance that we can't change what has been done - only move forward.Zevin's writing is wry, witty and peppered with truths.
Rating: 4Young Aviva Grossman gets in way over her head when she has an affair with a married congressman. After the relationship goes public, she finds that she can't get a job, or a date, so she does what any thinking woman would do: she reinvents herself by moving away, changing her name, and embarking upon new career, one inspired by a Jennifer Lopez movie.Young Jane Young offers an enjoyable twist on the past twenty or so years of political sex scandals. Each section is told by a different character; the cutesy selection of Jane's precocious daughter's emails to an Indonesian pen pal is the only part I could have done without. All in all, this novel is a quick, entertaining read.
Rating: 5The reason I gave this book only 3 1/2 stars is because I listened to the audio version of this book. The format of the book does not work well as an audio. Zevin uses an email thread for a good portion of the book and the reader had to read the to, from, date and subject line each time. At one point I counted the reader saying the word "Re:" 16 times!! If I had read the book I would have been able to skip the headers and go to the body of the email. Also the use of "choose your own ending" also grew quite tiresome when being read aloud. With that being said I enjoyed the book and the subject matter. Zevin made excellent points on how a young life can be so changed when making some immature choices. It also drove home the point of one party getting more blame than the other although both were consenting adults and one definitely should have known better.
Rating: 4By the way, I never mention her weight because I don't want her to end up with a complex. I was overweight when I was her age, and my mother discussed it exhaustively. And yes, as a result, I would say I am the proud owner of several complexes. But who isn't? When you think about it, isn't a person just a structure built in reaction to the landscape and the weather?Young Jane Young tells the story of Aviva, a young woman interested in a career in politics who interns for the re-election campaign of a congressman. The congressman is charismatic and friendly, Aviva is insecure and determined to change her life. When their relationship is discovered, Aviva is the one to take the fall, while the congressman is able to continue his life as usual. This book reminded me of Where'd You Go, Bernadette? in its tone and structure, but with less obvious humor and a warmer heart. The narrator shifts between Aviva, her mother, her daughter and the congressman's wife, and the changes in perspective give the book a wider view of what happened and how Aviva managed to rebuild her life. Despite the extreme relevance of the novel's subject matter, Gabrielle Zevin manages to both build nuance and to keep the tone from becoming too somber or angry.
Rating: 4I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.The Goodreads blurb pretty much describes the whole plot, although thankfully I hadn't read it. The narrative is told from the perspectives of Aviva, the intern who has a sexual relationship with Congressman Levin; Rachel, Aviva's mother; Embeth, Levin's wife; and Ruby, Aviva's daughter, who has known her mother only as Jane. The various narrative voices are different from one another and I particularly enjoyed Ruby, despite the fact that I found her 9/10 year old voice unconvincingly mature and her 13 year old voice rather immature. All the women, and that includes Rachel's mother and her friend Roz, shared a very dry humour. If I had to criticize, I would say that the author didn't make me see what Aviva got out of her relationship with the Congressman - it was described in the "Make Your Own Adventure" format, which worked well, but which was presented in retrospect, once Aviva/Jane had brought a more mature perspective on things. The section from Embeth's point of view was very funny, but the El Mate elements confused me - were they a symptom of her cancer? The perspective I enjoyed least was that of Rachel - the light tone seemed inappropriate for, e.g. the moment she sees her daughter and Levin exit a room and realizes the affair is continuing.Overall recommended, with many strong female characters, although (now I think of it) men come out of it uniformly badly, from Rachel's husband to the Rabbi to Levin to Wes to Jorge.
Rating: 4I felt such sorrow for both the mother and the daughter in this highly entertaining book. A mother who was part of a nationwide scandal, who in MHO was sent to the called out and sent to the guillotine even though she was not the only person engaged in this scandal. However, that does seem to be real life. And, a daughter dealing with her mother's (hidden to her) past as it involves her and her beginnings.I sped through this book, an enjoyable, entertaining and sometime irritable (some characters and the pointed fingers) story. I also think this would make a great YA, which it may already be, but I enjoyed it and read it as an adult book.Thanks to Algonquin Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Rating: 4Told from three points of view, this novel centers around Aviva/Jane, who was involved in a very public scandal with the congressman for whom she was interning in her early twenties. We learn about her from her mother, her daughter, and herself. Now, 13 years later, she has settled in Maine under a new name with her daughter Ruby, and absolutely no contact with her former life. She is content with her event planning business, and has become such a part of her community that she is running for mayor. When Ruby learns of her mother's past in Florida, she sets off to meet the congressman, whom she assumes is her father. The characters in this book are delightfully drawn, enriched by the three different vantage points of three women we come to know and like quite well. With one exception the secondary characters are also endearing, warts and all. Although this is the story of people doing some really stupid things, readers will still end up feeling an affirmation of goodness.
Rating: 4I loved the previous book by Ms Zevin, The Storied Life of AJ. Fikry, and I was not disappointed in this book.The. Story begins in Miami where Rachel has been convinced by her friend to try internet dating. Rachel is 64 and divorced. One of her dates mentions a political scandal that rocked South Florida politics. Congressman Levin and Aviva Grossman. Too close for comfort for Rachel, Aviva is her daughter who moved out of her life some 12 years ago leaving mother and the scandal behind.Fast forward to Jane Young , an event planner in the small town of Allison Springs, Maine. Jane has a 12 year old daughter , Ruby, and a past unknown to her life in Maine. Moving back to Miami , the story is picked up by Ruby, and then by the wayward Congressman's wife. Full of humor and life and plans that change , a good story . Read as a NetGalley.
Rating: 4An extraordinary look into the lives of three generations of women, Young Jane Young deftly captures the singular voices of Jane, her wealthy divorcee mother, Jane's precocious pre-teen daughter, and the wife of Jane's lover. Her brief affair with an up-and-coming politician devastates her life to the extent that she must reinvent herself with a new name in another state. And there she eventually thrives, as a respected businesswoman and caring mother. So respected, in fact, that Jane is encouraged to run for mayor of her small town. But her past begins to threaten her political aspirations and suddenly, her daughter Ruby sees her mother in a whole new light. Told through multiple perspectives using different literary forms (for example, Ruby's chapters are emails to her pen pal), Young Jane Young is a rich and revealing look at sex and politics and the unequal way the media treats women in the face of scandal, especially in this internet age. Parallels to Monica Lewinsky notwithstanding, readers will find themselves swept up in a story where no one is completely innocent or guilty, just painfully human. Fans of Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry are in for another treat. Lovingly crafted and written with insight, Young Jane Young is social commentary with a humorous bite.
Rating: 5I liked the different stories from the different women. Nice that it's an atypical female lead
Rating: 3
The varying points of view made this book very interesting. Not only do the narrators switch, but it also switches between first person and second point of view. I’ve never read a fiction novel that was written in second person point of view, so that seemed very innovative to me. Loved it! Loved Aviva and Ruby! Would highly recommend.
Rating: 5Great! Totally delightful!! I had listened to a sample of this book quite a while ago and really liked it, but could not remember the name of it. So glad I ran across it here! ☺️. Light hearted and fun while, at the same time saying quite a lot about the human (female) experience. I got a little teary eyed at the end.
Rating: 4Such a funny, emotional story. So thankful scribd recommended it :)
Rating: 5A special thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.Heavily influenced by the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Zevin tackles slut-shaming in her newest book Young Jane Young and it is glorious! She examines the double standards, sex scandals, and misogyny that resides not only in politics, but in life. Women everywhere face these issues and are often silenced from the shame, and the threat of losing everything they have worked so hard for. Before becoming Jane Young the wedding planner, Aviva Grossman was an ambitious, bright intern with the congressman's office. Aviva has an affair with her boss, the congressman himself, and blogs about it. True to life, when the affair is made public, it is Grossman that goes down while the beloved congressman carries on. Aviva becomes the punchline and butt of many jokes—she is labelled as fat, ugly, and a slut. She is not employable or dateable and sees no other way out that to change her identity and move away to a remote town in Maine. On top of running her own event planning business, Jane is also navigating being a single mother to Ruby. Even though she has started her life over, politics doesn't seem to be out of her system and she decides to run for office. Unfortunately for Jane, the past catches up with her (the internet is forever) and it is only a matter of time before Ruby discovers who her mother really is/was. Ruby is the vehicle through which Jane must face not only her past, but Aviva herself. Told through the voices of Aviva/Jane, Aviva's mother Rachel, Ruby, and Embeth Levin (the congressman's wife), we hear all sides of the story. Zevin's characters are not without flaws. In fact, it is these flaws that drive the story forward and this type of narrative is the perfect vehicle to accomplish this. She effortlessly moves from past to present without confusion. Her writing is witty, fresh, and thought provoking.
Rating: 4Young Aviva Grossman is a congressional intern who makes the mistake of having an affair with the married congressman she works for. The affair comes to light, she is slut-shamed, and sees no solution but to change her name, move to Maine, and raise her daughter quietly in a small town. When she decides to run for local public office, Jane/Aviva learns that the past is never completely erased in the digital age. And she must reckon with her daughter who is now old enough to seek answers about her mother’s past and her father’s identity.
Rating: 4Most of my favorite comedians are Jewish. They are uniformly funny – always in different ways – and they excel in self-deprecation. Larry David, Fran Leibowitz, Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, and countless others drive me to tears of laughter every time. Gabrielle Zevin continues this tradition with her latest novel, Young Jane Young. I enjoyed The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, and YJY has provided me with loads of fun. Zevin's first novel, ,Elsewhere was published in 2005. It was nominated for a 2006 Quill award, and she won the Border’s Original Voices Award and was a selection of the Barnes and Noble Book Club. The novel has been translated into over twenty languages. In 2007 Zevin was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for Conversations with Other Women which starred Helena Bonham Carter. In 2014, her eighth novel, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, debuted on The New York Times Best Seller List.Young Jane Young is the story of Rachel Shapiro who has daughter, Aviva, who aspires to a career in politics. She becomes involved with a candidate running for Congress in Florida and becomes pregnant and runs away to Maine. She changes her name to Jane Young, and becomes an event planner – mostly weddings – in a small town. Her daughter is named Ruby. Rachel divorces Mike. Her good friend, Roz, encourages her to do some online dating. Zevin writes, “I don’t particularly want a husband. They’re a lot of work, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life alone either, and it would be nice to have someone to go to classes with is what I’m saying. I thought online dating was for young people, but Roz says, it’s not. ‘Even if it is,’ she says, ‘Rachel, you’re younger now than you’ll ever be’” (3-4).Aviva keeps the secret of her pregnancy, but, “It did not help Aviva’s cause that she had kept a blog, detailing her months working for the congressman. The year was 2000, and I did not even know what a blog was when I found out that Aviva had been keeping one. ‘Blog?’ I said to Aviva. The word felt foreign on my tongue. ‘What’s that?’ // ‘It’s short for weblog, Mom,’ Aviva said. // ‘Weblog,’ I repeated. ‘What’s a weblog?’ // ‘It’s like a diary,’ Aviva said. ‘It’s a diary that you keep on the Internet.’ // ‘Why would anyone do that?’ I asked. ‘Why would you do that?’ // It was anonymous. I never used names. Until everything happened, I had about three readers. I was trying to make sense of my experiences by writing about them.’ She said. // ‘Then buy a diary, Aviva!’ // I like typing,’ she said. ‘And I hate my handwriting’” (55).Aviva changes her to Jane and she picks up the story. By this time, Ruby is thirteen, and she becomes curious about her father. Jane gives her a fictitious name, Mariano Donatello. Ruby is suspicious, and she begins an internet search. She finally stumbles on the old weblog her mother kept. She becomes outraged at the deception of her mother. Jane decided to run for mayor of the town, and Ruby sets out to torpedo her candidacy.Lots of fun Yiddish words are used, and I knew a few from my high school days working in a pharmacy owned by a Jewish couple. That may be the seed to my blooming interest in Jewish comedians. Nonetheless, Gabrielle Zevin’s fourth adult novel, Young Jane Young is a fun read for every YA reader and above. 5 stars --Jim, 11/26/2017
Rating: 5