Review: Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin



Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars



Aviva Grossman has made a mistake, but so has Aaron Levin. One of them will continue to lead a normal life and one of them will go into hiding and move hundreds of miles away from their home until the secret comes out in the open. Similar to the story between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, Aviva Grossman has had an affair with a Congressman she was working for in South Florida. When the scandal breaks, Aviva can no longer get a job or leave her house without being recognized. So she changes her name to Jane Young, leaves the state, and cuts ties with her old life. But now she wants to run for Mayor of her small town and her secret will no longer be safe.

I decided to read this book for a couple of reasons. I have seen the book at the library for a while and I wondered about the woman on the cover. A few people I know have read the book and enjoyed it. This book was better than OK, but not great for me. The book is told from four different perspectives, spanning a time from when the affair begins, to 13 years later when Aviva, now Jane runs for Mayor.

1. Rachel Grossman, Aviva's mother, is a good Jewish mother. She tries to do her best for all of those around her, but it doesn't always pay off. (This part of the book was the hardest for me to get through)
2. Jane Young, the event planner in Allison Springs, Maine. She is a single mother whose main focus is raising her young daughter to be nothing like her old self.
3. Ruby Young, Jane's daughter. Ruby tells her part of the story through emails with her pen pal in Indonesia as part of a school assignment. (this was my favorite part of the book)
4. Embeth Levin, the Congressman's wife. Her part of the story was quite interesting. You wonder what goes through the mind of a wife who has been cheated on especially one in such a public light
and finally from the woman herself
5. Aviva Grossman. We find out about the affair and how it all happened and the aftermath of the scandal. Aviva writes in a Choose Your Own Adventure style, but she has already chosen the path the story will take. Aviva ran from her problems to in Florida to become Jane in Maine and make a new life for herself. But once her secrets are revealed, will she be able to maintain her new life?

The reason I gave this book 3.5 stars is because I felt as if there was something missing. I'm not sure exactly what it was. I didn't enjoy the mother's part of the story and I wasn't too keen on the ending. Overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy general fiction.

View all my reviews

Order a copy of this book by clicking the book over below:

Review--I Feel Like Going On by Ray Lewis

I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory by Ray Lewis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I Feel Like Going On tells the story of Ray Lewis's life through his point of view. From his early childhood to the man he is today. I learned quite a bit about Ray Lewis that I didn't know and found very interesting. A religious and family man with seven children, he is a very different person than the man who used to be on the football field.

Growing up in Maryland, I only root for two teams, the Washington Redskins and whoever is playing the Dallas Cowboys. When I was a kid, the Baltimore team had been long, so the Redskins were who I went for. I respect, Ray Lewis as an amazing defensive player in the NFL. Occasionally, I would cheer for Baltimore especially when they were in the Super Bowl. It was interesting to find out that the Redskins were Ray's favorite as well. He has a very religious side to him that you don't get to see on the field. He is also very family oriented, always there for his kids as well as his mother and brothers and sisters. There are a lot of things I learned from this book about Ray Lewis and about life in general. The best part of the book came at the end when Ray talks about what his mother taught him.

"Be an example. Be a force for good. And know that every one with a great name has been through something. A great deal of something. It's not about doing what everybody else is doing. It's just about being true to yourself whatever the majority of people are doing, go ahead and do the opposite--if you know what you're doing to be right and good and true. Live your legacy. Do your thing. Walk in a certain light."

This book is an inspiration to anyone who is struggling through life and may be unsure how they are going to make it through the storm. Ray Lewis made it through a single mom household, losing friends and coaches, and being accused of the most terrible things. He made it through alive andd on top.


View all my reviews

Review-Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"I suppose I never found boredom very boring"

Quentin is a senior in high school. Graduation is right around the corner and then he's off to Duke. When his next door neighbor, Margo knocks on his bedroom window late one night, he's reminded of a time when they were younger and used to truly be friends. Margo is extremely upset about the current status of her relationship with her boyfriend and is looking for someone to help her pull of the ultimate revenge. When Margo goes "missing" the next day, Quentin will stop at nothing to use her breadcrumbs and find her.

I decided to read this book for two reasons. Reason 1: It was coming on HBO and of course I had to read the book before I could watch the movie. Reason 2: I loved The Fault in Our Stars and when I enjoy a book by a particular author, I like to read everything they have written. Now I'm looking forward to watching the movie.

This whole book is based around a group of high school seniors who are out searching for their quirky friend, Margo. I liked the book because it was a quick easy read. It kept my attention throughout and I had to know how it was going to end. The book brought me back to my high school years(especially with my 20 year reunion coming up) with the references to poetry and prose I read during that time. During my 11th grade year we read a lot of poetry and classic literature. Interpreting poetry either as the author intended or by your own life experiences. Also this book made me thing about how far I would go to help someone else. Quentin and Margo are neighbors, but as time has gone on and their lives have changed, they aren't close friends, more like acquaintances. So when she disappears for yet another time, why does he feel it's his duty to be the one to find her?

This is a good YA book that may make some more interested in the poetry and classic literature featured in this and other John Green books.


View all my reviews

Review--Local Girls by Caroline Zancan

Three friends walk into their favorite dive bar, The Shamrock, and are shocked to see their favorite actor, Sam Decker there.  When he joins their table and starts buying drinks, the conversation turns to each others pasts and how their lives got to be  at the point they are.  This night will change everyone's lives forever.

From the beginning of the book, we know that someone is going to die.  And now I am just trying to figure out the when and how.  The book flips between present day and the past when the group of three girls used to be a foursome.

Something about this book that I liked is that you get to see how the girl get to this point in their life.  I liked the flashbacks and it transported me back to my high school days.  I could see me and my friends in this same situation although my friends and I were not quite as wild as these girls.

One part that really struck me was a reference to Virginia Woolf and her suicide note.  In the note she says, "I don't think any two people could have been happier than we have been."  The character reading this mentions that this phrase is said twice in her short suicide note.  I find it ironic that the author mentions a phrase twice in this book, "Only boring people get bored."  I think deep down these girls were bored, but used the antics they pulled help to add some excitement to their lives.  Another interesting thing about this book, is that we are never really introduced to the narrator.  I can only recall her name being mentioned twice in the book.

**I received an uncorrected proof of this book through Goodreads Giveaways and this review is based on that copy.**