Do You like book Just Jane: A Daughter Of England Caught In The Struggle Of The American Revolution (2005)?
If you asked me if I would read this book again I would probably say no. In my opinion the main character is not the focus of the book; it is more the people that are around her. It focuses on the progression of other characters and them learning from mistakes rather than the main character. It also really annoyed me that she seemed to do everything right. No matter what bad thing happened everyone turned to Jane. It was like the moments when you see the lovely dovey couples in the hallway and you want to gag at how sickly sweet it is. The plotline of the novel is also confusing because the author put in so many characters that had seperate problems. While reading this I was thinking that if he had written to seperate books on the devestation on her life from the Revolution and the marraige proposals it would have been better. I really just think that this book is meant for those people that are not at a higher reading or analysis level in literature. If I had read this is middle school or as a freshman I think that I would have reviewed it differently.
—Kayla Miller
Jane's journey as an English girl through the American Revolution is more political than anything. I admit I'd have liked to see more about what it meant to become a woman during that era. I allow for this omission because Lavender is a William and not a Wilhelmina. He followed, broadly, the stories of three families and their various friends. If he intended for this to be Jane's coming-of-age, he might have done better to focus on her inner life as well as the events around her. There are also no real surprises here. Anyone who has read this genre will know when the actual love interest is introduced, and what changes of heart Jane will experience. I regret mostly that the promise of a love story is never fulfilled; Ann Rinaldi told a similar story in Time Enough for Drums, and she delivered. So why, on recollection, do I find Just Jane flat? I think the characters in question needed more time to mean something to each other. We just don't see enough of their emotions. Again: Lavender is a William. Perhaps to him, this was enough. Now I'd like to read his Aftershocks to see how well he did the second time he tried for historical woman-centered YA.
—Lana Del Slay
though this is a YA fiction book, it was well written and not dumbed down at all. i appreciated the "other" side of the american revolution. i'm sure i learned this in history class, but i forgot along the way how long the war for independence really took. i just think, oh 1776...but really it was much longer than that. i also didn't really consider the personal stories of WHY people may have been opposed to it, and that some people may have gone back to england because they were so opposed to being american and not british. i realize that's a simplified take on it, but this book was fascinating. i'd definitely read more of this author's work!
—Sarah K