Mary Jane A Novel

I wanted to love this so badly. I just didn't feel this book packed the punch I wanted it to given all there is to explore thematically and within the setting. Our protagonist, the title character, is caught between two homes: her conservative, sedate family home and the raucous, exuberant Cone home where she's taken a job as a summer nanny. The story tracks her coming of age as she navigates the tension between these homes--these worlds--and finds her place in both. There's so much to explore there--I mean, it's the perfect setup for a deep and complex bildungsroman, especially within the sociopolitical context of the 70s. But the book barely, if ever, gets past basking in the superficial and aesthetic content of the story. Like, this is how most of the book goes: We wore cutoffs, flip flops, and tank tops without bras. I could see Sheba's nipples. My mother would not approve. We sang rock and roll songs in the car. Everyone complimented my singing, which I usually do in church. Jimmy touched my shoulder. It made me feel weird, which confirms my suspicion that I am a sex addict. Izzy yelled, "I LOVE YOU, MARY JANE" over the music. The next morning, I made birds in a nest for breakfast. Okay, okay, I'm being a little harsh. This book was fine. It was fun.

2.5 lol I just could not care really, I was told this was like daisy jones so the expectations were really high and it was nothing like daisy jones. If this wasn’t the only physical book I had on the plane with me I probably wouldn’t of finished it! Wasn’t awful but went in with my hope so high and it was very slow for no real pay off

a perfect coming of age story, i’ll love it forever

I can’t tell if this is a 4 star or a 5 star, it was very good and I loved everyone but I feel like not a lot happened, even though it never felt boring?

4.25

this is such a feel good, coming-of-age read about found family, creating a path outside of parental expectations, and discovering oneself through immersion in a new environment.

A pretty perfect summer read and I did do a lot of reading out in the shade. Full of nostalgia and good vibes. It starts off strong and the ending is weak, but it carried me along and I enjoyed it nonetheless. I was a little surprised that this didn't have a YA sticker on the spine because it's clearly a YA book and not an adult book. Maybe VPL screwed up on this one.

For any of us that grew up with rigid parents, this will hit home. JAB wrote in a way that made it so easy to feel Mary Jane's eyes opening to the gorgeous world beyond the small, insular, narrow minded universe her parents created in their home.

this is my new favorite book of all time. in the past i haven’t loved books that don’t have a typical “plot” or problem but something in this book just spoke to me. i fell in love with mary jane, all the cones, and sheba and jimmy. i loved the 70s vibes and i like to imagine mary jane goes to college in new york and spends a bunch of time with sheba and jimmy. i love that her mom accepted the new her after hearing her song, and the scene of bonnie, izzy, mary jane and her mother listening to jimmy’s song on the radio warmed my heart!! i’ll be back in like 8 years when i name my first daughter mary jane.

This is a lovely and great novel, and I enjoyed every page of it. I was captivated with Mary Jane's journey, her innocence and trust, her growth, and her inquiries. But it was definitely a two-way street, as Mary Jane taught the adults a lot as well. It was a joy to watch their relationship develop because it was so equitable. Throughout the story, the author brings up societal topics, such as US politics and Mary Jane's unexpected realization that, despite the fact that she has known the Black staff at her parents' country club for most of her life, they are treated differently to her, which she doubts. It's a difficult realization for Mary Jane; the bigotry and prejudice that her parents have no qualms about, and she grows braver as the summer progresses, asking hard questions of her parents who, in the past, she has trusted to treat her and others well.

4.5 stars! This book was a delight. A funny, sweet, and tender coming of age story about a 14 year old girl in the 70s. Loved all these characters and their growth!

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that fun isn’t important because, damn, Mary Jane, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my strange life, it’s that fun counts.” What a refreshing lil slice of life book! I apparently cannot read blurbs correctly because I didn’t see where it said she was 14, so I was expecting a “girl next door meets rockstar” romance which is NOT what this is at all. This quote made me laugh out loud: “He was handsome, and he had sexiness pulsating out of him like sound waves. But he was . . . well. He was old.” If you’re expecting an Almost Famous-type story, it’s not that either. It’s a very character-driven glimpse at what life is like and what life becomes for the main character Mary Jane as she learns not everyone loves like her community does. Mary Jane is a very unreliable narrator, not only given that she is a child but also she has this very negative view of her home life and her mother after being exposed to a different way of living with the Cones. She makes it out to be that the Cones are this amazing family (which they are in some aspects) and that her parents are these horrible, strict people (which they also are in some aspects). But you can also see how the Cones neglect Izzy and how some of the things Mary Jane’s parents do are actually beneficial. The ending was PERFECT and I loved how everything wrapped up.

It’s easy to fall I love with Mary Jane!

She is a sweet 14 year old who is curious about the world and even more curious about the family she works for. You live the family she had created with Cones and their patients!

It’s a great beach read! Sweet, fun and fast! You get hooked on the book after chapter 3! I finished it in a day!

3.5 - Good, not bad. It didn’t blow my mind or anything. There are some really good topics being discussed here though. Love the familial aspects and the discovery of oneself and everything.

Oh my god I can’t even explain how much I loved this book. At first I was hesitant because it is told from the perspective of a 14 year old girl so I thought it would be a little to YA for me, but NO it was so incredible. The characters all so complex and lovable yet real and have all their own problems. I read this book in one sitting because every time I put it down I just had to pick it up again to read more. For the majority of the book I had a true grin on my face besides a few times where there were tears. It’s rare for books to have a excellent ending but this one surpassed all expectations. I found it was the perfect ending to the perfect book. It is most definitely one of and will always be one of my favourites. It is one of the most heartfelt, funny, warm books that I’ve read in awhile. Please read this book!!!

A coming of age story set in the 60s. Good details of the era but not much beyond common stereotypes. Uptight vs free-spirited parents, nosy neighbors, the “correct” role of a woman / mother in the home vs the desire for a larger, freer life, as seen through the eyes of Mary Jane, a shy loner who becomes a summer nanny for a doctor and his wife’s precocious daughter.

This book was everything I wanted and needed it to be

very sweet but not as good as i’d hoped. after being compared to daisy jones i had HIGH expectations but it didn’t quite meet them. definitely not a plot driven book as not a lot happens, however if you want a quick light hearted read maybe give this one a try :)

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau was a fun romp with colorful characters showcasing the personal growth of a young woman in her search for identity. For me, this novel did not achieve the anarchy or character revelations expected from the setup but I found this novel engaging and thought-provoking nonetheless. How do we define ourselves? How does our perspective shift regarding our upbringing? And how do we calibrate and redefine our own path? A very engaging read and one I would recommend.

A great wholesome read. Exactly what I needed

This was a highly anticipated read for me and it just fell completely flat. The marketing of this being "Daisy Jones meets Almost Famous" is wildly inaccurate because really this book has nothing to do with the music industry or touring. Other than a tell-all therapy session, this book hardly glances at the trials of fame and artistry. It's a coming of age with the easiest lessons learned (prejudice is bad!) and a lot of reckless parenting being hand-waved as carefree living. Nothing much happens which wouldn't be bad necessarily if the characters were more complex. Instead, all anyone does is sing. And cook. And then sing again. And then cook again. It's a fast read, for sure, and probably would have been better marketed as YA.

we all need a mary jane in our life

4.5

Even though the setting was interesting, a lot of the story feels quite stagnant and redundant, I get that it tries to show how Mary Jane spends the summer but I think it could have worked as well in a shorter format. Also there was a lot of spontaneous singing that felt like I was reading a transcript of a musical.