Young Jane Young A Novel

Gabrielle Zevin — 2017

From the author of the international bestseller The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry comes another novel that will have everyone talking. Aviva Grossman, an ambitious congressional intern in Florida, makes the mistake of having an affair with her (married) boss. When the affair comes to light, the popular congressman doesn’t take the fall. But Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins: slut-shamed, she becomes a late-night talk show punch line, anathema to politics. She sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. This time, she tries to be smarter about her life and strives to raise her daughter, Ruby, to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, Aviva decides to run for public office, that long-ago mistake trails her via the Internet and catches up—an inescapable scarlet A. In the digital age, the past is never, ever, truly past. And it’s only a matter of time until Ruby finds out who her mother was and is forced to reconcile that person with the one she knows. Young Jane Young is a smart, funny, serious, and moving novel about the myriad ways in which roles are still circumscribed for women, whether they are young and ambitious interns; mothers attempting to steer their daughters through a male-dominated world; political wives facing an age-old knowledge that fidelity isn’t always honored; or young girls feeling bold about their many choices before they realize the gender restrictions all around them. Gabrielle Zevin captures not only the double standards alive and well in every aspect of life for women but also the mood of our recent highly charged political season.

Reviews

Sonia Grgas@sg911911

Feb 23, 2024

Really a 3.5.

Cindy Lieberman@chicindy

Mar 26, 2022

Politics, publicity, feminism and family. I liked this more than I thought I would. It’s an imaginative “what if Monica Lewinski came from a nice Jewish family in Boca Raton?” as related by several narrators, starting with the mother of the infamous intern.

Melissa Schwartz@melschwa18

Mar 15, 2022

I did enjoy reading this for the most part, but felt like it had some issues. Ruby’s portion of the book was exhausting and drawn out. Embeth’s started out good, but fell a bit flat. I think Aviva retelling her story all the way through was interesting and it was great getting her point of view, but was also drawn out and repeated quite a bit of things we knew. I did enjoy Rachel’s part. A couple of things I didn’t appreciate: Chanukah was referred to as a “children’s holiday” in the book. That is nonsensical. In America, it is a family holiday for any age. Also, I felt it was a little unnecessary to note that 9/11 was the reason that everyone moved past the scandal. Yes, that was probably a reality in some real life situations potentially, but it just felt disrespectful here as if that day was some fleeting thing. Overall, I liked most of the characters.

Caroline Lewicki@clewicki20

Jan 30, 2022

An awesome book about political scandal and personal triumph. I really rooted for the characters throughout the book. Maybe it's because I have a Jewish grandmother, but I felt so connected to their characters, like they were people in my town. The writing was superb and the story is really fast and fun.

Jen Estrella@nightingale03

Dec 24, 2021

They didn’t put a scarlet letter on her chest, but they didn’t need to. That’s what the Internet is for. ...The things we don't have are sadder than the things we have. Because the things we don't have exist in our imaginations, where they are perfect. Actual rating: 4 1/2 stars :)

Maxime van der Wal@frtyfour

Dec 9, 2021

I liked the concept, but the execution fell a little flat for me. I didn't really find Zevin's writing to be memorable. In fact, I thought it was rather bland. However, the characters are funny and relatable and I liked the alternative narratives. Unfortunately the final part was a bit of a let-down - it felt very rushed. All in all this is a quick, light-hearted read that subtly touches on issues like slut-shaming and feminism, but it's also quite forgettable.

b.andherbooks@bandherbooks

Oct 9, 2021

Aviva Grossman made a mistake, one she felt she couldn't live down, so she left Florida, changed her name, and restarted her life, or so she thought. Told by a variety of female narrators, how much should one's past dictate one's future? A timely political satire and a quick read. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.