Scan barcode
k8s's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 - Meh. I expected more of the book that came before Sure Signs Of Crazy.
asdhleydg83's review against another edition
3.0
I'm ambivilent about it. Not disturbing, but still not a happy premise.
cjsjellybean's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book. It was definitely different than I was expecting it to be, and it was a great change of pace from the typical mystery novels. I loved all of the layers to Jane and her family and it was a lot of fun getting to explore them. I almost felt like I needed to take notes to keep track of everything that was happening. Definitely a book I'd read again.
breecreative's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not really sure what to think of this one. I liked the idea behind the book, and I enjoyed the retrocognition parts (although I don't believe in it), where each person in Jane's past generations were telling their stories. And I found that I wanted each person to just tell me a little bit more. But I expected something totally different...I thought it would be more about the crime, the trial(s), with this information about past generations being thrown in during the trial of Tom. In the end, it never gave me a satisfying conclusion...I like the books I read to wrap up (not necessarily neatly), instead of just ending. I wanted to know if the defense Tom's lawyer used actually worked.
Still, it was a good book, an enjoyable read. I didn't want to put it down.
Still, it was a good book, an enjoyable read. I didn't want to put it down.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
4.0
http://www.literaryfeline.com/2008/09/review-janeology-by-karen-harrington.html
howifeelaboutbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book from a giveaway on the author's blog. I started reading it the day I received it. The front cover calls the book "a legal thriller ripped from the headlines," but that's not exactly the case. Yes, the story centers around two trials, but it delves so much deeper than that. Harrington studies the people involved with these cases as well as their relatives - living and dead. Jane, a mother of young twins, has a breakdown and tries to drown her children - one dies, and one survives. Her insanity plea is disputed by many factors, like telling someone to call 911 (implying she knew something was wrong), and brings about another case against her husband, Tom. Her husband should have seen all this coming, right? Should have known his wife was capable of murdering her own children. Tom's mother hires an attorney to prove this allegation wrong, and though he's overwhelmed with guilt, Tom fights only because he needs to raise his surviving daughter.
To dispute this claim, Tom's attorney hires a clairvoyant, who uses items from Jane's past, items Jane had hidden from her husband, to learn about Jane's genealogy (ahh, see the cleverness of the title now?). We learn about Jane's parents, their childhoods, her grandparents and their childhoods, and so on and so on. The courtroom drama was an interesting way to frame a much bigger story. And the ending... my goodness was the ending amazing. Your heart will be pounding for pages beforehand and then... just read it.
To dispute this claim, Tom's attorney hires a clairvoyant, who uses items from Jane's past, items Jane had hidden from her husband, to learn about Jane's genealogy (ahh, see the cleverness of the title now?). We learn about Jane's parents, their childhoods, her grandparents and their childhoods, and so on and so on. The courtroom drama was an interesting way to frame a much bigger story. And the ending... my goodness was the ending amazing. Your heart will be pounding for pages beforehand and then... just read it.
More...