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jennyp0208's review against another edition
4.0
Fun novel. It reminds me of Caddie Woodlawn. I'll be looking up the sequalsgor sure.
carrieksnider's review against another edition
5.0
I really have loved everything I've read by Jennifer Holm so far. In Boston Jane: And Adventure -- at first I found Jane annoying, but then out in the frontier she found herself and I really started to love her. I have already reserved the next Boston Jane book at the library to see what happens next.
rsnow11's review against another edition
3.0
The plot was okay, but I just found the main character so incredibly annoying
marigoldkim's review against another edition
5.0
I normally don't like most historical fiction aside from Regency, but Boston Jane is definitely one of my all-time favorites. In fact, I'd go so far as to proclaim it as one of the best pieces of historical fiction written by a modern author that I've ever read.
The book is about tomboy-turned-proper-young-lady Miss Jane Peck, who leaves civilized Philadelphian society to marry one of her father's former pupils out in the wild Washington territory. After a miserable voyage, however, Jane is horrified to discover upon her arrival that William is not there. As the only "lady" in the area, she must rely upon her own courage and resourcefulness to survive among the rough early settlers and native Indians.
For all her faults—or, more correctly, because of them—I can't help but love Jane. She's got some pretty naïve ideas, and her stubbornness often proves her own downfall in many instances. However, as a fiery redhead determined to gain the respect of the uncouth mountain men surrounding her on this wild frontier, she's lovable in her own way, not to mention extremely relatable.
The myriad of characters surrounding her are also very lovable: There's Mr. Russell, a rough mountain man with a penchant for spitting tobacco at Jane; Mr. Swan, a rather absent-minded, fatherlike man with a deep curiosity about the wild world around him; Father Joseph, a Catholic missionary set out to convert the "savages"; and Jehu Scudder, a young sailor who's had something for Jane (how scandalous!) since he first met her on the Lady Luck.
I was also impressed with the author's obvious concern with historical accuracy (in exception to the conspicuous fact that Jane was never taken advantage of when surrounded by so many rough mountain men—but hey, I'm not complaining!). While enjoying the story, readers gain interesting insights on what it was like to live on the wild Western coast in the mid-1800s, including Indian culture and realistic dangers at the time. I also noticed that Jane's Philadelphian nemesis, Sally Biddle, the daughter of a wealthy banker, shares the surname of a famous Nicholas Biddle, who was also a banker. I don't know if it was intentional, but I appreciated the clever allusion.
The narration itself was excellent. In desperation, I've been reading a lot of poorly-written books lately. One of the typical characteristics of these books that I absolutely abhor is how the author will explain every feeling and action of the characters, especially when it's 1st person POV. Here's a made-up example: "My vision blurred as Father hugged me tightly. I would miss him so much." This is a mild example, but if the author had built up the relationship before, s/he would not have to explain why the narrator is crying. In Boston Jane, however, the author takes advantage of 1st person POV: the times she "tells" instead of "shows" actually provide an insight into Jane's bias and help deepen the story.
Over all, it's just an excellent book. It's historically accurate, funny, clean, romantic, and filled with incredible characters you can't help but love for all their quirks and faults. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read—whether you care for historical fiction or not.
The book is about tomboy-turned-proper-young-lady Miss Jane Peck, who leaves civilized Philadelphian society to marry one of her father's former pupils out in the wild Washington territory. After a miserable voyage, however, Jane is horrified to discover upon her arrival that William is not there. As the only "lady" in the area, she must rely upon her own courage and resourcefulness to survive among the rough early settlers and native Indians.
For all her faults—or, more correctly, because of them—I can't help but love Jane. She's got some pretty naïve ideas, and her stubbornness often proves her own downfall in many instances. However, as a fiery redhead determined to gain the respect of the uncouth mountain men surrounding her on this wild frontier, she's lovable in her own way, not to mention extremely relatable.
The myriad of characters surrounding her are also very lovable: There's Mr. Russell, a rough mountain man with a penchant for spitting tobacco at Jane; Mr. Swan, a rather absent-minded, fatherlike man with a deep curiosity about the wild world around him; Father Joseph, a Catholic missionary set out to convert the "savages"; and Jehu Scudder, a young sailor who's had something for Jane (how scandalous!) since he first met her on the Lady Luck.
I was also impressed with the author's obvious concern with historical accuracy (in exception to the conspicuous fact that Jane was never taken advantage of when surrounded by so many rough mountain men—but hey, I'm not complaining!). While enjoying the story, readers gain interesting insights on what it was like to live on the wild Western coast in the mid-1800s, including Indian culture and realistic dangers at the time. I also noticed that Jane's Philadelphian nemesis, Sally Biddle, the daughter of a wealthy banker, shares the surname of a famous Nicholas Biddle, who was also a banker. I don't know if it was intentional, but I appreciated the clever allusion.
The narration itself was excellent. In desperation, I've been reading a lot of poorly-written books lately. One of the typical characteristics of these books that I absolutely abhor is how the author will explain every feeling and action of the characters, especially when it's 1st person POV. Here's a made-up example: "My vision blurred as Father hugged me tightly. I would miss him so much." This is a mild example, but if the author had built up the relationship before, s/he would not have to explain why the narrator is crying. In Boston Jane, however, the author takes advantage of 1st person POV: the times she "tells" instead of "shows" actually provide an insight into Jane's bias and help deepen the story.
Over all, it's just an excellent book. It's historically accurate, funny, clean, romantic, and filled with incredible characters you can't help but love for all their quirks and faults. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read—whether you care for historical fiction or not.
valkyriejoy7's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of my FAVORITE books as a youth. I've been doing some comfort re-reading right now, seeing if my old favorites hold up, and boy howdy this one did! I wish it was longer.
Spoiler
and that William wasn't such a creepmrusso5512's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bargainbinkazbrekker's review against another edition
2.25
While this wasn't as offensive as I feared, I still felt it left a lot to be desired. I hated the continuous use of savages to describe indigenous peoples and the very little rebuking of the term when used by our main character, I also am not a fan of the romanticized relations between colonists and indigenous peoples, especially in the Washington/Oregon territories. I know this is technically children's fiction (I would say it falls into the middle-grade category) but I still think children's fiction, especially middle-grade, is fully capable of providing critique while not diving into the complete horrors of history. Holm's felt the need to add smallpox, multiple character deaths, and hints of sexual harassment but couldn't find a way to critique the colonist and indigenous relations? Everyone was super homey and they all got along like buddies, even the new recruits and travelers (except for this one guy when he has smallpox), which is not realistic at all.
Also, all of the characters are so annoying. But the writing is not bad, I will admit.
Also, all of the characters are so annoying. But the writing is not bad, I will admit.
elizabethcaneday's review against another edition
1.0
This was sort of a guilty pleasure read when I was a pre-teen... I knew it wasn't good but I read it anyways and *ahem* actually liked it. Now, though, I realize just how bad it was. Picture adult historical fiction, remove the explicit content and take the ages of the main characters down a notch, and you have Boston Jane.
Yeah.
I don't recommend it.
Yeah.
I don't recommend it.