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A review by lilyevangeline
Boston Jane: An Adventure by Jennifer L. Holm
4.0
This was a book I should have read when I was 12--in fact, this was exactly the sort of book that I was reading about that age anyhow. In fact, it's highly probably that I did read this around that age and have since forgotten about it. Growing up, almost everything we had in our house was historical fiction (perks of homeschooling), but it's been years since I've read any. I can't exactly say what inspired me to order this from the library, and I probably wouldn't have read it at all, except that my computer was taking a long time uploading and I needed to kill time. Regardless, I'm glad I read it.
This is the story of Jane, an insufferably proper young woman who is headed out to the American frontier to marry her childhood crush. Unfortunately, her etiquette book proves to be less helpful than she'd thought, and soon she has to set being a lady aside in the face of a much bigger challenge: making a living.
I'll be honest. There was nothing particularly brilliant about this novel, but it is undeniably sweet, with just the sort of message that growing girls need to hear every now and again: there's nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty now and again. Granted, it's not a deep, thought-provoking tale, but it's aimed towards younger readers and in general I think that deep, thought-provoking tales are often overrated anyhow. There's real adventure in here and solid history and a good love story as well--Boston Jane is all about being brave and doing what needs to be done. It's not about throwing manners out the window, but rather about adapting and learning to recognize what really matters.
Confession: I'm feeling nostalgic for twelve-year-old me and my historical fiction obsession. But I'm glad that Boston Jane is here to help me cope.
This is the story of Jane, an insufferably proper young woman who is headed out to the American frontier to marry her childhood crush. Unfortunately, her etiquette book proves to be less helpful than she'd thought, and soon she has to set being a lady aside in the face of a much bigger challenge: making a living.
I'll be honest. There was nothing particularly brilliant about this novel, but it is undeniably sweet, with just the sort of message that growing girls need to hear every now and again: there's nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty now and again. Granted, it's not a deep, thought-provoking tale, but it's aimed towards younger readers and in general I think that deep, thought-provoking tales are often overrated anyhow. There's real adventure in here and solid history and a good love story as well--Boston Jane is all about being brave and doing what needs to be done. It's not about throwing manners out the window, but rather about adapting and learning to recognize what really matters.
Confession: I'm feeling nostalgic for twelve-year-old me and my historical fiction obsession. But I'm glad that Boston Jane is here to help me cope.