Member Reviews
I was a great fan of Zevin's popular The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, so I unhesitantly requested this book from NetGalley. Friends, I'm here to report that this latest story of politics, social media and human relations does not disappoint. The first section, told by the mother of our hapless government intern, is as sharp as any stand-up comic or late night talk show host, and I found laughs on every page. The story settles down when Aviva flees to Maine and changes her name to escape her internet scandal, but the story continues to be a rich, witty commentary on modern society. Pick this one up for an entertaining read.
I really enjoyed this book! Its a really great premise - essentially what happens to the poor folks caught up in national scandals, and can you outlive your notoriety? Zevin's writing is very funny. She's very sympathetic to her characters while still showing us the bad choices and ridiculous situations they manage to get themselves into. I enjoyed the various points of view throughout the novel, with the Main Character's story being told by other character's thoughts and actions towards her. We don't get the MC's own interiority until well into the book, and this makes for an interesting perspective. Great plot, fun and realistic characters, and great writing!
Surviving scandal is not an easy thing, especially when you are the young female intern and it's a political scandal. Aviva Grossman transforms her life after these events, and that is what the novel is about. WIth multiple perspectives and format, the story moves quickly through the pages. This is definitely a "novel for women" but I enjoyed it, the perfect thing to read in an airport and on a long plane ride to Portland. It would be a good beach read but doesn't come out until August, so save some summer reading for it!
This book grabbed me & wouldn’t let me go! I was only going to read a chapter & ended up reading the whole book in an afternoon!! It was like catching up with an old friend, I wanted to know what was going on in their life and had to drop everything until my questions were answered!! A story of choices and scandal and strength. Aviva wants to get into politics and becomes an intern for a South Florida congressman. But when she makes questionable choices and ends up dubbed the Florida Monica Lewinsky she finds she needs to make a major change if she wants a life.
Told from the perspectives of three generations of women, we get the story of Aviva Grossman aka Jane Young, who as a young intern engaged in an affair with a married politician and compounded the mistake by blogging about it. My favorite part of the book was definitely Aviva's mother's version of events. She was hilarious! But the whole book was really well done--great characters, interesting perspective and satisfying and believable series of events.
I connected most with Aviva's mother Rachel but all the women in this family are wonderful. Zevin writes in such a way that you can see every character's point of view. You understand them. They make sense. You are sharing in their lives. I was surprised by the final outcome.
I couldn't wait to read this from the author of "Storied life of A.J. Fikry". She really knows how to tell A great story. "Young Jane Young" does not disappoint. I love the characters, especially Ruby.
I was pretty young when the Monica Lewinsky scandal became The Topic and it's always seemed kind of weird that there aren't more books about her--or similar women--out there. Young Jane Young doesn't just examine the life and choices of its slut-shamed subject, but also takes a look into the inner workings of all of the women who were effected by the scandal--Aviva's daughter, her mother, and the woman who happens to be her lover's wife. It is a pretty quick read and I wasn't bored, but I had a hard time figuring out WHY the author wrote this story. I guess the ending was supposed to be uplifting, but I still felt like it was very consolation prize-y considering the massive amount of damage that had been done to Jane/Aviva's life. It's an interesting book, but I don't think it's quite strong enough to convince Lewinsky haters or any of those people who are still wondering why Hillary didn't leave Bill to look at their choices.
I generally really enjoyed this book and found it to be a largely amusing, breezy read. The different voices kept it interesting, but some were, for me, way more successful than others. I loved, loved, loved the first section, in which Rachel Shapiro describes her life as an older woman navigating the dating scene and relates the story of her 20-year-old intern daughter Aviva's affair with an older, married Congressman. Rachel's narrative is funny and delightful and I would have been very happy if the whole book had continued like this.
The second section is narrated by Aviva, now calling herself Jane to escape the stigma of her past. Jane works as an event planner in Maine and is a single mother to her eight-year-old daughter, Ruby. This section is also very enjoyable, with interesting anecdotes about the wedding planning business and other aspects of her life, and again, I could have read a whole book about this.
Ruby’s section is written as emails to her Indonesian pen pal. Very clever way to advance the story and give the reader insight into the now 13-year-old Ruby’s thoughts.
The next section is short, told from the point of view of Embeth, the Congressman’s wife. This part was okay, although I found the El Meté conceit a bit annoying.
Most of the rest of the book returns to Aviva/Jane and recounts from her point of the view the now long-ago affair with the Congressman. It is written in the style of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, and while this is clever and well done, it goes on very long and becomes rather tiresome. I wish instead we had been able to read the “anonymous blog” that Aviva wrote at the time of the affair, or perhaps a combination of that and the Choose Your Own Adventure style.
All in all, I enjoyed the originality and creativity of this book, and it was a quick, enjoyable read. I definitely recommend it. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC.
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.
20 year old Aviva Goodman becomes the Monica Lewinsky of South Florida after her affair with a congressmen is exposed and she is linked to an anonymous blog describing the affair in agonizing detail. The story is told from multiple viewpoints:. Aviva's mother, Aviva ten years later after rebuilding her life, Aviva's daughter, and the congressman's wronged wife. We are finally treated to the story of the young Aviva slowly involving herself with the congressman. This section is told as a "choose your own adventure" book so the reader can see every poor choice that led to the discovery and Aviva's disgrace. Book clubs will love this book and so did I. This is the best book I've read all year.
Young Jane Young highlights the reality that women are judged quite differently than men. Where two people are entangled in a forbidden relationship the man is only slightly embarrassed by the exposure, and his life and career proceed uninterrupted. Conversely, the female is berated, shamed, and left without a career or any future opportunities of employment in her chosen field. She is forced to reinvent herself in order to avoid to survive and thrive.
I loved this book. It was a fun story, with fast-paced details and excellent characters. The book's format was interesting and kept me on my toes.
An engaging story of how one young woman survives and thrives after a political scandal. While the audience may be new adult, I can see some young adult appeal. Recommend to readers who watch House of Cards.
Zevin is a great writer - very easy, flowing, conversational style, not literary or pretentious at all, but clever and intelligent all the same. This novel is like a snapshot of an event and the impact of that event, but left me wanting more - some closure, more of each of the central characters' lives, maybe some more penetrating analysis of "the affair" which had a very one-sided, or perhaps lopsided, impact (in reality, that is true - the impact on the young girl rather than the older, male, politician), but some more analysis of this event and why, in our culture, the impact is how it is...In any case, a quick, enjoyable read with excellent dialogue and characters. I would love a sequel.
Aviva is a congressional intern who falls into the trap of starting a relationship with a handsome politician. When their relationship becomes public, it is Aviva who takes the brunt of mean criticism, deciding to change her name to start over. Told with a combination of humor and seriousness from the viewpoints of her traditional Jewish mom living in Florida, her daughter Ruby and her own story, this is an appealing read. Well written, a bit quirky, pick p this modern fable.
I love Zevin's YA and middle grade novels, but I think she is also carving out a niche for herself with wonderful, full-realized adult characters as well ie A.J Fikrey and Jane Young.
I have read all of this author's books, but this was my least favorite. The story is told through the voices of several characters. Not all of these characters are compelling. I found Only the main character, Jane, to tell an enjoyable story. The rest of the "voices" dragged.
I am more familiar with this author for her young adult novels. This is a very different direction for her, and great to recommend to women's fiction fans.
What a book! Really enjoyed! Highly recommend. Perfect book club pick!