I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinions. This was absolutely fantastic and pulled me in from the first page and held my attention until the very last sentence. I look forward to reading more by Heather Marshall.

Jane was a code word used in 1980 when someone was seeking an illegal abortion in Toronto. The stories of three young women all center on the issue of getting help with their pregnancy. One is teenage Evelyn who is sent to a home for unwed women and forced to give up her baby. She is distraught and scarred by the loss of her child. This will become a driving force in her future. Nancy is 20 in 1980 and looks for “Jane” when she needs someone who can help her in her desperation.

Fast forward to 2007 and Angela, an adoptee herself, finds an old letter stuck in an antique desk and addressed to her place of employment. The letter contains a mother’s plea to her child that she didn’t want to give her up at birth and would remember her always. It prompts Angela to try to solve the mystery of who wrote the letter and she becomes consumed with locating the mother and child. This opens up questions about her own parentage.

The impact of having one’s child torn away is emotionally wrenching. It has long-lasting ramifications. Evelyn, Nancy and Angela all are victims of a system that punished unwed mothers. Until 1988 there was no access to a legal abortion in Canada so girls and women were forced to raise their babies alone, give them away, have them taken from them or seek a sympathetic “Jane” who would provide an illegal abortion. Some determined girls hurt themselves in their attempt to self-abort or went to disreputable people who often did more harm to the girls. The existence of the Jane network was passed along by word of mouth and it was a salvation for those desperate to terminate a pregnancy.

In today’s world of shrinking access to abortion, this story is highly relevant. Girls are finding they must make decisions about their future that could put themselves and others in jeopardy. Like the days of old, choices are limited for many girls and women.

Marshall used the existence of real underground networks in creating her Jane network. The home for unwed girls that Evelyn goes to is fictional but based upon real facilities that existed where the treatment of the girls was often harsh and cruel. The book tackles more than the right to get a safe abortion or the right to decide the fate of your baby after it’s born. It’s about women supporting each other and even about being a mother and what that really means.

Abortion is a very touchy subject at this time in our country's history. Everyone has an opinion and it has even been known to divide families. But so has other situations with unplanned pregnancies. This book presents a story that prompts the reader to examine their own beliefs about abortion and realize that not all situations are the same.

This book is absolutely heartbreaking, brilliant, historically accurate, and yet poignantly relevant to todays world.

There's so much packed into this book. It starts off with one woman finding an old letter tucked away in a drawer of an old antique's shop she works in. The story goes back in time to a place called, "St. Agnes's Home for Unwed Mothers,” in Toronto where young girls are sent away by their families to have their babies and then for their babies to be put up for adoption. The places in the novel are fictional but the story is based on factual history. All the women in the novel are dealing with things to do with, "Motherhood."

It is so well written, I could barely put it down. This book will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended.

One of my favorite historical fiction reads in a very long time. This book explores the lives of the women from the 1950s in Canada who were forced to give up their children to 'good Catholic families' better suited to raising them. The stories of the women in this book were so compelling, and inspired me to learn more about the real people and places who inspired this book. Highly recommend!

A historical fiction about The Jane Network. We have Angels, Evelyn, and Nancy with times from 1960- 2017.

Evelyn, is a teenager, who's engaged and pregnant. She lost her fiancée to war and her parents quite disappointed in her being pregnant, send her off to the house of unwed mothers. In here, you are treated as a prisoner, you have chores to get get room and board. You will give birth to your child, give it away, against you will if you're not wanting to, because of you're "error" it's obviously going to need a better home than you can give it. Evelyn was never willing to give up her child, gave a heck of a fight, but sadly she lost. She carries on, becomes a Dr., eventually learns about The Jane Network, and steps up.

Nancy becomes a patient through The Jane Network and Evelyn is her Dr. After learning stories of bad, but discovering the good of the system, she decides to join and helps Evelyn.

In 2017 Angela discovers a letter that was dated back in the 1970s that is a confession from a mother to her adopted daughter. Angela is determined to find her, them, even though others are not fond of it.

The three women intertwine with each other through these different time lines and discover their connections that lead to the ending.

Thank you Atari Books for allowing me to read this through NetGalley for m honest review.

The scope of this book is such that I can't believe this is a debut, and hands down it is one of the best historical books I've read this year. The personal, social and legal details span the years from the 1960's through the 1980's, basically the years I learned of unwed mother homes and the laws which dangerously impacted women's health. The author states the theme is “motherhood”, and I would add “choice” as a critical element. Nothing should come between a woman and her doctor in the making a choice. This should be on every women's lit shelf.
Thank you to Atria Publishing, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the digital arc.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is a fascinating work of historical fiction about the Jane Network, an underground group of women and doctors who provided safe, although illegal, abortions in Canada in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, before abortion and women's choice were legalized. The story takes place over three time periods and focuses on three women and their pregnancies.

Can a long-lost letter from the 70s change the lives of people in 2017. The recipient is determined to find the person to whom the letter was originally addressed. Will the contents of the letter change lives and relationships?

The book is especially relevant in the United States since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Safe and legal abortions are increasingly under fire. Not only is "Looking for Jane" fascinating reading, but it is an important discussion about a controversial topic concerning the rights of women to chose.

I have a hard time both with judging historical fiction by its cover and rolling my eyes on the genre’s tendency to make political topics overly sugary sweet and palatable to a certain type of reader who may struggle humanizing or having empathy for things (in this case, abortion) that may have never (to their knowledge, cough cough) affected them directly.

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall falls directly into the category of what I listed above, however, for whatever reason, defied my skepticism. I found myself appreciating the knowledge and research that Marshall brought to the book and thinking to myself that if it changes just one person’s negative view on the importance of abortion rights than it has done it’s job, all under the guise of Monday night bookclub.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. Marshall's novel is impossible to put down. The characters grab your attention and heart as you travel through the story and time with them. This book is historical fiction at its best. Hoping Marshall publishes another book very soon!

I did not end up reading this novel. The rating is not a reflection of the story itself, but rather an indication that other books/stories dominated my interest and reading time. Which I think is an important factor when selecting your next read.

It is easy to see why this took the country by storm: wonderfully and eloquently written, expertly researched and oh so relevant, this was a complex and ruminative look at women's roles and agency throughout history. I enjoyed the balanced viewpoint and the many ways the womens' lives intersected across decades. A bold and well executed debut that will appeal to readers of Kerri Maher and Allison Pataki

Looking for Jane
Author Heather Marshall
Available now!

Thank you, @atriabooks and @netgalley, for my #gifted e- arc!

I read this incredible debut back in March, and I am still thinking about it! Interestingly, I read this right after House of Eve not knowing that the two would have similar themes, and I so appreciated how unique they each are - both with strong female characters and of their choices.

Looking for Jane is Marshall's debut novel inspired by true stories of a secret network of women supporting each other and of their right to choose. Compassionately written about three generations of women whose lives intersect during some of their most life- altering experiences, this poignant novel will break your heart and then offer you a glimpse of hope.

Looking for Jane is thought- provoking, timely, and courageous. An absolute must- read for those interested in motherhood, the history of and the continued struggle for women to have reproductive autonomy, and of brave women supporting each other and taking a stand - no matter the cost.

Very well written debut novel. I love books that teach me something of history and this book did that. I felt for the characters. I enjoyed the three different time periods and how they converged. Will definitely read another by this author.

This is a tough story to read in today's world. But it is a necessary read. Sad, beautiful, inspiring. This is a must read for everyone!
Thank you for the advanced copy!

“Every child a wanted child, every mother a willing mother.” This book’s central theme is a woman’s right to choose and is particularly relevant in the aftermath of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The story takes place in Canada where abortion was legalized 15 years later than the U.S. (1973 vs. 1988). It begins in 2017 when Angela Creighton finds a long-lost letter with a confession from a mother to her adopted daughter including a note from her birth mother. The chapters are told in alternating points of view of the 3 main characters: Angela, Evelyn, and Nancy, and goes back and forth in time between 1960 and 2017. Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent by her family to a home for unwed mothers when she was a teenager. She was forced to give her baby up for adoption and to endure all kinds of mental and physical abuse at the home. She now helps other women as part of the Jane Network by providing safe abortions. Twenty year-old Nancy Mitchell comes to the Jane Network to take care of an unwanted pregnancy and winds up working for the cause soon thereafter. Angela, Evelyn, and Nancy’s lives become intertwined in unimaginable ways. The writing was a little slow for me in the beginning but became hard to put down about halfway through. Thanks to #netgalley #atriabooks and #heathermarshall for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an unbelievably phenomenal, heartbreaking, motivating novel.

It's midnight and I feel powerless, but I am nonetheless fighting the temptation to roam the neighborhood ripping "pro-life" stickers off of cars. Please support the right to choose for women as well as all uterinians.

Interesting account of the treatment of unwed pregnant women during times when abortions were illegal. The treatment of these young women in special homes was less than favourable and the dangers of backroom abortions was well portrayed. Doctors that performed abortions were always at risk of prosecution. Along with the reality of these times, Heather Marshall was able to weave in a story to connect the characters. Well worth the read.

This book was a poignant look at not only abortion and its fraught history but the world of motherhood. Love, loss, regret, fear, happiness, and angst are all a part of this well-written account of three women's lives that are all entwined by one letter. Angela has found a letter that was tucked away in the drawer in the antique shop she works, and it sets her on the path of trying to find not only the author but also the intended recipient of the letter. Dr. Taylor is fighting the battle to perform illegal abortions for women who have no other choice. All stemming from her past of being forced into a wayward home for girls, where her unwanted pregnancy led to her baby being sold for adoption against her wishes. Nancy found out she was adopted by finding a letter in her mother's belongings, but her mother never confessed to the adoption. These three lives intertwine in the most wonderful ways. Thank you, NetGalley and Atria, for the eARC. I loved it. 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down and enjoyed it so much I can overlook the little twist toward the end. Developed characters, an important topic, a beautifully interwoven plot.