Looking for Jane. Heather Marshall’s debut novel is a Masterpiece of Historical Fiction. The story is told from various timelines and flows seamlessly together. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen next.. I was literally on the edge of my seat, be prepared to stay up late into the night reading., It is a Brave emotional book based on true events about survival brave women banning together risking everything to help women in need during a time when woman had their choice dictated to them by the government, and the characters who fought for the rights of the women to make the choice their own, This book resonated with with me on a personal level.

Highly recommend read 📕 I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC copy of Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall in exchange for an honest review

Jane by Heather Marshall

Heather Marshall’s first novel reads like the work of a more experienced author. She delivers a compelling book on an important issue that has become increasingly contentious. In these pages, through her characters, Ms. Marshall humanizes the tricky topic of women’s reproductive rights and (sometimes lack of) choices.

Readers get to know a number of characters in several timelines over the course of the novel. Stories converge in ways that feel just right.

Main characters in the novel include those below:

Evelyn become pregnant only to have her fiance die; she wanted her baby but had no support. What happens to each of them? Watch what Evelyn does with her life.

Evelyn becomes good friends with Maggie. They help one another to get through some painful experiences. How will Maggie’s life relate to those of other characters?

Clara faced a life and death situation when she found herself pregnant. How will she cope with the choice that she made?

How does Nancy’s life fit into that of other women in the book? What big secret was kept from her daughter and what will happen when it is known?

And what about Angela? How will an old letter impact her and at least one other woman?

This is a story of all that can happen when a woman faces a pregnancy. I think that is why the author chose to have so many characters. The story is told with compassion and a bit of righteous anger.

The scandals around homes for unwed mothers that are described here echo the Magdalen Laundries of Ireland. It is painful to recall that young women in need of compassion were unable to find this during the time period of the story. It was also impossibly difficult for those who chose an abortion during the same time. They knew that the risks were high and that they could die. Imagine the fear. Medical professionals who chose to help others through an underground network knew that the risks were also great for them as those women Looking for Jane found them.

This book offers a wide point of view. There are women who become pregnant when they are not ready, there are those who are unable to have children or are struggling with infertility, those impacted by adoption, and the young women who are influenced by the decisions that their mother made. There are no judgments about any of them, just an open and caring attitude.

This is a moving novel that reads quickly even as it deals with big topics. I highly recommend ti. Be sure to read the author’s own thoughts on her book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Wow. I'm not sure I even have the words to properly articulate my feelings around this book. Purely incredible. I feel like I learned so much, I love that this was a "recent" historical fiction plus it was based in Canada! This topic is also so important right now to see how far we've come and how important it is not to revert back to anti choice laws. Beyond all that though this book is a beautiful depiction of motherhood and being a woman.

Every human should give this a read!!
Thank you netgalley and Atria books for this earc in exchange for an honest review.

In 1971, teenager Evelyn was sent to a home for unwed mothers and then forced to relinquish the rights to her baby. Additionally, the women were treated poorly, berated, and belittled:

"Don't go holding yourself like some poor lost lamb. You got yourself and that baby into this fix."

"Intercourse while engaged is still intercourse outside of marriage."

Disturbing secrets and atrocities were committed at this home and many are based on real life. The story follows three women, Evelyn, Angela, and Nancy, until their paths ultimately cross in an ending fraught with emotion. This is a heartbreaking and heartwarming look at motherhood and all it entails. Unfortunately, with Roe vs. Wade being overturned in the United States in June 2022, this could very well be how young women are again treated. This was a timely and important story and proves that all women deserve body autonomy. This was an impressive debut, and I look forward to more from this author!

Lastly, the title had double meaning. #1 - Evelyn is looking for her baby Jane and #2 - Jane was the secret way women could seek out an at-the-time illegal abortion. For instance, a woman could call a doctor's office and ask, could I speak to Jane please? If they said no, abortions were not performed there. And, if they said yes, then an appointment would be scheduled or they would be told who to call.

Location: Toronto, Canada

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

There is “No dignity in this experience.”
A woman’s body is an amazing thing. Motherhood, the act of becoming a mother, it is violent and beautiful, obscenely painful and love filled,a true juxtaposition if there ever were one.
A story about decisions made by and for each woman and the ramifications of each.
Infertility treatments and miscarriages, pregnancies carried out to have the baby ripped away, and pregnancies that were terminated in horrific ways. In steps Jane.
The topics addressed in Looking for Jane are so worthy and heart wrenching, I just wish they’d been carried out better in the story. The writing is fine but it all felt rather surface, not digging deeper with each woman and almost like it was too much to keep switching characters and stories.

As the United States seems to be going backwards on laws surrounding abortion, this book is particularly important. Painting a picture of attitudes and circumstances of abortion decisions through the last fifty years, the book tells the stories of seemingly disparate women, but the author brings everyone and everything together at the end--with one huge surprise. The characters are interesting in their own right, but combined with the other women in the book, each one becomes even more important. Although some of the stories are heartbreaking, the ending of the b00k makes it all worthwhile.

I received an ARC copy of this novel and am writing this review voluntarily. Definitely a 5 star book! Covering all aspects of motherhood and reproductive rights, it's definitely eye-opening, thought-provoking, memorable, and engaging. The historical accuracies of hidden abortion clinics woven through the story of mothers and daughters searching for each other was extremely well done. I couldn't read it fast enough and it's hard to believe it's a debut novel.

A must read for all women..a powerful book about women. I did not want this story to end it was such a wonderful book.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Wow. What a heartbreaking and moving story. The author did a fantastic job weaving together the lives of Margaret, Evelyn, Nancy and Angela. The twist at the end was so unexpected too!

Wow! I can’t believe this book is a debut! Everything about this speaks awesomeness!
I am having a really hard time gathering my thoughts about this book right now.

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall is a stunning historical fiction based on the real life underground network of brave, courageous group of women that consist of doctors, nurses, midwives and volunteers that provides discrete, safe abortions to women to needs it during the 1960’s time. This group was called the Jane Collective. If you are reading this book, do not miss the author’s note. There are some essential info pertaining to the inspiration of this book that totally is a must to know.

Wether you are pro-choice or pro-life, I highly recommend reading this novel. It has a very heart warming and deep emotional essence, not just to being mother but more so, as a woman in general. The writing was beautiful, relatable facts are on point and truthful. Sad as it seems but these horrifying reality of babies sold to adoption by force from young girls is unacceptable in all levels! Adoption and abortion are heavy topics and very much necessary to be addressed. I enjoyed this read as much as I was learning different perspectives at the same time.

Thank you Simon and Schuster via Netgalley for the ebook copy in exchange of my honest review.

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall is a novel about women for women. Through the characters of Angela, Evelyn, Nancy and Maggie, we learn of the circumstances and problems each woman faces and the choices and decisions they make. This is a story of women who eventually find their strength. It is a story of desperation and sorrow. It is a story of the strong bond between women, strength of family and love of motherhood. This book, in my opinion, is a must read for women.

Looking For Jane is historical fiction on reproductive rights on the 60's and 70's in Canada. It is the story of three people and how they connect and interweave into their lives and their story. I am writing my review as someone who grew up in the 1970's in the United States. I also grew up when Roe vs. Wade had passed in the supreme court.

Looking for Jane has three different time lines from the 1960's till 2017. There is a good reason why the author chose these time lines. Think pre abortion laws, when it was passed, and after it was passed. How the laws changed and affected Canadian women. I believe it passed in Canada in the late 80's.

The story opens with three time lines and three main characters. It was a bit confusing. Which doesn't take away from the book. You will understand why the confusion toward the end of the book. It will all make sense toward the end of the story, and give you a aha moment. That's what makes it a satisfying read from the beginning to the end. The characters are realistic, true and loveable characters. The developing of the characters and story was well developed through out the book. The stories weave and interconnect each other tightly, no hanging threads. No questions unanswered. I related to the story of what these women were going through as I was a teenager in the 70's. It felt realistic.

Looking for Jane has three time lines and three main characters. Angela in 2017 finds a hidden letter that has life changing consequences to the recipient. Angela searches all the way back to 1960's and brings her to a rabbit hole, " Underground Women Movement, Code name, "Jane". Where she discovers who the recipient to the letter is. When you as the reader, think you understand and know what is going to happen. You are totally wrong. It went to a totally different direction. It threw you a different bone. It brings Angela to finding out about the Unwed Mother's Home in Canda. What truly happened in that home. Who the letter was actually for. Would the letter be a welcome or a disaster to the recipient? I didn't expect the book to be a page turner. I didn't expect it to be a mystery. The novel was more Women's literary fiction, than mystery. But still had the elements. It was a satisfying read. I didn't expect it to have a lot of grit being women's fiction. But, guess what it did.

Anyone interested in reproductive rights will like the book. Anyone who likes suspense and mystery will also enjoy it, although it is not set in the US. It doesn't take away from the flavor. I recommend it highly if you like historical fiction, feminist and reproductive activism. I sure hope there will be more books on reproductive rights written in fiction. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for reading and reviewing.

Just to tell you I wrote a better review on Netgalley. For some reason it was lost. In frustration I" m rewriting my review.

This is one of the best book I’ve read this year. Heartbreaking at times. Timely issue of abortion. In ordered to get one you must called and say “I’m looking for Jane. Must read for every women. The doctors and nurses and the clients.
I couldn’t put this book down. And you won’t either.

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall was a very powerful and timely debut novel. According to author, Heather Marshall, Looking for Jane was about motherhood, first and foremost. It was also about so much more as well. Heather Marshall’s debut novel was well written and extensively researched. The characters, although fictional, were so well depicted that I developed a strong sense of familiarity with them and missed them after I finished reading the book. Looking for Jane took place in Canada. It explored the struggles women encountered concerning their reproductive rights during the 1960’s and beyond and up until abortions became legal. Heather Marshall wrote about the ongoing battle women faced in order for them to be allowed to take charge of their own bodies, make their own choices and be able to get the desired outcomes they chose for themselves. The common factor here was choice by and for the woman in question. Looking for Jane was written in three distinct timelines that supported three different women, their stories, voices and one letter that connected all three of them.

In 2017, Angela Creighton, found herself living in Toronto, Canada in an apartment she shared with her wife Tina. Angela and Tina had decided that they wanted to have a baby and that Angela would carry it. During this happy yet stressful time in both Angela’s and Tina’s life, Angela had suffered two miscarriages. When Angela had been pregnant, she was fired from her job. One of Angela’s aunt owned an antique shop and was ready to retire so she asked Angela to run it for her. It was a good opportunity for Angela so she accepted the offer. One day Angela was organizing and cleaning some things out when she came upon a letter that had been written seven years ago. The letter was addressed to the tenant who had rented the apartment above the antique shop but somehow had found its way to the antique shop instead. The mailboxes for both the antique shop and the apartment shared the same numerical street number. The only distinction was that one had the letter A next to the number and the other had the letter B. Angela felt compelled to open the letter even though she knew that she shouldn’t. The contents of the letter revealed a confession that might impact the intended recipient’s life. Angela knew that this letter could not be ignored. She was determined to find the person, Nancy Mitchell, that the letter had been intended for. There were two letters in the envelope. The first letter that Angela read revealed that Nancy had been adopted and was written by the mother that had adopted Nancy. The second letter was written by Nancy’s biological mother. It revealed that her biological mother had not wanted to give her up, that she would continue to look for her everyday of her life, that she had named her Jane and that she had knitted the yellow booties for her. Angela began an extensive internet search. She became obsessed with finding Nancy and refused to give up. Would her efforts prove to be successful?

Evelyn Taylor had grown up in a rather strict home. She and her cousin Clara were as close as sisters. They had been practically raised together. It was not surprising that Clara had confided in Evelyn that she had gotten pregnant. Of course, she couldn’t have the baby or let her parents know that she was pregnant. There were not a lot of options for young women in the 1960’s. Clara had found out about someone who could help her get rid of the baby for $800. In those days, “back ally abortions” were very common but also very dangerous. After the procedure, Clara started hemorrhaging and Evelyn had no choice but to get Clara to a hospital. The back alley procedure, the conditions of the surgery room and the outcome traumatized both girls for years to come. One of the doctors at the hospital where Evelyn had taken Clara told Evelyn something that night that she never forgot. Evelyn was told to ask for “Jane” if she ever found herself in this situation again. It didn’t make a lot of sense to Evelyn then but she never forgot it.

In 1971, Evelyn was engaged when her fiancé died from a heart attack. Evelyn was pregnant with his baby. Her parents were ashamed for her. They immediately made arrangements for Evelyn to be placed in St. Agnes’ Home for Unwed Mothers. As Evelyn’s father dropped her off in front of the foreboding looking structure, he didn’t even look at Evelyn or accompany her inside. Instead, he focused his gaze directly in front of him and waited for her to open her door and go in. He left immediately and without even saying goodbye. Evelyn’s parents had disowned her. The home was run by the church and government. All the girls that stayed at St. Agnes’s were expected to have their babies and then they were forced to give them up for adoption. The conditions at the home were dreadful. Each girl was expected to carry out the tasks assigned to them. They were instructed not to tell the other girls anything about themselves, not even their last names or how they had gotten pregnant. The girls were encouraged to write letters to their families but those letters were never mailed. St. Agnes’s was more like a jail than an inviting house for unwed mothers. The trauma Evelyn endured from those days stayed with her for her entire life.

When Evelyn finally departed from St. Agnes’s, she went on and became a doctor of gynecology. Evelyn wanted to help women by providing safe abortions. In the 1970’s, abortions were still illegal. Evelyn learned the procedure from one of the best doctors of that time. She was secretly helping women and allowing them to make their own choices about their pregnancies. Then Dr. Evelyn Taylor learned about the “Jane network “. Even though their were lots of dangers associated with the Jane network, Evelyn supported the cause and became a doctor the network could count on to perform the abortions in a safe way. Evelyn jeopardized her career and risked being put in jail every time she performed the abortions but she was giving these women the choice they desired and that made the risks worthwhile. Through the Jane network, so many more abortions were able to be performed.

In 1980, Nancy Mitchell was a single young woman living in Toronto, Canada. Her grandmother was in a nursing home and Nancy usually visited with her once a week. On one such visit, Nancy’s grandmother made a comment that made no sense to her. Her grandmother had indicated that her parents had not brought her home from the hospital after her birth but had gotten her from somewhere. Nancy had always suspected that she might have been adopted but never knew for sure. She did not look like either one of her parents and her mother was so overprotective of her. One night when Nancy’s parents were out for the evening, Nancy started snooping around to find the proof she needed. Locked away in a box in the back of one her mother’s drawers, Nancy found a note from her biological mother and a pair of yellow booties. That was all the proof that Nancy needed but she never found the right moment to confront her parents and ask them to tell her the truth.

While Nancy was single, she had dated a man who was completely wrong for her. Even though they had used protection, Nancy had gotten pregnant. Nancy knew she did not want this child at this time in her life. She chose to get an abortion. Abortions were still illegal. Through some channels, Nancy ended up having the abortion performed by Dr. Evelyn Taylor. Later, Nancy became a volunteer in the Jane network and worked side by side with Dr. Evelyn Taylor. Nancy was able to use her experience to help make the patients more aware and comfortable with their choice.

I really enjoyed reading Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall. Her author notes at the conclusion of the book were impressive and so informative. Looking for Jane was inspired by the results of the many interviews Heather Marshall conducted with women that lived during those times and experienced the challenges that faced them then. How timely the publication of this book was in conjunction with the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs Wade. By making abortions illegal in many individual states in the United States, women have taken giant steps backward in their rights to choose. A woman should have the final say over her own body. I never was in the position of having to consider having an abortion, but if I had been, I would have wanted to make the best decision for myself, not to be told that I couldn’t. Looking for Jane was a very thought provoking and poignant book. It was about motherhood, adoption, choices, the history of abortion in Canada, and bravery. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Atria Books for allowing me to read Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall through Netgalley in exchange for a voluntary and unbiased review.

I wish I had read the synopsis before reading. I am firmly pro-life and while I’m willing to have an open mind about topics I disagree with, this portrayed that the only options for an unwanted pregnancy is abortion or having the child sold.

I also had a really hard time keeping the characters straight.

2.5 stars

This book is written with so much emotion. So much beauty and sadness. This is a debut book for this author and that is so hard for me to believe. She has written a book that touches the heart. It's about a few things all at once. Not just abortion but also adoption and loss and looking for your child. Being forced to have a child. Being forced to give up a child. So many emotions. It's written with such depth and passion you would think it was about her. It's not. It's a historical fiction but loosely based on actual events.

The emotion is raw. Real. Heartbreaking.

This book is written in four parts. In several eras. It is set in Canada. From three voices, Angela, Evelyn, and Nancy. How their lives come to play out was great. A circle that is closed. Yes there is a twist but it's a good one and one that I figured out. I thought it was perfect.

The author took a subject and made a wonderful book. It's about adoption. Taking girls and women who are unmarried and pregnant and sticking them in a place where there is not love. No emotion in their favor. Not one hug or acknowledgment that they are even human. They are not even suppose to get to know each other. Of course they do and friendships are formed. Between Evelyn and Maggie. They are just a few weeks apart. Both give birth to little girls. They leave notes for their babies hoping one day they can be reunited.

In 2017 we meet Angela. She's running her aunt's antique shop where she finds a letter. This letter is seven years old and was written to Nancy by her adoptive mother. It tells her about being adopted and who her biological mother is. Also is a short note from her biological mother. Angela decides to try and reunite these two but is having a very hard time finding either.

Evelyn was engaged and her soon to be husband died of a heart attack. She was pregnant and didn't know it until after his death. Her parents would not have it. She had to go. They would not be ruined by her failure. Her shame was not going to ruin their lives. This was in 1960. Women had no rights. No say in what happened to them. She named her baby girl Jane and left the note in a pair of yellow booties she had made hoping that one day they could find each other.

Many years later Evelyn is a doctor and gets involved with helping young women who do not want to be pregnant. She helps then get abortions that are safe. In a safe and sterile place where they won't die. She later becomes a part of what is called The Jane Network. A group that provides these illegal services to women. They are also fighting for women to have the right to their own bodies. For them to be able to decide whether they want to be mothers or not. In all cases. Whether they are raped or just an unwanted pregnancy. It should be their choice.

This book really touches on a very important topic. One that we all need to uphold and stop being so sanctimonious about. Stop judging anyone for what they do to their own body. It should be their choice. Abortion is between a woman, her doctor, and her conscience. She has to live it no one else. Ok I got off track there.

This is told from the early 1960s to sometime in 2017. Three women. Three lives. Three stories. How they are interchanged and brought together is nothing short of beautiful. Like I said, this author did such an amazing job with this book. She takes you into the heart of everything. The emotion you will feel reading this book will have you weeping and also rooting for things to happen. For someone to find their other. For a mother and daughter to possibly find each other. For a couple to have the baby they want. For one young girl to survive a back alley abortion that an uncaring man performed.

A very emotional story.

This paragraph hit me:
"When you're young, you get to look at time through the reduction end of the telescope. The wrong end, the generous end that makes everything appear so far away, that gives the impression that there are light-years of space between you and those magically distant objects. And then, without warning, time turns it around on you, and suddenly you're looking through the correct end, the end you were always suppose to be looking through, if you were paying attention. The end where everything is magnified and perilously close. The end that zooms in without mercy and forces you to see the detail you should have been focusing on all along." I loved this....

From the author's notes:
"Looking for Jane is about motherhood. About wanting to be a mother and not wanting to be a mother, and all the gray areas in between. It's about the lengths to which women will go to end a pregnancy, and to become pregnant. And, as Nancy says, that razor-thin edge where many people find themselves hovering at some point in their lives, right between the terror of getting pregnant by accident and the terror of not getting pregnant when you want too. But most importantly, it's about women supporting one another through their individual choices and the outcomes of those choices."

Thank you #NetGalley, #HeatherMarshall, #Atria for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this story.

Five huge tearjerker stars from me. I say read it. Learn something. Enjoy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher. This is my first 5 star review of 2023. This book really amazed me, it was captivating and while it is fiction (inspired by true events) these stories need to be told. At the end of the book I felt sadness, the book is set in Canada but I am an American and the rights the Jane network are working to protect are threatened in the states. The book explores the maternity homes of the 60’s and the young women who were forced to give up their babies because they were unwed. It explores abortion access and on the other side women facing fertility troubles. Powerful read about women rights and the troubling history women have had to face.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria for the chance to read Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall. This is the author's debut novel and I was hooked right at the beginning and couldn't put it down, finishing the last chapter in tears. Looking for Jane is historical fiction, but has a lot of accuracy and historical facts. This is the story of three women, Evelyn, Nancy and Angela stretching from early 1960's to 2017, each experiencing the highs and lows of the choices they make regarding pregnancy and abortion. I loved that their story take place in Toronto with an interesting trip to Ottawa during Canada's struggle for Women's rights. This is a book all women should read especially since the U.S. overturned Roe vs. Wade and I definitely recommend it.

Well this book was amazing! It was well written & deeply emotional. Honestly, I could hardly put it down!!

This was one of my favorite books in a long time! The writing was beautiful, and the characters were wonderful. I couldn’t put this one down!