Miss Jane

A Novel

by Brad Watson

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Pub Date Jul 12 2016 | Archive Date Jun 30 2016

W. W. Norton & Company

General Fiction (Adult) | Literary Fiction

Description

Since his award-winning debut collection of stories, Last Days of the Dog-Men, Brad Watson has been expanding the literary traditions of the South, in work as melancholy, witty, strange, and lovely as any in America. Now, drawing on the story of his own great-aunt, Watson explores the life of Miss Jane Chisolm, born in rural, early-twentieth-century Mississippi with a genital birth defect that would stand in the way of the central "uses" for a woman in that time and place: sex and marriage. From the highly erotic world of nature around her to the hard tactile labor of farm life, from the country doctor who befriends her to the boy who loved but was forced to leave her, Miss Jane Chisolm and her world are anything but barren. The potency and implacable cruelty of nature, as well as its beauty, is a trademark of Watson’s fiction. In Miss Jane, the author brings to life a hard, unromantic past that is tinged with the sadness of unattainable loves, yet shot through with a transcendent beauty. Jane Chisolm’s irrepressible vitality and generous spirit give her the strength to live her life as she pleases in spite of the limitations that others, and her own body, would place on her. Free to satisfy only herself, she mesmerizes those around her, exerting an unearthly fascination that lives beyond her still.

A Note From the Publisher

LibraryReads nominations due by 5/20.

Advance Praise

“Calmly, quietly, with deceptive simplicity, Brad Watson’s moving tale brings to life a most unusual woman, finding a most unusual grace.” - Andrea Barrett, author of Archangel

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9780393241730
PRICE	$25.95 (USD)

Additional Information

Average rating from 42 members

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Featured Reviews

Educator 144982

This is such a strange and intricate and wonderfully written little book. It's the kind of book in which nothing really happens, yet an entire lifetime is described in completely absorbing detail. If the author had served up this tale with even a whiff of irony it would have seemed contrived and almost mean, but the voice that describes Jane and her circle of family and friends is thoughtful and authentic without seeming too folksy or stiff.

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Narci D, Educator

I really didn't intend to read this book now since it isn't being published until July, but I made the mistake of opening it, and there was no turning back from this riveting tale of the beautiful (and the worst) in the most commonplace of human experiences. I found Jane and everyone she meets, even her mis-named sister Grace, utterly endearing. The peacocks are the perfect leitmotif for the novel! I loved The Heaven of Mercury years ago and will continue to read anything Brad Watson writes.

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Susan O, Media/Journalist

Another southern author who is climbing up my “favorites” chart is Brad Watson, author of “Miss Jane.” The Mississippi native, now a creative writing instructor at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, has published several award-winning novels and short-story collections, but “Miss Jane” is something out of the ordinary.

Based on the true story of his own great-aunt, Watson introduces us to Jane Chisolm, born in rural 1915 Mississippi. She is burdened by a secret – a genital birth defect that keeps her mostly embarrassed and isolated. Sex, marriage and parenthood are not options.

Within her limited world, Jane fights to find her place - her voice - among the loneliness, melancholy and beauty of the South. Her physical traits do not define who she is as a person. While she can’t enjoy physical love, Jane embraces what she can – independence, love for the family farm and inner peace.

Yes, life is hard for Jane, but it’s not empty. Readers will fall in love with this character and the approach she takes to life. Watson leaves his audience feeling richer and uplifted after meeting Miss Jane.