294 pages
English language
Published Aug. 7, 2017
"Young Jane Young's heroine is Aviva Grossman, an ambitious Congressional intern in Florida who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her boss who is beloved, admired, successful, and very married and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the Congressman doesn't take the fall, but Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins. She becomes a late night talk show punchline; she is slut shamed, labeled as fat and ugly, and considered a blight on politics in general. How does one go on after this? In Aviva's case, she sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. She tries to start over as a wedding planner, to be smarter about her life, and to raise her daughter to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, she decides to run …
"Young Jane Young's heroine is Aviva Grossman, an ambitious Congressional intern in Florida who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her boss who is beloved, admired, successful, and very married and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the Congressman doesn't take the fall, but Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins. She becomes a late night talk show punchline; she is slut shamed, labeled as fat and ugly, and considered a blight on politics in general. How does one go on after this? In Aviva's case, she sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. She tries to start over as a wedding planner, to be smarter about her life, and to raise her daughter to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, she decides to run for public office herself, that long ago mistake trails her via the Internet like a scarlet A. For in our age, Google guarantees that the past is never, ever, truly past, that everything you've done will live on for everyone to know about for all eternity. And it's only a matter of time until Aviva's daughter, Ruby, finds out who her mother was, and is, and must decide whether she can still respect her. Following three generations of women, plus the wife of the Congressman, YOUNG JANE YOUNG is a sympathetic, smart, funny, and very moving novel about what it means to be a woman of any age. Told in varying voices and emails and even a Choose Your Own Adventure section, it captures not just the mood of our recent highly charged political season, but also the double standards alive and well in every aspect of life for women"--
I really loved this book until it ended and left me hanging. I wish there was one more chapter that wrapped everything up and I didn’t have to use my imagination.
This was a most interesting study in generations, personality and the development of values/ ethics. As with all the Gabrielle Zevin books I have read, this was well written offering humor, empathy and an interesting plot. I suppose the subject matter was a 'little bit' off the page for someone of my gender and age. Nonetheless I highly recommend it; oh and, broaden your horizons 'old guys'. ;^)
A fascinating look at the effects of a political scandal told through the voices of four (five?) women. Zevin shifts between voices seamlessly, and the tapestry she weaves of the events of the story is complex and beautifully written. Different styles/structures of narration make for an engaging read. Really loved this one.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this book is the narrative choices the author made. The story itself is not that remarkable - it's basically a retelling of the Monica Lewinsky story - but telling it from the point of view of all of the women involved was different. The POV I enjoyed the least, was the actual protagonist, mainly because Zevin chose to tell her story in the "choose your own adventure" style. I understand it was a way to highlight all of the choices she didn't make, but I found it gimmicky and I almost quit the book at that point because that's how much I didn't care for it. Ultimately, I kept reading because I was on the bus, and why not, but I really didn't care for that at all.
