Boston Jane: An Adventure (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
In 1846, the United States has never had a civil war, but it does have a Wild West.Refined Philadelphia seems very far from the Wild West, but motherless Jane has no one to teach her manners. Her father is a surgeon who believes brains are meant to be used, and doesn’t teach his daughter to walk meekly, talk meekly, and especially not think meekly.What an uncouth girl Jane is for her first decade!When she is eleven, the snob down the block sends some verbal barbs deep into Jane’s skin, and she decides to turn herself into a real lady. Instead of playing with young boys (sitting on the roof and spitting at other people’s hats, or throwing mushy apples at a tree, or manure at passing carriages), she will sit in a school for young ladies. Miss Hepplewhite teaches that a real lady finds happiness in pleasing others. Jane learns deportment, fine embroidery, and the extremely important art of holding her tongue. Her father is nonplussed at the sudden lack of cheerful chatter at his dinner table. William, the medical student who lives with them, encourages Jane in her effort to be a ‘real lady.’ William is entirely handsome, smart, and everything a girl might desire. Somehow Jane’s papa is not quite as impressed.Jane stops accompanying her papa on his medical rounds, to his regret. Both William and Miss Hepplewhite approve, so the young lady assumes she is doing the right thing. She also stops eating cherry pie, because the corsets Miss Hepplewhite has laced onto her make breathing incredibly difficult. Doctor Papa insists that there is nothing beautiful about squashed internal organs, but William approves… and bestows his beautiful smile upon her.Then the budding surgeon decides to head West and make his fortune in lumber. Papa is horrified – waste all his learning to cut down trees? William is determined to leave, and Jane is heartbroken. For three years the two correspond by letter, and three months before her sixteenth birthday William asks her to come west and marry him. Papa refuses permission at first, but eventually gives in.Jane prepares her trousseau, which takes a little longer than expected. After a horrible sea voyage of 180 days, during which she is seasick nearly every day, and during which her dear friend dies, Jane reaches the Pacific coast. William is nowhere to be found“Well, miss when you wasn’t on the ship on which he expected you, he assumed you changed your mind.”Now what? Jane must deal with a trading post which hosts uncouth men, no true ladies, and peaceful Indians. She has no advice from her dear Papa, no guidance from beloved William, and no food baked by the talented housekeeper. Don’t even ask what happened to her poor clothing, hanging out to dry on a clothesline!Jane discovers that she is a resourceful young woman, who can trade for new clothing with the Indian Chief’s wife, help repair a roof, chase and capture a canoe floating out to sea, and go into business with a man at the trading post. She remembers enough of her Papa’s talk to stitch up cuts and help the sick.Each chapter title is a phrase from The Young Lady’s Handbook, and Jane tries tries to apply the advice to her life with hilarious results. As her life progresses, she realizes that one piece of advice after another is simply useless in her new life. Boston Jane begins to wonder if being a lady is such an admirable goal, after all.There are sequels. I plan to read them
I loved historical fiction when I was younger. I've always read a lot, and I've always read a lot of different books. There are a couple of genres that I've never really been a fan of, but I've always been a non-discriminating reader. However. Historical fiction has always been an absolute favorite of mine. 9 times out of 10 as a kid, my nose was found in an American Girl book or a Dear America book. I hungrily read anything that could transport me to a time and place and situation other than my own. Boston Jane was a solid historical fiction read. It was well-done, and obviously well-researched, which is something that is always appreciated, of course. I was transported to early 19th century America as I was reading. Jane is a wonderful character, and a truly enjoyable narrator. She is spunky, spirited, and full of determination, whether it's determination to become a lady, or determination to make the best of her circumstances. She was frustratingly true to her time--from referring to the Indians that she meets as "savages" (at first) to adamantly sticking to Miss Hepplewhite's "rules of being a lady" even when it didn't make sense to act as a lady anymore. She is not a flawless character, but I always like that. I don't always want to read about someone who I like from the get-go. Sometimes, I like to watch a character come into their own as I read, and Jane really does that in this book. Jennifer L. Holm also wrote a good cast of supporting characters that I know I will look back and fondly remember (even the not-so-nice ones), including Papa, Sally Biddle, Jehu, Mr. Swan, Mr. Russell, Suis, and Handsome Jim. They were all pretty well fleshed out, and even those who didn't necessarily show character development were characters whom I felt like I knew. Above all, though, this is an adventure story. Jane's adventure story. She sailed to the opposite coast of the United States to start a new life, but even besides that, there was always something going on. I think this is part of what made it such a solid historical fiction read. With every new happening, the reader gets another glimpse of what life would have entailed in the pioneer west of that time. This was not the best book I've ever read, by any means, but it was a solid good read that kept me up late reading on a couple of occasions. The only thing I am unsure of is how to classify this story. If I had to take a stab, I'd say this is an older MG/younger YA read. There is a 16-year-old narrator and some events that might be considered a bit mature for some audiences, but the writing itself felt like it was geared towards younger readers. I'd recommend this one to maybe older junior high readers looking for a good historical fiction adventure. On a side note, I did just find out that there are sequels to this. I'm not sure if I will continue with the series, though. I liked Boston Jane so much, so I'm not sure I want to mar my feelings toward it. In other words, I think this installment can definitely stand on its own. I am curious though...
What do You think about Boston Jane: An Adventure (2002)?
3.5 Stars A few years back, I read Turtle in Paradise and fell in love. Now, I've discovered a new Jennifer L. Holm favorite.Jane is a spunky, lovable teen. She stays true to herself, even if it means trying to wear petticoats and gloves in the woods. At times her stubborness got a little irritating, but it helped to develop her character. She's flawed but still lovable, and I loved seeing how her experiences shaped her.The other characters were all fun and unique. I love the historical accuracy that went into developing them and the setting. They were believable but interesting. The only thing that bothered me was Mr. Swan's repititions of "capital" and "my dear", and Mr. Russell's constant tobacco spitting. I felt like those things were a little excessive by how often they were used/mentioned. Also, Jane is OBSESSED with pie. The story itself was a little predictable, but still endearing. Holm writes well. She managed to make a book about a girl set on being a lady that still involves adventure and romance. Overall, Boston Jane is one not to miss. It's the perfect transition from middle grade to young adult novels, but it's just as enjoyable for teens and tweens alike.
—Ashley
I absolutely loved this book. Wow!! This book had everything, it was not at all cliche and it was entertaining and it related to what I'm learning about in social studies. I cannot put in words the amazing adventure of this book.I found this book when I was in the library searching for a pioneer book to relate to my social studies class. I thought it would be really boring because I had to read it for extra credit. Then I started reading it over spring break and I kept reading it because it kept keeping me on edge and there was always some question I had to answer so I read on. It was amazing how the author developed character from childish to stuck up and proper to being brave and having grit! The characters also had their unique personality. This book is about love life death and humor.Boston Jane is an amazing story of a pioneer who ventures out to the oregan country and nothing goes as planned. By Jennifer.L.Holm lexile 690 (yes it's low but it was connected to my social studies class) and 20 points. So far I have 20 points, and yes I love this book read it live it love it!!!!!!
—Mackenzie
tI really enjoyed this book. I could hardly put it down! It reminded me, almost exactly, of True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, which I read recently. However, it had a bit more history because an important element to the plot was Native American relationships with the white men. t This story also contained a romantic plot, which was nice, but not the main draw for me. I particularly loved this story because of the message it sent about women. I was annoyed for half of the book because Jane was holding back her true self in compliance to what a man thought a woman should be like. However, that issue was resolved for me when her hard circumstances forced her to shed her vanity and become courageous, opinionated, strong, and slightly unrefined. The evolution of her character was fascinating and actually quite realistic. A great read for teen girls.
—Becca
