Jane, Divided

De: Craig Lancaster

Narrado por: Jess Wright

Just before Christmas, Jane Sperling is headed from Montana to Texas, to the hometown she once abandoned, in a car she doesn’t fully trust, for a job that’s a leap of faith and the only line she has on a better life for herself and her eleven-year-old daughter, Claire.

In Texas, Jane puts a long-dormant teaching credential to use at the middle school she once attended. She navigates a fraught relationship with her widower father and the growing pains of her daughter. In an old place that’s new again, there are kids to get to know (including a temperamental and brilliant young man named Roderick); colleagues to fit in with, among them a young, popular teacher who takes an interest in Jane; and Claire’s yearning to go back to Montana.

Jane fights against her memories and her circumstances as she tries to find her footing. Through her current challenges and the letters she wrote to her daughter as her marriage was failing, Jane takes the measure of the lives she’s trying to imbue with hope: That she really can go home again and find something, that she can keep Claire close and still let her grow, that she can forgive her father as he fades away, and perhaps that she can even open herself to love she has never believed in.

©2025 Craig Lancaster (P)2025 Craig Lancaster

My first audible book

I wanted to read (or listen to) as the story line of a woman returning to Texas was intriguing as I was returning to Texas for a convention and Texas has always felt like home as I grew up there. I was not disappointed! This was my first audible book, I thought I would give it a try. Cudos to the author and narrator! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Fantastic story of forgiving & finding love

I enjoyed this story so much. It read so easily and I looked forward to the time when I could listen to or read it. I love this authors style of writing. His chosen words, captivate my attention and I easily go into his imaginative world. I have loved every book by this author. His talent is HUGE and his books are satisfying and always just what I hope for.

Realistic Slice of Life

I normally find it odd when men authors write novels with women as the main characters, but somehow Craig Lancaster was able to source what feels like real emotions and situations for our lead Jane. I commend him.

Jane and her daughter Claire move back to her home town to teach at the school she attended herself as a child, after a cordial divorce. The plan is to live with Jane's father in her childhood home until she can get the money to move into their own place.
Living with an aging father who seems to be getting "confused" more than expected, her 11-year-old daughter who is so sweet and amiable but starts to show some pre-teen angst, while dealing with co-workers, money issues, and dating/not dating is what really tug at my heartstrings as it all felt like a slice of life so many women have to live with day to day. I follow this up though, with the statement that there is more to this plot than a slice-of-life. (which is good, because those aren't my favorite.)

Narrator Jess Wright continues to impress with her naturalistic tone and clear delivery.

Highly recommend!