Mary Jane

A Novel

By: Jessica Anya Blau

Narrated by: Caitlin Kinnunen

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

"The best book of the summer." (InStyle)

"I LOVED this novel.... If you have ever sung along to a hit on the radio, in any decade, then you will devour Mary Jane at 45 rpm." (Nick Hornby)

Almost Famous meets Daisy Jones & The Six in this "delightful" (New York Times Book Review) novel about a 14-year-old girl’s coming of age in 1970s Baltimore, caught between her straight-laced family and the progressive family she nannies for - who happen to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer.

In 1970s Baltimore, 14-year-old Mary Jane loves cooking with her mother, singing in her church choir, and enjoying her family’s subscription to the Broadway Showtunes of the Month record club. Shy, quiet, and bookish, she’s glad when she lands a summer job as a nanny for the daughter of a local doctor. A respectable job, Mary Jane’s mother says. In a respectable house.

The house may look respectable on the outside, but inside it’s a literal and figurative mess: clutter on every surface, Impeachment: Now More Than Ever bumper stickers on the doors, cereal and takeout for dinner. And even more troublesome (were Mary Jane’s mother to know, which she does not): the doctor is a psychiatrist who has cleared his summer for one important job - helping a famous rock star dry out. A week after Mary Jane starts, the rock star and his movie star wife move in.

Over the course of the summer, Mary Jane introduces her new household to crisply ironed clothes and a family dinner schedule, and has a front-row seat to a liberal world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll (not to mention group therapy). Caught between the lifestyle she’s always known and the future she’s only just realized is possible, Mary Jane will arrive at September with a new idea about what she wants out of life, and what kind of person she’s going to be.

©2021 Jessica Anya Blau (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Delightful

4.5 STARS

MARY JANE is a slice of life, coming of age story set in 1976 about a young teen from a cold, conservative family who gets a life education while babysitting for the daughter of a liberal family who are hosting a rock star and his tv star wife for the summer.

I was a few years younger than MARY JANE and was easily able to put myself in her shoes in this realistic story. I remember escaping my family babysitting, thrilled when families welcomed me into their lives and appreciated me for the gifts I had to offer. Like MARY JANE, I never wanted to go home and longed to stay with the families. While I knew no one as free-living as the Cones and no one offered me marijuana (that part wasn’t realistic), I enjoyed the craziness of the family. Dr Cone, a (terrible) psychiatrist, invited his famous clients to live with the family to help Jimmy detox. Even before HIPAA, I can’t picture this happening though it was lots of fun to read.

The Audible narrator was pitch perfect in all the voices and made the story even better.

Mary Jane rocks!!! 🎶

Wow, what a fun ride! I thought about this book while I was working and couldn’t wait until I could get back to listening. The characters were so endearing, the story so original and charming, and the overall setting/vibe so cool, it all added up to a blast. I’ll be looking for more by this author. Sequel, please!!

The narrator made each character sound different and even sang! She was outstanding!!

Loved every minute

This book put a smile on my face, all the way through. Absolutely loved the story and narration. I didn't think it would be possible to take what could have been a very cliche storyline and infuse it with so fun and a sense of being human that I could easily relate to. More serious twists are dealt with in a way that shines a light on the difference that love and acceptance can make, and the characters grow and deepen, but not always in the way one would expect.

Wonderful performance

This was a wonderful book and performance. Very lighthearted and easy to listen to. Just what I needed, something light, fun, exciting! I’m sure I’m going to listen to this again and again, just very enjoyable I highly recommend it.

Magical & heartfelt

Words can not properly describe how wonderfully heartfelt this book was. It took me back to being a little girl who was naive of the world and also fell in love with the magic of learning new ways of life outside of a carefully sheltered box my parents had similarly built for me. Excellent narration performance by Caitlin who captured this innocence so well… give this book a try and fall in love with Mary Jane as she learns new life lessons and grows into a well rounded & confident young girl

wonderful

I was interested from beginning to end. everything about this book was amazing. Thank you. 💜

captivating

the story was engaging and characters loveable. great writing and the reader did a fabulous job!
didn't want it to end.

A teen book of Substance: Compelling & Fun

Loved it! Empowering for a girl or woman of any age! An excellent coming of age story :)

Best Narrator!

The narrator made this book a joy to listen to! I really enjoyed this fun story!

Coming of Age

What a delightful story! And, a
Narrator was excellent! This is a keeper if you want to be entertained.