Looking for Jane - Book Review


 

Looking for Jane, Heather Marshall 

Pub Date 01 Mar 2022

My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

A book that will tear you apart with emotion as you read about the lives of women in the 60s-70s. But it will also remind you of the depth of friendship, the strength of motherhood and the resolve of young women to hold their lives together. 

 


It was a time when unwanted pregnancy was oftentimes dealt with in back-streets and handled by ill-equipped religious institutions, where young women were sometimes called 'inmates'. When the Jane Network was needed, but maternity homes were still prevalant.

If you have any memories of growing up during these times, you will remember the inability to control your decisions, either at the hands of family dynamics, the lack of access to birth control, and/or the shame and broken family ties that often ensued. Attending a Catholic school in the 70s, I remember red-haired Maureen who 'disappeared' one day amidst rumours, and  Sharon who graduated from high school on Friday and married that weekend. Marshall, in her debut novel did justice to the fear, sadness and despair that took hold for many young women.

Angela, Nancy and Evelyn draw you into a story that stays with you as an important, although dark period of Canadian history. With brutal honesty, author Heather Marshall takes you to a time when women did not tragically have a choice over their own bodies. As a Canadian it is worth reading, remembering and sharing with our daughters and younger generations.

A book that should be read regardless of the choices you might have made. It will provide a deeper understanding of your fellow woman/sister/mother or friend.

Thank you to #NetGalley #HeatherMarshall #Simon&SchusterCanada for this advance copy, opinions are my own.

Come back again, to see what I'm reading,

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