Looking For Jane
The deeply moving historical novel spanning five decades of powerful women
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4.2 • 9 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
*THE INSTANT NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER IN CANADA*
'A fascinating and compelling story peopled with strong, brave women who had me cheering them on and moved to tears' Tracy Rees, bestselling author of The Rose Garden
'Just tell them you're looking for Jane...'
2017
When Angela discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession in a stack of forgotten letters, she begins to look for the intended recipient. Her search takes her to the 1970s and 80s, when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network known only by its whispered code name: Jane . . .
1971
As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was forced to give her baby up for adoption. Swearing she'll do everything she can to make sure other women have the right to choose, she joins the Jane Network to provide safe but illegal abortions. There, she crosses paths with Nancy, who was told that if she ever found herself 'in a position', she should ask for Jane. Nancy soon becomes the Network's newest volunteer, desperately trying to help others while family secrets threaten everything she knows to be true.
Over the years, Evelyn, Nancy, and Angela's lives intertwine to reveal the devastating consequences that come from a lack of choice, and the buried secrets that will always find a way to the surface . . .
Spanning decades, Evelyn, Nancy, and Angela's lives intertwine to reveal the devastating consequences that come from a lack of choice, and the buried truths that will always find a way to the surface...
'A compelling, courageous must-read about motherhood and choice' Genevieve Graham, bestselling author of The Forgotten Home Child
'A beautifully written meditation on the lengths mothers will go to for their children as well as an eye-opening history of women' Janet Skeslien Charles, bestselling author of The Paris Library
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Marshall's sweeping debut follows series of Canadian women in their struggles for reproductive autonomy. In a Toronto antique store in 2017, Angela Creighton, who's suffered a second miscarriage, discovers an undelivered letter addressed to Nancy Mitchell. It was written by Nancy's mother, Frances, who confesses as she's dying that in 1961 Nancy had been adopted from St. Agnes's Home for Unwed Mothers. As an adoptee connected with her own birth mother, Angela decides to track Nancy down and pass along the information. Marshall then moves back to 1979, when Nancy, a college student, helps her cousin obtain an illegal abortion. Only after her cousin nearly dies does Nancy learn about the underground abortion access network called Jane. Two years later, Nancy requires Jane's services for herself, and she believes so strongly in Jane's mission that she volunteers as an organizer until abortion is legalized in 1988, work she keeps secret—along with her own termination—from her new husband. Marshall vividly brings to life the dangers involved with operating Jane and the cruelty of the nuns running St. Agnes's, where Evelyn was forced to give up her baby. It's a page-turner that unfortunately falters with an unnecessary, gimmicky twist involving two of the women. Still, readers will be moved by the courage and thoughtfulness with which these characters face their dilemmas.
