Customer Reviews

The Thing About Jane Spring

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Thirty-year old Manhattan attorney Jane Spring is the product of an austere, military upbringing by her United States General father, who wanted a boy and in many ways still controls her life. Like many the heroine of a fairy tale, Jane's mother died at a young age, leaving the young girl vulnerable to poor paternal efforts - in this case, her general father has indoctrinated all of his children that `civilians' are an unruly, insubordinate lazy lot who need constant criticism and correction. It is no wonder then, that Jane is unpopular with her coworkers, potential dates, her own housekeeper, or occasionally, the juries she must persuade to her side of the case. Following a devastating court loss due to her overly-aggressive courtroom behavior, a very bad date, and overhearing two male coworkers denigrate her attractiveness, Jane has an early mid-life crisis aided and abetted by a blizzard that strands her at home watching a Doris Day movie marathon. With a good bit of alcohol coursing through her veins, Jane comes to the conclusion that since Doris always got what she wanted - including a man - she would be wise to use her considerable abilities to focus and set goals using a proven technique: act like Doris Day. Using her grandmother's inherited clothes, as well as memories of her grandmother, Jane physically transforms herself and her apartment into a modern day version of Doris Day and learns from the results.

The transformation was, indeed, somewhat ridiculous, especially in the apparent ease with which Jane eschews her past behaviors (including changing her voice, which would require a great deal of effort and practice in reality). I didn't ever understand why Jane tortured herself by wearing her grandmother's too-small spike heels - surely somewhere in Manhattan she could find a pair of spike heels in her own size! I also didn't know why her grandmother would have saved her cone bras and why Jane would have stuffed and worn them rather than going out and buying bras of her own.

Those caveats aside, the book is amusing and fast-paced (I read it in 2.5 hours) and impossible to put down. Especially effective were the multiple points of view (a difficult feat for an author, but well done here), which enables the reader to see Jane as others see her. The multiple povs allow us to judge the results of her transformation on everyone from her housekeeper (who is thrilled to be cleaning something other than the grey prison) to her family (who thinks she is clinically insane as a result of the stress of working with civilians) to her coworkers (who think it is an act to win an upcoming court case). In the end [spoiler ahead] Jane does get a man, although one she hadn't expected and begins to see that she needs to integrate `old' Jane with `new' Jane - I wish that we could have seen more of that second, more integrative transformation.

This book bears a passing resemblance to Sophie Kinsella's The Undomestic Goddess in that both are about 30 year old city lawyers who face a crossroads in their life and choose a more `traditional female' route to happiness. Both books manage to avoid strident anti-feminist tones, while making the point that being a feminist doesn't mean adhering to male criteria of success and fulfillment. I consider myself a feminist and was not offended by Jane's search for happiness. If you are willing to suspend your disbelief for a silly, quick read that brings visuals to mind similar to the movie, Down with Love, then this book would be a great choice.

Reading the Editorial Reviews gives you the meat and bones of this book. I'd like to say that I was, as a feminist since the 70's in High School, not quite sure about the premise, but the writing (Chick Lit) is fast paced and I read the book in one weekend. I found it cheerful, inspiring, funny, and uplifting. I usually read nonfiction - science, psychology, Mental Floss Magazine, etc. This was a welcome diversion, and I'd like to find more books like this to divert me from politics as usual.

Usually I try to avoid reading books with implausible plots. Too much suspension of reality makes me overly critical and I get so caught up in thinking "now that couldn't really happen!" that I'm unable to enjoy the book for what it is.

"The Thing about Jane Spring" falls into this category for me, but really enjoyed it's Ally McBeal-type humor. Jane was a great character - completely competent and successful in her professional life, but inept when it comes to sustaining any relationship. Her self-improvement campaign starts off as a way to attract men, but Jane sees how some of her changes in how she interacts with others benefit her in many ways. This would make a wonderful movie.

A great escape novel - enjoy!

As a Doris Day fan and as an attorney, I liked the premise of this book. Many scenes in the book were funny, but overall the story suffered from the implausibility of Jane's quite literal transformation into 1960's Doris Day. The makeover was so extreme that Jane appeared bizarre, in my eyes, as she walked around modern-day snowy Manhattan in her grandmother's white pumps, pillbox hat and beauty case. The change in Jane's personality was equally startling, and I had to work hard to suspend my disbelief throughout the second half of the book.

I would have enjoyed the story more if Jane's transformation was a little less dramatic. Jane realizes at the end of the book that she does not have to assume a new identity to achieve her goals. Instead, she can blend her own qualities with some of Doris' characteristics for a pleasing compromise. The book would have been better, and probably no less funny, if Jane had chosen this approach from the start.

One other minor complaint is that many of the legal parts of Jane's work - particularly the trial arguments - were completely unrealistic.

Aside from these implausible aspects, The Thing About Jane Spring is an enjoyable, light read.

Being a man, I don't often read books in the genre of "chick lit." But I happened to pick up The Thing About Jane Spring when I was in a bookstore. I was intrigued by the book cover and then I noticed that the book's plot was kind of movie-related. Being an ardent movie fan, I skimmed through the first chapter and found it totally delightful. Since I was going away for a few days to the beach, I thought it might be a fun read.

Boy, was I right. The author did a good job in elicting the Doris Day movies of the 1950s and 1960s and bringing them into the new century. She also did a great job in referring to the movies (specifically Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back and That Touch of Mink.

I found the book to be remarkably funny and smart and insightful about relationships. When I finished the book I was actually kind of sad to part company with the characters. But at least I had the opportunity to pop in the DVDs of some of the movies that ostensibly formed the basis of this romance.

Men with any sense of humor will appreciate it, especially if they know about movies. I really can't recommend this book enough.

Loved it. Couldn't put it down. Finished it in a day. Jane Spring as a woman is a ripper; funny, sassy, clever, beautiful and with enough moxie to move a mountain. She's the type of woman I'd normally love to hate, but her vulnerabilities make her endearing and lovable. Krum's neat style and Jane's strong personality make for a great combination. Jane Spring is a great winter (as opposed to summer in the northern hemisphere) read. Encore, please, Ms Krum. Can't wait for the movie - Kate Hudson, perhaps?

About a third of the way through this book, I realized I was giggling at nearly every page. It's a modern story, it's a Doris Day movie, and almost, but not quite, a satire (too gentle). I just loved it. I think the some of the critics of this book just did not get it and thought it was an odd "Harlequin Romance." It's really quite clever and it surprised me.

For a good part of the book I really wanted to climb into the book and tell Jane to watch something a bit more contemporary, like "Sex and the City" as opposed to Doris Day flicks. But, after a while I got it. That Doris Day persona really worked for Jane and the story.

I had a hard time during the beginning of the book accepting that someone could be so absolutely clueless about herself. I loved her list of qualities she tells Grahm that men are looking for in a woman.

The story moved along well and it was great to get brief glimpses into what the other characters were thinking.

I like that it wasn't your typical makeover story- she didn't run out for a designer haircut and super trendy clothes. It was a nice twist and break from most other chick lit book. It was a positive, fun story. I will look for more books by this author.

Quite simply, I LOVED THIS BOOK! I finished it in a day because I just couldn't stop reading about Jane and her life. At the outset of the book, Jane is a hard-nosed attorney who wants things done her way, on her schedule, and without errors. In the courtroom, with co-workers, and even on dates her personality is very hard and militant and, instead of attracting men and getting to second dates, Jane finds herself perpetually single. Why? Well, despite being the best attorney in NYC, Jane doesn't realize that she is lacking some of the fundamental qualities that men are seeking in a partner (ie femininity). When Jane finally realizes what she lacks, she makes up for it big-time by morphing into someone else (Doris Day) and leading a completly new life. The transformation into Doris Day was laugh out loud funny - downright hysterical in many places, especially when she shows up at work and family functions as her new self. Aside from a solid storyline and a great leading character, there were a host of well-defined supporting characters in this book and they were all at turns funny, engaging, and evil! The author is also quite original with the writing; The Thing About Jane Spring is written entirely in the third person. At first, it was offputting but, after a few chapters I realized that reading the book was like watching a Doris Day film - because Jane wasn`t narrating, we could see her life for what it really was. I was drawn into the book as though it was a mini-movie, and it definitely had that `old-school' charm about it. It was also quite romantic - particularly towards the end! A highly recommended book!

This book was so unbelievable and therfore, horrible! Woman decides to adopt the image of an old fashioned movie star ... down to painting her walls and redecorating her apartment? Does she even want to do this or does she think she has to in order to make friends and meet guys? People only like people who act like Doris Day? I hardly think so. I like my novels to be believable. This one is sending the wrong message to women and the world.