Anything For Jane
Anything For Jane by Cheryl Mendelson, published by Random House Publishing Group in 2008, is a 290-page novel that explores the complexities of parenthood and the challenges of growing up. Set in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, the story follows the Braithwaites as they navigate the trials of raising their gifted eighteen-year-old daughter, Jane. As Jane embarks on her journey toward independence, she entangles her family in a web of relationships with a diverse cast of characters, including a homeless family and a struggling teenager, all while highlighting the aspirations and pressures faced by parents in their community.
Readers will find a narrative that combines humor and perceptiveness, delving into themes of class conflict, parent-child discord, and the intricacies of young love. The Braithwaites’ interactions with friends and acquaintances, such as a lovesick clergyman and a poverty activist, add layers of social and political commentary to the story. Anything For Jane presents a fast-paced and engaging tale that reflects on the challenges of family dynamics and the unexpected resolutions that arise from their dilemmas.
Official synopsis Publisher
This provocative, funny, perceptive novel tells the story of the trials of over-conscientious parenthood, as the devoted Braithwaites watch their bright, gifted eighteen-year-old take her disturbing initial steps toward independence, integrity–and failure.
The action is set in Morningside Heights, the Manhattan neighborhood surrounding Columbia University where the Braithwaites live in a community in which adults’ aspirations are firmly focused on the achievements of their children. Talented, troubled, and self-centered, Jane Braithwaite makes her well-meaning upper-middle-class family miserable, enmeshing them in the complicated lives of a homeless family, a poor teenager with no family, and a would-be family foundering on childlessness. When catastrophe finally threatens, all their dilemmas are resolved by the same stunning and unexpected means.
All the while, the Braithwaites involve old and new friends in their struggles–a lovesick clergyman, a lonely doctor and his baby-obsessed wife, a libertarian billionaire, a money-loving philosopher, and a hard-bitten but sexy poverty activist. Their social and political clashes provide entertainment both comic and serious.
Anything for Janeis a fast-paced, beautifully crafted, moving tale of parent-child discord, class conflict, and young love. Erudite and playful, it offers readers a feast of rich satisfactions.
From the Hardcover edition.
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