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The Evolution of Jane
by: Cathleen Schine |
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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54 EAN: 9780452281202 Edition: First Edition Thus ISBN: 0452281202 Label: Plume Manufacturer: Plume Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 224 Publication Date: September 01, 1999 Publisher: Plume Studio: Plume |
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| Customer Reviews | ||
  - The evolution of obsession, the devolution of friendship.The book centers on two cousins and childhood friends, Jane and Martha Barlow. These two become fast friends as they grow up together--almost literally, their houses are next to one another in a very small town-- in New England despite an obvious rift of significant proportions between the adults on the scene. The book opens with Jane comparing her recent divorce to her loss of her childhood friend Martha, from whom she has heard nothing for many years. As a consolatory diversion Jane's parents send her off to the Galapagos on tour to take her mind off the divorce--though Jane is hardly torn asunder by the occurrence--only to find that Martha is the guide on the tour. The story revolves around Jane's efforts to decipher the nature of the family feud, decipher the reasons for her split from Martha, and decipher the inner workings of Darwin's epoch theory. Intertwining these three strands of story line deftly we see the evolution of the feud and the devolution of the friendship as well as examine--through Jane's discourse of her cabin mate on the journey--the aspects of inner obsession that drive both circumstances. Witty in a dry and droll manner, this is an exquisitely crafted story that deftly intertwines various aspects of both Darwin's life and philosophy to drive home the obsession Jane has with her circumstances. All in all a most enjoyable read. Rating:  - The Necessity of FriendshipI was surprised by some of the negative reviews Cathleen Schine's new book had the misfortune to garner. I enjoyed _The Love Letter_ very much and found _The Evolution of Jane_ to be a further evolution of the author's skill and talent. Jane's parents treat her to a trip to the Galapagos islands after her divorce is finalized. Rather than escaping from one failed relationship she is faced with another--her best friend from childhood, Martha, picks Jane and her group up at the airport and announces that she will be their tour guide. Here, where the whole concept of evolution began, Jane faces a more difficult puzzle than why "a husky is not the same species as a wolf but is the same species as a Pekingese"--why her relationship with Martha ended. It goes into a complex discussion on the nature of friendship, whether it is necessary to the human species and if it is why did Martha forget her? Jane's whininess is amusing and any one who likes Darwin will like the description of the Galapagos. A more-than-enjoyable read! Rating: - Well-written fable"The Evolution of Jane" is a novel that is at times brilliant, at times maddeningly pedestrian. The premise, of twentysomething Jane Schwartz's trip to the Galapogos after a divorce, is at once fascinating and flawed. While on the trip, Jane muses on her lost friendship with her cousin and soul mate,Martha, who just happens to be the tour guide on the trip through the Galapogos. The novel weaves back and forward between Jane and Martha's childhood in Connecticut, and their present trip together. One of the problems with the novel is the narrator's voice. We are supposed to believe she and her cousin are currently in their mid-twenties, but I think their thoughts, behavior and values seem better aligned with characters twice that age. Another problem is the character of Martha, who is vaguely drawn at best. Is she self-absorbed, elusive, narcissistic? We see so little of her, and yet the novel hinges on questions of her character. We are left to believe Jane's conclusion that Martha was not the friend Jane thought she was. But is this true? The ending was too vague for my taste. The novel shines, though, when the author draw parallels between the evolution of the species and the evolution of families and individuals. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was inspired to hit the Natural History museum and to call my travel agent after reading about Jane's travels in the islands of Darwin's discoveries. Rating: - Evolution of the NovelMy book group read this book and will meet next week to discuss it. I found it to be a welcomed break-away from a conventional novel. The balance of Non-fiction/fiction was superbly crafted. Ms Shine's wit and wisdom is both provocative and entertaining. Don't we all know a Jane somewhere? Or perhaps have a little of Jane's quirky narcisism lurking in ourselves that we cringe to acknowledge? I would venture that it's this dark truth, along with the risk-taking departure from conventional format, that readers find disturbing. But if you shake off preconception, it's a terrific read. Bravo! Rating: - provocative and quite interesting....deeper than most!I'm quite surprised by the number of negative reviews of this book, but I quite frankly found it very interesting. Jane, who is recently divorced, goes on a trip to the Galapagos where she finds that the tour guide is her distant cousin/estranged best friend from childhood. What follows is a convoluted tale of relationships, the evolution of friendship, species and families. For those who have developed a blind-sided aversion to Darwin and the theory of evolution, this is probably too much to take, but for those who enjoy the process of scientific thought and analysis and spoofs thereof, this book is a treat. But then, as a scientist by choice and vocation, I'm probably biased (grin). |
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