Adventures of Mary Jane, Hope Jahren
Adventures of Mary Jane, Hope Jahren
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Adventures of Mary Jane

Author: Hope Jahren

Narrator: Elizabeth Robbins

Unabridged: 12 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/25/2024

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

In this brand new reimagining, Mary Jane—the red-headed spark from Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, who stole Huck's heart in just 30 pages—comes to life with her own story of adventuring down the Mississippi River in the 1840s.

Meet Mary Jane Guild — she’s on a dangerous and unpredictable adventure down the Mississippi River — and she’ll steal Huck Finn’s heart along the way.

In his classic work Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain briefly introduces "Mary Jane, the red-headed one." In no time Mary Jane becomes the girl Huck thinks about "a many and a many million times." Now author Hope Jahren has created for Mary Jane a life as vivid and compelling as Huck's.

These pages will show you the real Mary Jane. A girl on her own dangerous, unpredictable journey down the Mississippi River in pre-Civil War America. Equipped with an uncanny ability for mathematics, a talent for sewing, and a bale of beaver skins, Mary Jane navigates deadly illnesses, angry mobs, treacherous landowners, outright thieves and swindlers, and more than a thousand miles of muddy water. What’s more, she thrives in the face of these challenges, thanks to support from strangers who become friends. Traveling solo requires Mary Jane to grow up fast, but it ultimately leads her to a new resilience, a love of adventure, deep and enduring sisterhood, and a blue-eyed, ponytailed boy she can’t stop thinking about.

Jahren offers a wealth of layered characters and deeply researched, authentic details of changing times in the North and South. Using the language and style of Twain and shifting the point of view to a smart and determined young woman, she explores timeless themes of duty, family, romance, and betrayal, with grit and courage at the core.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing a map of the Mississippi River Valley ca. 1846, a family tree, and suggested reading.

About The Author

HOPE JAHREN is a teacher, scientist, and book lover living in Oslo, Norway. Recognized as one Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Jahren is the recipient of three Fulbright Awards and was named one of the Brilliant 10 by Popular Science magazine in 2005. She is the author of two works of nonfiction: The Story of More and Lab Girl, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography. Adventures of Mary Jane is her first work of fiction.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Joseph on May 13, 2024

To begin with, some disclaimers and a confession. The disclaimers: I received an ARC of this book (shipped all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, much like Morfar himself) from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. And I've known the author since high school, so while I'll endeavor to......more

Goodreads review by Brian on June 17, 2024

My wife received an advance copy of this book, but I started reading it too and before long, we had three different bookmarks sticking out of the pages – one for her, one for me, and one for our son (middle school) – each jockeying for the lead. I give my review here based on my experiences reading......more

Goodreads review by Heather on August 08, 2024

Too much golly gee willikers energy. Aggressively earnest and will appeal to fans of Anne of Green Gables. Reads exceptionally young, apart from a couple instances (no spoilers). I don’t get all the praise for how the characters white saviorism is slapped down—the book is trying hard to fit with its......more

Goodreads review by Diana on June 20, 2024

I greatly enjoyed Hope Jahren’s Adventures of Mary Jane, telling the story of Mary Jane from Huckleberry Finn, where she was a minor character. I was intrigued by the author’s note in the Introduction that she had always felt that Mary Jane was a character who deserved more attention than she got in......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on February 05, 2024

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed Adventures of Mary Jane. It was a fast paced story. I loved the supporting characters especially Mrs. Captain and Rooster. I think all characters were well developed and interesting.......more


Quotes

★ "Jahren has done a heroic amount of research but most of all has told a cracking good story. This book soars: Huck Finn has met his match in a wildly appealing, smart, and courageous girl." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Beautifully written and rich in fully realized, memorable characters and incident, the book is a treasure. Its surprising but satisfying ending gives Huckleberry Finn a run for its money." —Booklist, starred review

★ "A rollicking adventure full of rich characterizations that will be ­enjoyed by junior high and high school readers." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Hope Jahren's Adventures of Mary Jane is a marvelous mix of history and fiction in the wake of Mark Twain's magnus opus." —Jerome Loving, author of Mark Twain: The Adventures of Samuel L. Clemens

"Hope Jahren gives new life to Mark Twain's Mary Jane and to all her lucky readers. This lovely, generous novel takes us on a journey not just along the Mississippi but to the center of the human heart. —Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of She's Not There and co-author of Mad Honey