Review: Jane by Robin Maxwell

Title: Jane
Author:  Robin Maxwell
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Tor
Publish Date: September 18, 2012
Source: I received a copy from the PR; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You love adventure.
• You love great settings.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Cambridge, England: 1905. Jane Porter is hardly a typical woman of her time. The only female student in Cambridge University’s medical program, she is far more comfortable in a lab coat, dissecting corpses, than she is in a corset and gown, sipping afternoon tea. A budding paleoanthropologist, Jane dreams of travelling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.

When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father on an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Rising to the challenge, Jane finds an Africa that is every bit exotic and fascinating as she has always imagined. But she quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets—and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity’s past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes.

Jane is the first version of the Tarzan story written by a woman and authorized by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. Its 2012 publication will mark the centennial of the publication of the original Tarzan of the Apes."

My Two Cents:

Admittedly, I have never read any of the original Tarzan books by Edgar Rice Burroughs; however, I'm familiar with some of the movies. Tarzan and Jane are still very well known characters even today. The relationship between Tarzan and Jane is still interesting to many today. They are definitely a timeless pair. This book marks the first "spin-off" authorized by the author's estate, which is very cool! I really enjoyed this book. You definitely don't need to be familiar with the story to find some enjoyment in the book.

Jane Porter of the Tarzan stories is an awesome character. The story takes place during the early part of the 1900s when women adventurers and scientists were very few and far between. In her mid-twenties, Jane's unmarried status was already a little bit of an anomaly. She's tough, strong, and determined to do what she wants. Jane is the narrator of the book, which I thought really helped to pull you into the story. It takes awhile to get there but throughout the book, Jane really grows and becomes more comfortable with herself, which was cool to see.

Yes, this is an adventure book but there isn't a whole lot of action, especially not at the beginning. This book is definitely more of a sort of quiet adventure with a lot more focus on the characters and setting than an actual adventure. The real adventure only comes in the latter half of the book.

Some of the changes in time were a little bit confusing. At least in the ARC version (which is the version I read), there are very few indications of how much time had passed between each event. It confused the flow a little bit as the book jumps around a little bit.

Overall, I really liked this book. Jane is awesome. Tarzan is a fantastic character. It seems like there possibly could be a sequel to the book, which I would absolutely love.

Bottom line: A quiet story for both those new and not so new to the Tarzan stories.