The Evolution of Jane (Bookcassette(r) Edition)

Rating:
Summary: boring, disappointing and unlikeable
Review: My entire book club was disappointed in the book. The idea was terrific, but the author failed to flesh out the characters and the plot. Even once the reader uncovers the secrets of Jane's family, who cares??? There are too many analogies and it feels like the author ran out of things to say after page 10.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Thought Provoking
Review: Needs no review. A wonderful escape to a thought provoking trip, weaved with love, and family disapointment, yet ultimately an extremely good read.

Rating:
Summary: But Jane doesn't evolve at all
Review: The book was very well written, and the descriptions were wonderfully done. However, the characters are so shallow and so unlikeable I could only finish it in hopes that something awful would happen to them, especially Jane. I was drawn to this book having both lost a childhood best friend to unknown circumstances and being a student of evolutionary science,so it seemed to be a perfect fit. Unfortunately, it was not. But perhaps it is just a testament to the talent of the author that she was able to make such a strong characterization of Jane as to repel me. I just wish there had been more of a meaning to the story and to Jane's life.

Rating:
Summary: Tedious
Review: The story is promising but the endless essay-like reflections on evolution kill the heart of the novel. The link between evolution and friendship is interesting -- but without more depth and resolution of the human story it is ultimately empty.

Rating:
Summary: provocative and quite interesting....deeper than most!
Review: The title and setting of this story is what attracted me to read it. But once the underlying story began, of Jane's childhood, I wished that the entire novel had been on that topic. I enjoyed the lush scenery, and the descriptions of the Galapogos, which is what made me choose this book in the first place, but I think the two plots would have been better had they been separate. And to be honest, the flashback sequences were what I enjoyed most. There was too much of a gap in between stories. One minute-- Jane is 14, then she is 25. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, it was a great summer vacation read, and a fast one, but I was looking for more. Intertwining the two stories into one meant leaving out details. This was the only disappointment. Read it and I think you'll agree.

Rating:
Summary: 2 stories that should have been 1
Review: The title and setting of this story is what attracted me to read it. But once the underlying story began, of Jane's childhood, I wished that the entire novel had been on that topic. I enjoyed the lush scenery, and the descriptions of the Galapogos, which is what made me choose this book in the first place, but I think the two plots would have been better had they been separate. And to be honest, the flashback sequences were what I enjoyed most. There was too much of a gap in between stories. One minute-- Jane is 14, then she is 25. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, it was a great summer vacation read, and a fast one, but I was looking for more. Intertwining the two stories into one meant leaving out details. This was the only disappointment. Read it and I think you'll agree.

Rating:
Summary: Evolution: It's only a theory, after all
Review: Up to the penultimate chapter of the book, I was extremely enthusiastic about The Evolution of Jane. It is the first novel I've read by Schine, and I was impressed by the mixed voice of levity, sentimentality, and great human sensitivity. Most of all, lines and whole passages caused me to laugh out loud. A few of her tropes, however (her mother's catchword "Chaos," the pivotal pool tragedy, Darwin's "nature red in tooth and claw," and Jane's general whininess), began to chafe with repetition. Most disappointing was the ending. It came in a rush, without much reflection or discourse, an abrupt departure from the previous flow of the book, which at its best philosophized lightly and at its worst dwelled. The onset of Ecuadorean illness, which I will spare both past and future readers, was particularly sickening. The book, in my opinion, DE-volved from this episode on. Most irritating, however, was Martha. Martha's irritating-ness served a purpose up to Jane's epiphany about thier lost friendship, but after the epiphany Martha continued to be irritating - her aloof, intractable, affable yet grating indifference to one and all - and this made the novel and the heroine both... irritating. Yet, this is not intended to be a wholly negative review. I do recommend the book for anyone in the mood for a very engaging read that is nevertheless not sustainable.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment for all Schine fans
Review: Where is the famous Schine blend of wit, humor and intelligence? I eagerly awaited this novel, having adored "The Love Letter" and "Rameau's Niece." However, after reading fifty pages of it, I'm loathe to pick it up again. A tedious, device-y novel, it certainly doesn't pick up any speed as it goes along. I'll try to finish it, but only out of reader's guilt and a sense of responsibility to Schine.

A serious misstep.