Beautifully crafted historical fiction set in Canada about the real Jane collective. I loved how well the stories of all three women are woven together with the overall theme of women's right to choose. I found the stories of the three main characters (Evelyn, Angela, and Nancy) were well developed and felt invested in their individual stories.

What a remarkable debut novel about a very brave topic. This book is a lot about abortion, but much like the point of ensuring that it is legal is the concept of choice. And this book is about choices made by others that can be life altering. It’s about motherhood and in all the ways that those with choice don’t always get what they want. It’s about heartbreak and suffering at the hands of people who like to exact power over others. It’s about the underground fight to make abortions safe. It’s about the horrific acts made by governments and churches to “protect” the innocent and profit on fear. It’s about every women who needs an advocate. It’s mostly about those who didn’t have one and the impact on their lives. If these topics are troubling for you stay away. If you want to learn about a time in our recent history that should have been changed so much sooner then do yourself and favour and learn about “Jane”. I look forward to future novels from this promising author.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Shuster Canada and the author, Heather Marshall, for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Looking for Jane is a book that about three women from different time periods whose lives are connected by their right to choose what happens to their body. It examines the relatively disturbing history of abortion in Canada (did not realize it was illegal until the late 80's here) and a fictionalized version of the network of doctors and women who championed a woman's right to choose what happens to her body and the battles that were fought and lost.

I found this book extremely enjoyable to read despite it being mildly infuriating (not the author's writing at all..but the injustice), and a relatively difficult read. There's so much sadness in the story honestly...so much loss and so many secrets. I definitely would recommend this book for another who is interested in an excellent historical fiction book, or someone who is interested in the women's rights journey of Canadian women. As a fellow Canuck, I'll definitely be interested in other works by the author.

"Looking for Jane" is not a history of Canadian women’s fight for legalized abortion, but a character driven novel in which the intertwined narratives of three women’s lives cover much of that history.

There is not as much darkness as you might expect in a book about the dangerous, sometimes fatal abortion fight. It is most evident in the parts that take place in the church-run home for unwed mothers, where rigid nuns and embarrassed parents essentially jailed pregnant teens far from home to ‘hide their shame.’

This book opens the drapes not only on the homes but on the psyches of the girls sequestered there, incubating lives they must give up to strangers and thereby incurring heart-wounds that will last many for the rest of their lives.

This isn’t an easy read despite the enjoyable characters. Death lurks in those regimented homes and elsewhere too, as when Dr. Morgenthaler tells Evelyn that the glass behind him is bulletproof. It lurks when Nancy’s cousin is being dragged to the hospital after her botched back alley abortion.

One death that surprisingly choked me up was old Chester’s, partly for his own sake and partly because it's the trigger for Evelyn to confront her own past back in that repurposed building and lets the sunshine in on all the dark memories that led to her precarious, highly stressful life as an abortion doctor before it was legal.

The old system - surely inconceivable to many teen girls today - was inhumane, rooted in moralistic good-versus-evil thinking that blamed, shamed, and punished the pregnant women throughout, including their birthing process, while letting their sexual partners off the hook entirely. The novel makes a great case for the burning down of the patriarchy and shows the personal and professional costs for women caught helping other women to safe, secret abortions. It reminds us all that the freedoms girls and women enjoy today were hard-won and remain terrifyingly fragile all theses decades later. They are under constant assault by right-wing politicians and evangelical leaders across North America and around the world.

That this book can present so much grim history and yet keep the reader engaged with its three women characters to the end is a testament to both the author and the editing team.

Highly recommended as both a social history and as women's fiction.

I have just finished reading 'Looking for Jane'..
Thank you to net galley for giving me this opportunity to read this book.
This is a must read for those who are interested in womens' rights to own their bodies. It was an eye-opener for me.
The story centre's around 3 women in three different decades.
In 2017 Angela Creighton is at work at the antiques shop and finds a letter in a stack of forgotten mail. She sets out on a quest to find the rightful owner and it takes her back to the aerly '70's who operate an underground abortion network and they go by the code name Jane.

In the early '70's Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a maternity house for unwed women. It didn't matter how the unmarried women got pregnant (incest, rape or in a committed relationship). The women were given no choice about their babies. When she becomes a doctor she eventually joins the Jane network.

In the early '80's Nancy Mitchell discovers a secret about her family. She has a casual boyfriend and becomes pregnant. She is determined to find Jane and have an abortion..
The last couple of chapters I was reading through tears as it was so touching.

What a fabulous debut novel based in Toronto based on abortions in Canada in the late ‘60’s, ‘70’s and early ‘80’s. A must read for all!

Heather Marshall has created her debut book that is truly engaging and deeply emotional. Her characters, are courageous, resilient and extremely determined woman who have lived though their own experiences while ready to help others.

This book with has potential for trigger warnings including abortion, forced adoption, fertility issues and baby loss. Outlining the Canadian history of abortion and women’s rights, we follow a triple timeline where the stories of endearing characters thrust into maternity homes for unwed mothers, while others faced with the only options for illegal abortions.

Looking for Jane makes it’s debut with a bang!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity read this advanced digital copy of this book for an honest review.

There aren’t many things that feel better to an avid reader than being absolutely surprised and delighted by a book. I expected to enjoy Looking for Jane, Heather Marshall’s debut novel, of course. I didn’t, however, expect it to be my first five star read of the year. I loved every single thing about this book and will be recommending it to all historical fiction fans for the rest of the year. Probably longer.

Here’s the book’s description:
Tell them you’re looking for Jane.
2017
When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession in a stack of forgotten mail, she is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code name: Jane...
1971
As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen” women where she was forced to give up her baby for adoption—a trauma she has never recovered from. Despite harrowing police raids and the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had.
1980
After discovering a shocking secret about her family history, twenty-year-old Nancy Mitchell begins to question everything she has ever known. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she feels like she has no one to turn to for help. Grappling with her decision, she locates “Jane” and finds a place of her own alongside Dr. Taylor within the network’s ranks, but she can never escape the lies that haunt her.
Historical fiction is not created equal and Marshall has proven already that she is a strong addition to the genre. I never felt like I was reading a textbook but I definitely felt like I was completely immersed in the time(s) she was writing about. I hadn't thought too much about what the underground abortion network would have looked like in Canada. Or the US. Marshall states in her author’s note (does any other historical fiction fans love reading those notes just as much as the story?) that the Jane Network didn’t technically exist in Canada and she kind of combined networks and stories she learned while researching. There aren’t as many recorded stories as you may expect because so many records were destroyed after the abortion, if they were ever written down in the first place. And oral histories aren’t abundant either because some women don’t want to discuss their abortions, either because of trauma or shame. Even with those potential gaps in research, Marshall was still able to put together a smart, well researched novel.

Marshall had three different characters she was writing about and they were all so strong. Angela didn’t seem to be in the novel quite as much as Evelyn and Nancy but she plays an important part and her sections are impactful. I often find with multiple perspectives that I enjoy one character over the other(s). I didn’t have that feeling with this book. It could be that there was eventual overlap so I didn’t really feel like I was “missing” the other characters. But I think it has a lot to do with the way Marshall wrote the women and their stories. I cared about all of them and the story flowed really well.

If you know my reading tastes, you might be surprised that I loved a book with such strong themes of motherhood. I have absolutely no desire to be a mother and tend to shy away from books with those themes because I usually can't identify with them. I think what worked for me was that this was historical fiction and feminist. And, you know, I don’t hate mothers. I also felt like this was still really relevant in today's world. Canada legalized abortions well after the US but if you've paid attention to the news, even a little bit, you know there are still laws (and new ones being created) that limit a pregnant person's options. And these laws are being created, for the most part, by men. It's infuriating.

I don’t often like to compare authors or books to others in a similar genre because there are so many nuances. That said, anyone who enjoys bestselling authors Genevieve Graham or Jennifer Robson will definitely enjoy Heather Marshall’s novel. She writes a quieter type of historical fiction and gives a story with heart and characters that will stick with you. I absolutely cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Looking for Jane was everything I wanted and more. I loved Heather Marshall’s debut (!?!) novel and cannot recommend it enough. It has a lot of tough storylines, so be kind to yourself, but it is most definitely worth a read.

Content warnings: abortion, adoption, infertility, death of a child, rape (off page)

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

A remarkable debut novel for Canadian author Heather Marshall introducing us to the Jane network. This book covers many harrowing topics including forced adoption, abortion, and struggles with fertility. The story spans from the 1960s to 2017, and you could feel the characters desperation to have control over their circumstances. I simply couldn't put down the complex and emotional story.

Where do I begin? What an incredible novel. Who knew that it was illegal for the most part to get a legal abortion in Canada until 1988. It is a very personal choice and not one to be made lightly however it should be a choice. Prior to 1988 many women risked their lives and at this moment in time it is still legal in Canada.
Looking for Jane is a gut wrenching story that involves three women over time and how closely their lives are intertwined. I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting. I loved it.

This book brought me to tears. I found as I was reading, the realization I had of not truly knowing how bad it had been for unwed mothers during the time before abortion was legal shocked me. There is so much truth to the stories told within the books, that I could relate to. The stories are very compellingly told that I just did not want to put the book down. Living in Canada, I am very glad that women have the choice these days.

i’ve been terrible at getting my advanced copies read on time lately, but my tardiness does not mean i didn’t really enjoy this awesome canadian historical fiction!

the book opens in toronto in 2017 when angela, a woman working at an antiques shop, discovers a long-lost letter and is determined to find the intended recipient. in doing so, she learns about a group of women in the 1970s who operated an illegal abortion network known only by the codename ’jane’.

the novel jumps in time between angela’s search in 2017, dr. evelyn taylor’s ’sentencing’ to a home for ‘fallen’ women in the 1970s and her joining the jane network, and the 1980s where we meet nancy, a girl who discovers a secret about her own family history, and who seeks out the jane network when she unexpectedly falls pregnant herself.

the three narratives weave together so seamlessly, and come together at the end in a very organic way. it was so cool to read a story set in downtown toronto, and to be so familiar with the streets and landmarks mentioned. the descriptions were so vivid, and i really felt like i knew the characters, nancy and evelyn in particular.

i’m not the biggest historical fiction reader, but i was pleasantly surprised by this book, and loved learning about an unknown part of canada’s history.

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall takes the reader through the history of abortion in Canada during the twentieth century. This is a work of fiction and it is the author’s debut novel. This is a story well- told because of the author’s skill in introducing one young woman for each era of the progress of abortion until its legalization in the late eighties. Evelyn represents the early seventies: becoming pregnant in her teens, her parents arrange to have her placed in a “home for wayward girls” in order to hide the shame they feel. Horrible abuse and cruelty are meted out on the young women who are as good as prisoners. Nancy is pregnant in her early twenties in 1971 and has an illegal abortion in the office of a doctor who was risking her freedom and career in order to provide a choice for women. Nancy soon becomes part of the medical yet illegal network to keep girls and women away from back-alley terminations. In 2017, Angela finds a letter that had been misplaced for many years and takes on the investigation of the sender as well as the addressee, which brings about a chapter about forced adoption at a time when there were no other alternatives, often ruining the lives of mother and child. Looking for Jane highlights the courage and hardships of young women in an era of change. Heather Marshall has written a memorable and illuminating novel about a difficult time and a difficult subject. This book will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended. Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Canadian historical component of this book was an interesting read. The author was able to present the history of abortions but at the same time show the ups and downs of motherhood. The Jane Network was developed to assist safely those women who for their own personal reasons wished to terminate a pregnancy. Another topic in this book was showing the homes for pregnant women were harsh environments and many young women were left shattered by their experiences in them. Women are fierce and resilient . This book showed that also.

Thank you so very much to @netgallery and @simonandschustercanada for an ebook copy of this book to read.

This book was intriguing and heartbreaking and a book about a woman’s choices and mothers love.

2017 - When Angela discovers a mysterious letter containing important information; she embarks on a search for the rightful owner. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a daring group of women operated illegal underground abortion networks known by the code name Jane.

1971 - Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen” women when she was young, and forced to give up her baby for adoption - a trauma which she has never recovered from. Despite police raids and threats of arrests she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give women then choice she never had.

1980 - Nancy discovers a shocking secret about her family history; when she becomes unexpectedly pregnant - she feels like she has no one to turn to. She then locates “Jane” and finds a place of her own along side Dr Taylor, but she can never escape the lies.

This book is told in three different points of view, from three different women during three different times. There was a lot of information in this story about the history of abortions and it’s legality in Canada over the course of many years. It was interesting and intriguing- the prologue was beautifully written and had me hooked. I love books with Canadian history and I loved the descriptions of Toronto during different times in history, but I just didn’t love this book as much as I thought I was going to.

I did like it a lot, but I found the beginning and the end the most interesting parts - the middle felt like a lot of information and a bit dragging in parts. However, I did think that the book is a great way to shed some light on this part of Canadian history. Also; the cover art on this book is beautiful and spectacular ❤️

There is nothing quite so gratifying as reading a really good debut novel AND learning about some groundbreaking history of your own country at the same time! Abortion has been legal in Canada since 1988, so many are now rather complacent about the issue. What we have to remember is that before it was legalized many, many women died seeking abortions, and many, many fought – at great personal risk – to make abortion legal.

The characters in this novel fairly leapt off the pages in their authenticity. Weaving fiction with historical fact seems to come natural to the author as this is her debut novel. With themes of maternal love, adoption, abortion, and the right to choose, this is a timely novel given the fact that March is International Women’s Month.

A moving fictional portrait that puts a human face on the history of Canadian women’s reproductive rights, “Looking For Jane” is a novel that is entertaining and informative in equal measure. It is an impressive debut that I highly recommend.

A mysterious letter containing a life-changing confession in a stack of forgotten mail, the finder of the letter is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the '70s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code name: Jane...
Who is Jane?

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before its release in exchange for my honest review.

A fantastic debut novel from Canadian authoress Heather Marshall. I would highly recommend for readers interested in historical fiction, women's history and novels set in Canada.

'Looking for Jane' is a story about motherhood first and foremost and the incredible bonds formed between mother and child. Set in Toronto between the 1970s and 2017 this work of historical fiction highlights the struggles women faced and continue to face in relation to pregnancy, abortion, and adoption. (1971) On the verge on marriage, Evelyn's fiancé dies and she is left pregnant and shunned by her family; sent to a home for unwed women run by the church Evelyn is told her baby will be given up for adoption. (1980) Nancy accompanies her cousin to a sketch neighbourhood for an illegal abortion and vows never to let herself fall into this situation, but when she falls unexpectedly pregnant she decides an abortion is her only choice. (2017) Angela and Tina undergo multiple rounds of artificial insemination in the hopes of starting a family.

The central story connecting these women is that of the Jane Network, the underground women led abortion clinics offering safe abortions for those who do not qualify for legal abortion during the 1970s. Operating in secrecy and under constant threat from police raids, the women of the 'Jane Network' offered a lifeline to women who had nowhere else to turn.

I remember taking a class at University about the abortion caravan in Canada and the experiences of women before their liberation. I strongly believe this book should be put on the recommended reading list of all University classes teach women's history.

Another excellent book. This book is about girls and women, and about unexpected and unwanted pregnancies, and how society then, in Canada, treated these unfortunate girls, many of whom were poor and many of whom were ostracized by their families. But the book is also about strong women, women who have succeeded against all odds, and these women who fought to make society a better place, by helping these young inexperienced women have safe abortions. We can make a difference in society, and this book underscores exactly that. Superb book, and very well written. Every woman should read this book, and thank those woman who stood before us to fight for our rights regarding our bodies.

Looking for Jane - Heather Marshall
First of all, a gigantic thank you to Netgalley for the amazing ARC!
When Angela finds a misplaced letter in a drawer in the antiques store she runs, against her better judgement, she opens the letter and is baffled at what she finds. It's a letter from mother to daughter, explaining that she was adopted, and encouraged her to find her mother. Angela, being adopted herself, sees it as her mission to track down the daughter and deliver the letter.
Backtrack to years before, Dr. Evelyn Taylor endured a horrible experience as a young girl, being forced to give her baby up for adoption as there were no other options for women at the time. She later learns her baby has died and is heart broken. She takes this experience and uses it for the better good. During her time as a doctor, she joins the Jane's and helps provide illegal, but safe, abortions to young women that have no other options.
20 year old Nancy learns the shocking secret her family has been hiding, she's adopted. Instead of confronting her family, she goes about living her life and finding herself unexpectedly pregnant. She finds herself at the mercy of Dr.Evelyn Taylor. After her own experience, Nancy also joins the Jane's and volunteers in any way she can.
The lives of the three woman tie together in the most unexpected way.
This book wow'd me. It was not only full of powerful strong woman, doing their best to get by and leave everything in a better way than they found it, but it's full of love, choices, and motherhood. I can't say enough things about this book, except, go get yourself a copy and dive in. Not only will you fall in love with the characters stories, but the anticipation of finding the link (you think you know but you have no idea), will have you finishing this book in a day or two.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5.