💫 Looking for Jane 💫
By Heather Marshall
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Can (March 1.2022)

Oopf, I’m not even sure how I should write this review. And because it’s a sensitive topic, I’m going to do my best to be conscious that whomever is reading this review is coming at it, from THEIR own lens of life.

I’ll start by saying that it’s historical fiction in post war years that touch upon the years that I was born in. It’s a glimpse into a fictional account of one generational story of motherhood and the trauma that resulted from post war maternity homes.

Full disclosure: I go into this with 10 miscarriages. I too, understand fertility treatments that the POV of Angela in the novel had. But I will never be able to know the depth of trauma that so many women faced with back alley abortions and forced adoptions.

This review isn’t going to bring in religion or faith into it, because that’s not the focus of the novel. The book may deal with abortions (both back alley and illegal ones of the past) but pull out a bit from your reading and you’ll get what the author was trying to get across… motherhood. And the path that got us there or one that was forced upon them.

This may be fiction. But it’s based on truth. Canada’s truth as much as anywhere else in the world. It’s not by any stretch an easy read…But maybe looking into the pain of the past, isn’t supposed to make us un comfortable. Maybe that’s where learn, grow and do better for the generations ahead of us.

This one, much like the one I read a few years ago by author Joanna Goodman will stay with me.

Ps. Two characters I loved: secondary character Chester (One scene in particular with him had me in tears).
And I ❤️‍🩹 Evelyn. A character that took her trauma and did everything she could to never let another woman go through what she did. Strength from pain. Fiction based on fact. Oopf, there’s 0 question this debut gets a 5 ⭐️ from me

Looking for Jane is such a compelling read that it wont take you long to get lost in the story.

I must admit I was intrigued by the description but had no idea how much I would love this book.

I was captivated by the three women who's lives are connected by a long lost letter.

The story of the Jane Network was a fascinating one . ( I loved the Toronto and Montreal aspect as I am from Ontario) and I learned so much from it.

Looking for Jane will not only be a best seller it will be a huge Book Club Selection.

Grab your copy on March 1st and settle in for a great read.

This book will stay with me for a very long time.

Please take time to read the author's notes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada , Simon and Schuster for an enlightening and compelling read.

Looking for Jane is a work of historical fiction spanning nearly 60 years from the 1960s till nearly the present day. It is told through the eyes of three women and looks at the women's right to choose, from the post-war Homes for Unwed Mothers that were little more than for-profit baby factories through the fight for safe and legal abortions to today's fertility clinics and invitro-fertilization efforts.
It's a story about how choice and the lack of it can impact the lives of not just those who are immediately involved, but their families, their children and, indeed, the world around them. It's a story about three brave women whose lives become entangled through a note, left by a young woman for the baby she fears she'll never see again. It's heart-breaking and sad, and if it doesn't produce a tear or two, you're a much tougher audience than I was but in the end, it's a story that shows us where we came from, an in a world where the social pendulum seems to be on the backswing, it's a story that shows us exactly how much we have to lose and why we need to fight to protect the hard won ground those women and a few men (thank you Dr. Morgentaler) fought, at great personal risk, to gain.
Looking for Jane is a book every woman should read, regardless of her stance on the pro-choice movement. Sadly, I fear it's also a book that will also find it's way onto those "banned book" lists we've been hearing so much about recently because it tells inconvenient truths that make so many right-leaning authorities and administrators uncomfortable.

Looking For Jane by Heather Marshall is a beautifully written debut that will open readers eyes to what unwed mothers went through in maternity homes up until the seventies, what women had to go through to find safe abortions until it was legalized in the late eighties and the aftermath of the tragedies.

Set between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal Evelyn Taylor suffered in horrible conditions in a home for unwed mothers in the early sixties, in the seventies she trains under Dr. Henry Morgentaler to provide safe abortions to women even though at the time it is illegal and she is risking her career, but continues to be involved in the pro choice movement to legalize the procedure.

Nancy Miller stumbles across “the Jane network” when she finds herself in a situation she doesn’t want to be in. A few years later she volunteers with Dr. Taylor until abortion is legalized.

And finally Angela Creighton finds a years old letter one day and ties it to Nancy Miller, from her mother following her death, it reveals a family secret that Nancy wasn’t aware of. Angela and sets out to find Nancy, to deliver the letter, and along the way she discovers some more secrets about the underground abortion network.

While this is a work of fiction, Heather Marshall brings to light the realities of these homes for unwed mothers. I’ve never heard of an official underground abortion network, but I was not surprised to hear of one, the pro choice movement is certainly relevant today!

Overall, this was a topic that I don’t read a lot about, however it was beautifully done and it was heartbreaking, and hopeful and a little bittersweet!

Wow what a great debut novel from this author I can’t wait to read more from her in future. So well written had me hooked right away and had me reading it in 1 day.
A beautifully written story about 3 women during different time periods from their points of view, it is a book of about women and their rights to what happens to their bodies. A touchy subject but handled so well as you read each story and how they connect over the course of the book. I thought I had the ending figured out but was pleasantly surprised with how things turned out.
Loved the authors notes at the end and learning what parts of the story were historically accurate……terrible to think what women went through as young pregnant teens and the atrocities that occurred through some of the homes. Thank you to the author for bring a sensitive subject still today to light.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and I would hope a book club would take it on as a monthly read.

Triggers warnings abortion, suicide

This is a wonderful debut novel which shines a light on a little-known (to me) part of Canadian history - the postwar (often Church-run) maternity homes and the underground networks offering illegal abortions. The quality and style of writing, the telling of little-known stories, the careful plotting, and the poignancy woven throughout the story bring to mind the wonderful novels of Genevieve Graham.

This novel is so interesting, focusing on a number of issues including women’s rights, mother-daughter relationships, strength and courage when doing the right thing is costly, and the weight of societal expectations.. Many of these themes continue to be relevant in 2022. The plot of the novel is supported by solid execution of the story. The main characters are very likeable, the pacing is consistent, the storytelling is so engaging, and there is a nice unexpected twist towards the end. This is a wonderful book to get caught up in and one that really touched me. I am looking forward to more from the very talented Heather Marshall! Looking for Jane is bound to be a bestseller - highly recommend!

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for Jane is about motherhood, and women's rights over our own bodies. It follows the story of three women across three timelines: Evelyn Taylor in 1971, who was forced to give up her baby for adoption at St Agnes, a Catholic home for unwed mothers; Nancy Mitchell in 1980, who learns she's adopted, and that her parents have kept it secret all her life; and Angela Creighton in 2017, who works at an antiques shop and discovers a letter from Nancy's adoptive mother, mailed when she died in 2010. 

The lives of all three women intersect over the years, and the crux of the story lies in the Jane network. Abortion wasn't legalized in Canada until 1988; before then, many women were limited to underground, and often dangerous, means to end unwanted pregnancies. After one such procedure sends Nancy's cousin to the ER, Nancy learns that if a future need arises, they can simply "ask for Jane." Jane is a codeword for an underground network of courageous women, including some doctors and nurses, who use legit medical knowledge and resources to provide safe abortions.

The three characters' stories converge around the theme of motherhood and women's rights over their own bodies: In the 80s, Evelyn has grown up to be a doctor, and she and her nurse Alice become key members of the Jane network. Nancy uses their services in the 80s, then, in a desire to give back, becomes a volunteer Jane as well. And in 2017, Angela and her wife are undergoing fertility treatments. Angela's investigation reveals that Nancy's mother may be Margaret, who was Evelyn's best friend at St. Agnes.

The Jane network may be fictional, but the author's afterword tells us many similar underground networks did exist before abortion was legalized. I love that this story was set in Toronto, and that it featured familiar places like Ossington subway station and St Joe's Hospital. I'm not very familiar with these parts of history, so it was really cool to step back several decades in time and see how the city may have been. 

The St Agnes home where women were forced to give up their babies is also fictional, but like the Jane network, is based on an amalgamation of similar homes. I especially love that in her afterword, the author acknowledges the racist underpinnings of such practices, and encourages readers to self-educate about events like the Sixties Scoop, where Indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families. So much of historical fiction is about white people's experiences, and while Looking for Jane does feature main characters who are white, I like that the author acknowledges how similar policies were implemented differently for Indigenous persons.

Wherever you stand on the topic of abortion, I doubt this novel will change your mind. As someone who's very much pro-choice, I came away from this novel with so much sympathy for all the women who were forced to rely on unsafe means to end their pregnancies, and so much admiration for those who, like the fictional Janes, helped give women safer options. I'm fortunate enough to live at a time and a country where such safe options are readily available to me, but I recognize that's not the same everywhere in the world, and my heart goes out to women who don't have that kind of access.

In her afterword, the author says she once thought this story was about abortion, but then realized it's really about motherhood, and I think that's very accurate. The novel does include characters who make the choice not to be mothers at all, and the narration does present this choice as equally valid. But mostly, through its three narrators, the novel shows how much richer an experience motherhood could be when this state is freely chosen. Evelyn wanted to be a mother; her baby was a product of true love. Her friend Margaret's baby was a product of rape, but Margaret wanted to keep the baby as well. Both their choices were taken away by the nuns who forced them to sign adoption papers. Nancy's story shows the contrast between an unwanted pregnancy, and one that happens when the person is ready and eager to be a parent. And Angela's story of fertility treatments forms yet another piece of the spectrum, where someone actively wants to be a parent, yet biology may not make that possible.

The anti-abortion debate often presents the topic as an all or nothing dichotomy -- either women want to be mothers or they don't. But reality is much more complex than that. Many women who get abortions may already be mothers, or may choose to become mothers later on. Looking for Jane doesn't quite show the full spectrum of that complexity, but it does show multiple facets of it, which I liked. More than the dichotomy between motherhood and non-motherhood, Looking for Jane frames the dichotomy around choices -- do you have a choice over your own body, or is someone else (the state, the Church, your family) taking that choice away from you? In all cases, the novel very strongly supports you having the right to choose for yourself, and provides us with sensitive and textured examples of how such stories can play out.

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Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for Jane is told from three different points of view-Angela, Evelyn, and Nancy; it also covers various points of time from 1960 to 2017. When we meet each woman, she is in a different part of her life, each with their own struggles. Each POV switch is easy to follow, as the chapter titles establish who we are with and what time in their life.

One plot point appears early in the book and leaves you wondering why. Yet as you read, you understand the reason for the reveal so early. The biggest plot twist near the end wasn't one I was expecting and nearly brought tears to my eyes.

This story isn't just about abortion, nor is it just about motherhood, and it is a story about women in general. Looking for Jane shares the stories of three women trying to have a say in their lives and their bodies at various points in their lives. While this book covers over 50 years, it tells a story that still holds true now.

If you enjoy reading books about strong women, who may be flawed, I think this book is for you. If you enjoy reading books about little-known parts of history, I think this book is for you.

The author takes on a storyline that involves the history surrounding reproductive rights and their effect on women over several decades. We follow the lives of three different women and their search to discover who they are while doing their part to help women in need. We learn that Jane was a code word used by women to locate a licensed medical doctor who would perform an abortion for them when it was illegal to do so. I enjoyed learning about this particular historical perspective during this timeframe. Heather Marshall's engaging writing style draws the reader in and then throws you some exciting twists.

As a Canadian female reader, I love that this book is set in Toronto, Ontario. We have very few books that take place in Canadian cities, and it is so refreshing as a reader to experience this. ( publishers, please take note!).
I highly recommend this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I rate this 4 out of 5 stars-

Spanning multiple timelines and points of view, Looking for Jane is a gorgeously-written debut Historical Fiction novel. Three women have different stories about what motherhood means to them and all stories are interwoven, stemming from a discovery in an antique.

However, though the writing itself is beautiful, I struggled to finish due to the subject matter. While the stories are interesting, abortions can be difficult to read about. I also did not engage with any of the characters making it challenging to become invested. It is a shame as Historical Fiction is one of my favourite genres.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley but this book was just not for me.

<b>Looking for Jane</b> is a beautifully written story about the fine nuances surrounding motherhood and women’s freedom of choice.

This is a debut novel that is so carefully constructed, so tastefully written; truly shedding a light onto a (at least to me) little known aspect of Canadian history. I was surprised and deeply saddened to learn about post-war maternity homes and the difficult battle of women’s rights to obtain freedom of choice over their own bodies, in regards to abortion, in Canada. This book is a work of historical fiction, loosely based on true events. It is deeply sobering to me to realize that it wasn’t so long ago when women really didn’t have many options for adequate birth control or the right to choose.

The story is told masterfully in three perspectives: Angela (2017), Nancy (1980s), and Evelyn (1960s). Each story was touched by the choices or lack thereof to become a mother. I particularly loved Evelyn’s POV and felt more closely attached to her because her story is so tragically shared from start to finish. Her emotions and thoughts are vibrant and tangible. I really felt like the author allowed us to take a bird’s eye view into the illegal (at that time) aspect of abortion. Evelyn’s story is one of bravery, grit, and always standing up for what she believes in in anyway she can. I loved how Marshall wrote each POV so beautifully and had them all interconnect in some way by the end of the novel.

This is a powerful tale of women’s history and the quest for the right to choose our own reproductive decisions. It is a very enlightening and thought provoking read that helps honor and bring to light the tenacity of the women (and men) who made our current freedoms possible. A must read!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.</i>

What a fantastic debut!!
This story is set mostly in Toronto and gives perspective of three different women in three different time periods about motherhood, love and loss. Each woman, Evelyn, Nancy, and Angela, is engaging and you are rooting for each of them the whole time. I actually loved how the story moves through time, often when books do that they lose some of the story, but not in this one. The story moves seamlessly through the years giving us enough detail of what we need to know. I love the Canadian setting, recognizing many of the Toronto landmarks and streets peppered throughout the book. A lot of the historical aspects were new to me and had me googling all kinds of facts!
Way to go Heather Marshall, I will be looking for anything you write in the future!
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced copy.

As I embrace historical fiction, Looking for Jane; reviews the past, possibly the present and be repeated in future. Awareness is key. That is what this story does for me, as woman in today’s society, a constant reminder. Canada’s history has shared elements with many nations on the subject of a woman’s heartbreaking struggles and impact on society.
As I started to engulf myself into Looking for Jane novel, I was overtaken with so many emotions. Placing myself in the characters shoes. Understanding these women, one after the other, I felt the drama and sad realities of imposed decisions. I kept thinking back to my own childhood and imagined, my own mother instilling shame and then to be sent off to a convent to live it all over again. How painful! Such traumatic experiences unfortunately last for a lifetime. Beautifully written. Thank you for the opportunity in reading this novel.

Book Review: Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
☆☆☆☆☆

This debut novel from Canadian author Heather Marshall is just right. I’m struggling to find the words to adequately describe the author’s brilliance in weaving together some really awful bits of history. I suppose most people don’t write brilliant works of historical fiction about really happy moments in history, and the author certainly doesn’t try to gloss over or touch up any aspects. This is incredibly commendable in what has become an increasingly fraught time.

The story follows three protagonists, all of whom are equally strong and implicated in the story, who take turns both moving it forward and letting the others do the moving for them, a really beautiful dance amongst the three women.

I read another review of this novel that relates the process of reading this novel to eating a Thanksgiving dinner. You enjoy every bite, you get progressively fuller, you don’t stop, you wonder how everyone else is still eating…okay, now I’m thinking about Thanksgiving dinner.

It’s a story of pregnancy, of abortion, of loss, of life, and of love.

I want you to be able to enjoy this read so I’m going to try to steer clear of spoilers.

Instead I’d like to focus this review on the skill Marshall demonstrates in not only weaving together several generations of women’s lives, but also doing it in a way that feels so real, so authentic and so, purposeful. This is not the typical, historical fiction thriller set in the heady days of war. And yet, it is.

It’s a slow-burn historical fiction novel (if you pardon the association with rom-com tropes) with numerous theaters and players who don’t always know that they’re fighting until they’re in the thick of it. And, as someone who has read quite a few historical fiction novels and sometimes finds herself begrudgingly anticipating a cliché ending, I was happily surprised yet not completely thrown off by a few of the bigger twists that Marshall engineers.

So, well done Marshall.

The other side of this that I want to address is my shock at the outset that this is considered a historical fiction novel. Umm…the entire span of this novel is set in my parent’s lifetimes. And it’s such an important issue that I sometimes squirm with discomfort when it, and other similar issues, are labeled as history. I feel like that gives some people license to pretend like they’re not ongoing problems. Or that effects aren’t still felt today. Marshall does do a really good job of drawing the present into the story, not dissimilarly to other multi-period historical fiction novels from the likes of Natasha Lester and Jennifer Robson, to cement the issue in the current context.

But how should authors be expected to address such issues, because writing about them in their historical context is SO important, yet it removes them from our present where it can be easy to pretend these issues are no longer front and center. This feels like I’m getting away from the traditional scope for a book review, but these are feelings I have when reading books like this one (and others that address really important issues that continue to be part of Canadian society today). And maybe abortion doesn’t feel like a front and center issue, but maternal (and parental) health certainly is front and center and since there is no one way to become or be a parents, I think that it means that the conversations about abortion, adoption and pregnancy loss are still important to keep having.

And last but not least, I absolutely have to say (and am maybe repeating myself) what a treat it is to read a book by a Canadian author, set in Canada, with real-life Canadian historical figures/change makers. Sure it doesn’t provide the escape that one might be looking for (you can find that elsewhere!) but the authenticity that Marshall can lend her writing, for example the winter descriptions were just bang on, dull that sharp desire to be somewhere else.

So, hopefully I’m leaving you with the inclination to add this book to your “to be read” list, to your hold list at your local library or to pre-order it via a local bookstore (or wherever you buy your books!).

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. 
This book is historical fiction written which covers 1960s-1980s in the Toronto area.  I am a Torontian who was born during this period of time so I found this story interesting.  The is information about the underground abortion network that existed before abortion was legalized.   I remember when abortions were illegal some my friends having to go to have an abortion. I remember the bombings/fires of women clinics and women bookstores in the city.  I remember Dr. Morgenthale traveling across Canada and doing abortions in provinces where abortions were legal and reading about him ending up in jail. The name Jane represents a Collective that existed prior to Abortion being legalized. If you are someone who is passionate about female rights then you will love this book. This book has re-ignited my interest and I want to read more about this time period in Toronto.
This story revolves around Evelyn, Nancy, and Angela's lives.  We start with  Evelyn's story as she is being dropped off at St. Agnes' Home for Wayward Girls where she is being dropped off to give birth to a baby that will be put up for adoption. Nancy has been adopted and only makes the discovery by going through her parents drawer.  Angela and her wife are going through fertility treatment and trying to have a baby together.  Angela has gone through a number of treatments and had a number of miscarriages.
The book was well written and kept my interest from the start. Before I finished 1/3 of this book I  already started recommending it to people to read.  At times, I had difficulty putting the book down and had a bit of trouble falling asleep after reading parts of the story which is unusual as I like to read before I go to bed.  I really enjoyed all the information about the research that went into the book.  This is my favourite read this year and I can give it a 5 star rating.  I usually only have a handful of books that fall under this category and this book does that for me.

Between the covers of this book is a Thanksgiving dinner. You know what I mean - you get up from the table and you just have to undo the top button and sit on the couch, uncomfortable, thinking about the deliciousness you just devoured. Author Heather Marshall is inviting you to a feast. You’ll read and read and not be able to put the fork, I mean book, down and before you know it…well, you’re sitting there uncomfortable and full.

Why uncomfortable? Well, Marshall’s book focuses on abortions and adoptions. I believe gaining insight into both sides of a controversial topic will always help people gain an educated perspective. Like politics and religion, I am not open to a pro-choice discussion on my feed. I was generously gifted this book to read and review without bias and I’m sharing my honest thoughts about the book, not about my personal views about abortion. Readers will experience all the feels in this phenomenal debut novel. At points I was so angry and so filled with grief, I had to put the book down. Other times tears were streaming down my cheeks. Most of the time, I was in awe and speechless. It’s the history of my country…maternity home systems, underground abortion networks…and I didn’t know a thing about it. I’m thankful for the opportunity to read, learn, and be humbled.

The calibre of storytelling here is second to none. I’ve never become so absorbed in a book that is written to the senses! I read about Dr. Henry Morgentaler risking his safety to help women who had nowhere to go. I read about unkind nuns who shunned and disrespected helpless young girls. I read about families who disowned a pregnant child. BUT I also read about motherhood; wanting and not wanting to be a mother. I also read about women supporting each other through and despite their individual choices, and I also read about a mother’s love. It was a well-presented ‘feast.’ The twists and turns and ramping tension were well-balanced by heartwarming scenes. Marshall’s prose reflected each era she spanned, right down to the Formica tabletops and Comet cleaner. I was fully immersed in the era and invested in each character.

Bottom line: The author chronicles three Torontonians whose lives are bound together by a long-lost letter, a mother’s love and a secret network of women fighting for the right to choose.

I love the title. You’ll have to read to discover the meaning behind it.

This historical fiction novel is an important read. It's not light. Be prepared.

Did you know that between 1945-1971 almost 600,000 babies were born to unmarried mothers and 300,000 mothers in Canada were forced or coerced into surrendering their babies for adoption within the maternity home system?

This historical novel covers a more recent piece of Canadian history but not something that is talked about often. “Homes for Wayward Girls” were run by churches as places for young girls to live out their pregnancies in order to not shame their families. Of course, abortions were only available in back alleys.

The right to abortion is the main focus of the story. In the 1960s and 70s, the only way to get a legal abortion was to stand before a board of men and plead your case. Very few were approved, even if you were a young teen and a step-father had raped you.

The story details the movement of women fighting for the right to make decisions over their bodies. “Jane” is born….Jane becomes a code word, women who were looking for a safe abortion would call doctor's offices and ask for Jane.

The story details protests and arrests. It digs deep into the anguish some of the young girls suffer, either from having to give up their baby or from sneaking down a back alley to have a questionable abortion.

But, it also has personal stories too. Intense, deeply personal stories involving secrets and heartbreak.

As always, I love it when the setting of a book is a place familiar to me. This book takes place in Toronto, Canada. Many of the streets and places named are familiar to me. This makes it seem real in my mind.

The triple timeline is a bit confusing at times but it sorts itself out. The characters are strong but vulnerable. All the main characters are women, which is unusual but appropriate because of the subject matter.

There was a twist at the end, one that I did not see coming. Perfect ending to a perfect book.

The author did extensive research into the abortion networks which existed in the timeframe of the book. And, also into homes for unwed teen mothers. While I was vaguely aware of both of these, the writing brings it all to life. It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel for Heather Marshall. She put her heart and soul into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advance Readers Copy.

Never read something like this and I am in love with the characters!!!! Amazing storyline and plot points, can’t wait to read more from this author!!!

This book is tough on the soul, and that’s why it’s important. Heather Marshall, congratulations on an incredible debut!

As a mother, it was a really difficult book to read but as a Canadian woman, it was really eye-opening and impactful. I highly recommend this book but please be mindful of triggers surrounding fertility, reproduction, adoption, and abortion.

Looking for Jane is told through the point of view of three women - Evelyn, Nancy and Angela - and how they navigate the complex issues surrounding reproductive rights. It’s jaw dropping and heartbreaking and a book that’s going to stay with me for a long time.

I really enjoyed that this was a Canadian story, but also felt ashamed that I didn’t know more about this and it’s such a recent piece of history.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Heather Marshall for the advance ebook!

I read this book as an ARC.

Superb, Educational, Historic. Brilliant.
Looking for Jane is a wonderfully crafted novel that incorporates the history of illegal and legal abortion in Canada through the eyes of several women, all of whom are somehow connected. It includes doctors, pregnant women, their families, and friends.
It's a page turner that will open your eyes.
Should be a mandatory read for everyone., men included.