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Mary Jane

A Novel

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Mary Jane

By: Jessica Anya Blau
Narrated by: Caitlin Kinnunen
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Summary

"The best book of the summer." -- InStyle

"I LOVED this novel....If you have ever sung along to a hit on the radio, in any decade, then you will devour Mary Jane at 45 rpm." —Nick Hornby

Almost Famous meets Daisy Jones & The Six in this "delightful" (New York Times Book Review) novel about a fourteen-year-old girl’s coming of age in 1970s Baltimore, caught between her straight-laced family and the progressive family she nannies for—who happen to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer.

In 1970s Baltimore, fourteen-year-old Mary Jane loves cooking with her mother, singing in her church choir, and enjoying her family’s subscription to the Broadway Showtunes of the Month record club. Shy, quiet, and bookish, she’s glad when she lands a summer job as a nanny for the daughter of a local doctor. A respectable job, Mary Jane’s mother says. In a respectable house.

The house may look respectable on the outside, but inside it’s a literal and figurative mess: clutter on every surface, Impeachment: Now More Than Ever bumper stickers on the doors, cereal and takeout for dinner. And even more troublesome (were Mary Jane’s mother to know, which she does not): the doctor is a psychiatrist who has cleared his summer for one important job—helping a famous rock star dry out. A week after Mary Jane starts, the rock star and his movie star wife move in.

Over the course of the summer, Mary Jane introduces her new household to crisply ironed clothes and a family dinner schedule, and has a front-row seat to a liberal world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll (not to mention group therapy). Caught between the lifestyle she’s always known and the future she’s only just realized is possible, Mary Jane will arrive at September with a new idea about what she wants out of life, and what kind of person she’s going to be.

Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Comedy Marriage Heartfelt Feel-Good
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Absolutely loved loved loved this story.
It make you feel good inside and the narration is top notch.

Such a goose pimpling story

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Absolutely loved this book. The narrator was fabulous (one of the best i have experienced)
A truly brilliant summer read xx reminds me of Daisy Jones and the six and for those old enough 😂 Forever Judy Blume ❤️❤️ took me back to my early teenager years

amazing - Didn't want it to finish

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This book is just one of the loveliest books I have ever read. I didn’t want it to end and would happily recommend it to anyone x

Priceless

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Just loved this! Could not stop listening. This heartwarming story had me gripped from start to finish and the narration was second to none. Would recommend to anyone.

Gorgeous story

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What can I say, a fantastic listen, made even better because it was on sale. Every now and again on Audible there is a little hidden gem that randomly pops up that you wouldn't have maybe gone for, this is one of those books. This will become one of my favourites. It has superb narration, one of the best narrators I've listened to. Mary Jane has to be listened to rather than read. I listened at every opportunity and what a unexpected surprise you get at the end.

I Loved it and loved the characters!!!

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