Jane of Manchester

by J.G. Dow

Whilst I think I might actually like Jane if I ever had the opportunity to meet her, I also believe that I might be tempted to tell her to pull her finger out and grow up and I say that because I think that this chipper thirty year old wasn’t a vapid as she seemed to like to portray, she just seemed too content for my liking, as if she was almost invisible…and for me I didn’t believe that anyone should ever settle into that frame of mind.

I liked the author’s style and the fact that this was told in the first person, I think it would have lost some of the feeling had it been written in any other way but what I didn’t like was how this woman that was ultimately very likeable, was all too willing to be just part of the crowd and in some instances, I didn’t much like the crowd that seemed to swallow her up but I think that was what the author was looking for from me and if that is the case then I would have to say the author nailed it!

I wanted Jane to show that there comes an age when getting completely drunk isn’t the done thing, that “having fun” isn’t a fun pastime and that the resulting aftermath can and should reinforce that and while I think the author took a great step in pouring scorn on the social epidemic of anti-social drinking that affects the young people of this country at present. Unfortunately in many towns and cities, Jane and her friends and their social antics would  be the accepted norm, their “having fun” an accepted activity and that is a sad indictment of the society that we live in.

Anyway, I feel like I have been ragging a little on not just Jane but the story and I really don’t mean that to be the case, I thought the author produced a work that I would be happy to recommend, it was well written, humourous and fluid. The almost diary like prose drew me along and no matter the fact that at times I had to try and stop myself from rolling my eyes at some of the goings on, I wanted to know how Jane’s like was going to pan out.

There are other characters that you will love, namely Will, I thought he was super but there are also others that you will read about and wonder which of your friends fit that mould? I had a couple I can tell you!

I thought the ending left just enough wiggle room for a follow up, I’d like to see where she goes next!