Jane Journeys On

by Ruth Comfort Mitchell

Follow Jane as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and adventure in this heartwarming coming-of-age tale. Set in the picturesque landscapes of rural America, this story will charm readers of all ages. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

Ruth Comfort Mitchell Young (July 21, 1882 – February 18, 1954) was an American writer and playwright who wrote under her maiden name Ruth Comfort Mitchell, as well as her married name, Mrs. Sanborn Young. She was the wife of California State Senator Sanborn Young.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jane is in her late twenties in a small town and has two options: get married to the guy who's always hanging around that she's really lukewarm about, or go for a slightly grim spinsterhood while pursuing a genteel craft.

Jane chooses the THIRD option: Go to New York City and see life!!

She sets herself up as a writer of plays and has a moderate amount of success. She also meets Michael Daragh, her big Irishman neighbor. There are some definite Jo March/Professor Bhaer vibes happening at the boarding house.

Part of the book is epistolary and part is in third person narration. Jane's journey feels rather episodic because she has phases in New York City, Maine, and Mexico. Towards the end a random subplot is introduced that just feels distracting, but overall I enjoyed the book pretty well. Jane's struggle to keep "journeying on" as a person feels real and sincere. She has a lot of backbone but also her insecurities, so she's very relatable.

I came to this book from the excellent review from this Redeeming Qualities blog post. I recommend that review if you want a better synopsis of plot points.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

When I want a comforting book with no unpleasant surprises, I’ll often read a vintage novel. Yes, they can be overly melodramatic and even forgettable with their thin plots, but they do the trick of distracting me from heavier matters.

“Jane Journeys On” is the story of Jane Vail who tires of her life in her small Vermont town and moves to New York to seek fame as a writer. Throughout all of her trials, she discovers that dreams can change shape and still be deeply satisfying.

I love a good epistolary novel, and much of the action in “Jane Journeys On” was conveyed via letters that Jane wrote to friends. But what I loved most about this book was that in 1922 (when it was written), Mitchell’s readers would have understood the many, many sly references to fairy tales, Dickens, the Bible, Shakespeare, classic poetry, and even famous paintings. It was like a long succession of private jokes that kept me chuckling through every chapter.

Jane's Journey has some very silly moments near the end, and it is definitely not great literature, but if you are looking for a clean, upbeat story with interesting characters and the requisite happy ending, you could do far worse than this free-for-Kindle title.