Mary Jane: A Novel

Written by Jessica Anya Blau

Narrated by Caitlin Kinnunen

""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. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: May 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063052321

Jessica Anya Blau

Jessica Anya Blau was born in Boston and raised in Southern California. Her novels have been featured on The Today Show, CNN and NPR, and in Cosmo, Vanity Fair, Bust, Time Out, Oprah Summer Reads and other national publications. Jessica's short stories and essays have been published in numerous magazines, journals and anthologies. Jessica co-wrote the script for Love on the Run starring Frances Fisher and Steve Howey. She sometimes works as a ghost writer and has taught writing at Johns Hopkins University, Goucher College and The Fashion Institute of Technology. Jessica lives in New York. 

Reviews for Mary Jane

[Cherie Roberts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Was a delight to listen too! Narrated really well x

[Maddie Bose · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you love 70s like I do just go for it. I love how the whole story draws you in make you wanna sing along with the characters. Plus love the narrator.??

[Amanda Konc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I beautiful coming of age story in the vein of Nick Hornby. Sensational narration and a fin original song to boot!

[Julie Scifo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my first audiobook and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an easy and fun listen, cute and quaint. It made me think of a song by an Australian band called Tumbleweed…their song Sundial with its chorus of Mary Jane was a song from my own teenage years.

[Katie Cash · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this. One of the best written books I’ve read/listened to in a while. I feel like I lived the entire summer with Mary Jane. (Narration was perfect, too.) I did not want this to end. And I almost never feel that way about books.

[Bethany Foutz · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am not a fan of this book. I have to assume that every person giving it a positive, wonderful review is not a mother of a teenage girl. The situations Mary Jane is put in by the adults (including her parents) are horrid. I was sure “the witch” was going to turn out to be Child Protective Services. Instead, the end was very much a let down. Not much was resolved in satisfactory manner. The F bombs, drug and sex references were all too much. I had to force myself to get to the end just so I could say I have it a fair chance. I was not pleasantly surprised by an amazing ending.

[Mary Lewis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just loved this story!! If you grew up in the 70's, most of us can relate.
I laughed and smiled a lot!
I loved all the characters ?

[Colleen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly enjoyable. Like a bud slowly unfurling and revealing the beauty underneath, the story of Mary Jane is a gentle revelation of a young girl's transformation over the course of a summer. What I liked most about it is that the newly changed Mary Jane is still able build a bridge between her new self and her mother. That was the loveliest part.

[Grant Schultz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Like a golden ray of light cracking a grey sky.

[danira · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fun to listen, good writing but also such a fantastic performance!

[Ananda van der Merwe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent narration! Loved this book so so much! Highly recommended...

[boundtogetherforgood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this book, knowing nothing about it, except that it was supposed to be funny. It was. It moved along nicely, focused on a family, and a superstar couple, and a babysitting teen as they face addiction head-on. Adult concepts.

[nassib.f.aboud · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hhhhdhehe ejjeej ejebej eje ebe ehe eje y dh d

[beccacardinal2021 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! Love the main character. Most read 2023 book

[Madi Konet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was phenomenally well done. The characters were tangible and I was constantly reaching to play this audiobook. This book takes you back in time and paints such vivid pictures of each character and the atmosphere. Wonderful.

[Zee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

10 stars if I could. Loved the narrator, brought a lot of authenticity to the story.
Such a great feel good book. Loved it

[Deborah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I so love this book. To me, it’s a hopeful book that shows the power of innocence, authenticity, and love. It’s my go-to book whenever the world feels overwhelming.

[Dayna Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dirty Dancing meets Daisy Jones and the Six - but more wholesome than the latter and more recent than the former. What a great coming of age story. Wonderfully narrated - I can’t recommend her enough. She was perfect.

[Tania · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a refreshing, lovely story! A book to remind you to just leave life and the rest, well...

[Donna Stewart · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was the cutest, sweetest coming of age story! I LOVED IT!

[Wendoline Mercado Rojano · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I like Izzy and Mary Jane. However, where the adults are concerned, I don't think too highly of any of them. And it mortifies me that Mary Jane equates the Cone's with everything that's good. Certainly they are more affectionate than her own family, but they have some pretty glaring issues that she shouldn't gloss over; of course she is just fourteen, so she is understandably naive. She is also lonely.

[Mr Martin C Przybylski · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A light easy read. Not really sure whether it’s written for teenagers or adults. The characters are pretty stereotyped and the plot is a bit simple and “happy ever after”.

[Marie-France Noël · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Nice summer novel, light, heartwarming, very well performed on audio version. Nothing life changing but a nice time.

[Jeffrey Lee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love the whole story! And the voice who read it

[Jacquie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book from a sheltered 14yr old pov.. the only thing I didn’t care for was the over use of sex addict lol!

[Jonnie Furmanchik · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

BRAVO! Get this book now! The writing, the story, the narrator were perfect. I loved this book and have sent it to all my friends and to my 20 something daughters. It’s funny, heartwarming and engrossing. I will miss Mary Jane, Izzy Sheba and all of the characters.

[Bo Brewer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! This is a great coming of age story that doesn’t come off like a Hallmark movie. It’s not just for females either. I’m a male who generally listens to Reacher and Hurwitz and I thoroughly enjoyed this.
BUT! The reader, Caitlyn Kinunnen is amazingly versatile. And unlike most readers today, she can actually pronounce the words, such as “ask/asked”, while most others say “asst”. Karen Slaughter please take note.
She could have overdone the young voice of Izzy and she didn’t. Still made it clear that she’s a little girl, without being sappy. It never slanted one way or another politically either. Karen Slaughter please take note.
The references to the 1970’s were subtle yet right on! Flash cube, L’eggs, Dolphin shorts.
Nicely written and performed. Thank you for the great story.

[Stefan Stoeger · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful novel really, liked it at the beach all summer long

[selmona · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is like a warm hug from an old friend.

[Sara Barnes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book shines light on how keeping an open mind is important. Great story!