The Thing About Jane Spring

by Sharon Krum Narrated by Pamela Dillman

Overview

The thing about Jane Spring is...at thirty-one, he has everything a woman could ask for and seemingly everything a man could long for-great legs, brains, rising star status in the Manhattan D.A.'s office-but she just can't find a man who'll fall madly in love with her. Men are always asking her out, but for some reason no one wants a second date. So what if she's neck-breakingly assertive and somewhat callous? This is the twenty-first century. Right? Maybe not. But what is it that men really want in a woman after all?

One snowy night after a bottle of wine and a Doris Day marathon on cable, it hits her: Doris Day always got her man. So Jane Springs trades in her nondescript black pantsuit and clunky diver's watch for pastel pink suits with pearls and pumps, she changes her hair, stops cursing, starts wearing makeup, sweetens her mannerisms and redecorates her whole apartment. And soon her life really does begin to change: Not only does her lazy secretary start working, but everyone seems to be kinder and gentler-and she's got men lining up around the block. But can she keep her inner attack dog on hold long enough to win the most important case of her career...and the man of her dreams?

Sharon Krum's magical and hilariously funny novel is a delightful romantic comedy about a driven young woman who must shed her rough exterior and embrace her inner ultrafemininity in order to truly find herself and, eventually, true love.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

One of the first things the reader learns about the leggy blonde heroine of Krum's sprightly, high-concept novel (after Walk of Fame) is that she can't keep a man. An assistant DA for the city of New York, Jane Spring soon discovers her aggressive personality might have something to do with it-she overhears colleagues describe her as a "ball-breaker." The daughter of a general, Jane was trained to value honor, duty and discipline and to "study all the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent before you go into battle," an approach that doesn't serve her well when it comes to dating. Comically, Krum sets Jane on a softer plan of attack. Jane watches a Doris Day marathon on TV and has a drunken epiphany: men want "kittens, not tigers," and she will become the sweet-as-honey Doris Day, since Doris always got the guy. So she dons her grandmother's vintage clothes instead of her usual shapeless black suits, paints her apartment yellow and becomes nice to everyone, including scheming playboy Chip Bancroft, competing counsel in the murder case that will make or break Jane's career. Over the course of this confection, Jane learns to maintain her integrity while softening her edge. Agent, Barbara J. Zitwer. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Smart and attractive 31-year-old Jane Spring has a promising career as a Manhattan district attorney but no clue how to keep a man. Though plenty of men ask her out, she never makes it to the second date. The abrasive Jane has alienated everyone, from her cleaning woman to her co-counsels, yet she doesn't understand why men don't like her. To her mind, she embodies all the necessary qualities: she is intelligent, punctual, and honest to a fault. One day, she becomes engrossed in a Doris Day movie marathon on cable and has an epiphany: Doris always got her man. Jane transforms herself into a demure 1960s screen siren and adopts Day's perky persona. Her colleagues respond favorably to this kinder, gentler Jane, and she begins to develop real relationships. But will the charade last? Older readers may enjoy Krum's (Walk of Fame) references to Pillow Talk and other romantic comedies of the era, but the one-dimensional characters, lack of setting, and thin story line never allow this plot to thicken. Not recommended.-Loralyn Whitney, Edinboro Univ. Lib., PA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169092257
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	07/05/2005
Edition description:	Unabridged

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