Jane Goes North

By: Joe R. Lansdale

Narrated by: Kasey Lansdale

Jane has lost her job at the laundry due to a ketchup package she forgot to remove from an expensive item, and her prospects look dim. To top off matters, her younger sister, who lives up north, and who Jane has problems with, is getting married and has mailed her an invitation that Jane believes was sent due to her sister not expecting her to be able to come.

A long bout of sibling rivalry makes Jane all the more determined to go, even if her car has gone to hell. To make the journey, Jane forms an uncomfortable alliance with a grumpy, one-eyed, weight-lifting lady named Henry, who may or may not abandon her along the way, and has plans to see a doctor Henry claims can renew her sight.

Add past memories of a sexual dalliance with a drunk preacher in the back lot of the church across from her house; an infamous naked run along a creek bank; failed marriages, including an ex-husband that has a bit of goat ardor; and with a shoe full of money; Jane and Henry hit the road. They meet up with modern slavers, panty snatchers, disabled thieves with a sense of grandeur, a country singer named Cheryl who is on the downhill slide, and a quest for the world’s greatest toaster that can toast four slices of bread all at once, or in sequence, and has a clock on it. It’s one incredible quest consisting of rides in cow trailers, a stolen car, and a convertible, a pirate outfit for children, and what will become a unique friendship.

©2020 Joe R. Lansdale (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Classic Lansdale

Laugh out loud funny, and also poignant. Not a complex plot, but, as always with the mighty Joe R. Lansdale, unique characters and abundant humor. I felt that the narration suited the story perfectly.

Excellent Road Trip Story

Joe Lansdale never disappoints. Jane Goes North has excellent characters and crazy events that made me chuckle. The only negative comment I could possibly mention is the length of the story but it is so much an entertaining-story with the perfect narration that it is worth every penny.

I love Jane!

Me: uh oh

Spouse: ?

Me: Something bad just happened to Jane

Spouse (who recommended me this book in the first place): oh, right.

Me: is she going to be okay?

Spouse: I promise, this book has a very happy ending

Me: But IS JANE OKAY???

Spouse: Yep!

Right on both counts. I love this book so much, I want to hug it. And the narrator is ridiculously talented. What a great time.

A fun ride great writing with a cast of characters

I liked it all !! I would recommend it to everyone who is open minded.
Loved all the quirky characters

Let Your Kid Make Her Own Way

Not a big fan of the father-daughter collaboration here. i liked Casey's reading of Fender Lizards, but this book feels like Lansdale wrote it to give his kid something to do- the story and the writing are dry & lifeless-- and psbtw, middle-class privileged White girls who can't finish college but who fancy themselves rock stars & yoga teachers but who are clearly leaning hard on daddy's success are just as tiresome as this one. Note to Lansdale: write books you are interested in writing- not ones that you think will possible be made into a movie or tv series in which your amazingly well-resourced offspring could play the starring role....seriously, man, this is pathetically obvious.

Enjoyed the story but not the daughter's narration

This is my first Joe Lansdale book. I was expecting horror but did not find it. Instead, this is a humorous and heart warming story. I really enjoyed the characters of Jane and Henry. The were quirky and endearing. I think this would make an amazing movie. The narrator (who happens to be is daughter) was not very good. I look forward to more of Lansdale's novels but I'll try reading them next time.