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hl1021's review
3.0
I read this book because it appeared in a list of great graphic novels and I was struck by the title. In the end I was disappointed because the plot felt so stereotypical and familiar. While there were some fun inventions on a familiar theme, there wasn't enough to sustain the whole book. Cute, you can read it in one sitting, but nothing special.
patchy_at_best's review
4.0
The Plain Janes is the delightful story of how art changed a small community’s outlook on life. With media constantly encouraging us to fear the unknown, this book reminds us that opening our eyes to everyday beauty can save our sanity.
After she survives a bomb attack, Jane’s family relocates from the city to the suburbs. At her new high school, she finds her tribe: Jane the theatre lover (TheatreJane), science whiz Jayne (BrainJayne), and Polly Jane (SportyJane). This odd bunch combine their unique talents to conquer the mundane through “art attacks”, ranging from knitted hats for fire hydrants, to turning the town into a replica solar system. They call themselves P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art in Neighbourhoods). Soon, their mini art revolution will have to contend with police crackdowns, being grounded, and, of course, their own demons of self doubt.
When the Janes and I are doing our art thing I feel like I’m giving a piece of joy to everyone. It’s like asking the world to keep me safe by making them pause for just one minute – The Plain Janes
The Plain Janes surprised me. After finishing it in one captivated sitting, I realised how completely it transformed my mood, like it had given me a getaway from my busy life. I even forgot to feel stressed! Which is, by the way, exactly the point of this book. Our narrator, (MainJane), uses art to ground herself whenever life gets overwhelming. Her aim is to make the world pause for a moment, and see life through a fresh lens. This is precisely what reading The Plain Janes did for me.
It’s a fact of life. Hearts are always hurting. And yet they still keep pumping. The best way to fix a broken heart is to do something beautiful. Something P.L.A.I.N. – The Plain Janes
Although the characters of The Plain Janes are archetypes, this didn’t impact my enjoyment one bit. Even if you’ve never heard the term before, we all know archetypes. They’re flat characters built on stereotypes e.g. the egocentric popular girl, the flamboyant gay guy, the shy but brilliant math nerd etc. I found that for such a short book, these archetypes serve a purpose – we launch into the story and immediately fall in step with characters we feel like we already know well. While these characters would be much too underdeveloped to satisfy readers of a full-length novel, the flatness of the characters highlights the message as the focus.
Although she’s not the deepest character ever written, MainJane’s journey inspires some important questions: What does your tribe look like? Is your dream worth fighting for? Can an attitude shift make the world a better place? The Plain Janes illustrates the power of collective passion and effort to change society, and how being mindful in the present moment is a demonstration of your personal power. What better way to share this message than a graphic novel? The art style of The Plain Janes is pared back, but with close attention to expressive facial detail. As with the story itself, the art is simple yet so emotive.
Despite its sweet outward appearance, the message of The Plain Janes is surprisingly moving. It uses a simple storyline and a cast of cute archetypes to drive home a crucial point. This book is for anyone who doesn’t quite fit the mould.
This review can also be found on my blog Paige's Pages
aundie27's review
3.0
After a terrorist attack in her large metro city, Jane's parents relocate to suburbs many hours away. Though Jane was popular and blonde at her last school, she never felt like she fit in because her friends didn't understand her interest in the arts. So, before moving she cuts and dyes her hair. In her new school, the popular girls are insistent that she sit with them and be friends. However, Jane sets her sights on the table of misfit girls. All named Jane, though spelled differently, these girls are not interested in talking to the new Jane. She tries to infiltrate their areas of interest by trying to join the theater/tech department, going for soccer tryouts, and joining math club, but doesn't quite fit. So, she comes up with a plan to create art in public and the other Janes get on board. Some community members don't see it as art, however; but the Janes continue to find different ways to put art into the community to make others smile.
This was a decent, short graphic novel. I thought the art was pretty good, but the characters looked very different in some panels.
This was a decent, short graphic novel. I thought the art was pretty good, but the characters looked very different in some panels.
rosseroo's review
2.0
When teenager Jane is a bystander to a terrorist bombing in Metro City (aka New York), her parents freak out and decide to move way out to the suburbs, where life is supposedly safe. Unfortunately for her, this is some kind of mythical suburbia where there are almost no freaks and geeks, and apparently no one into interesting art or music or anything cool like they have in Metro City. Yeah.... right...
Unfortunately for the reader, Jane is a classic big city cultural snob, which makes her pretty annoying. This is balanced somewhat by her obsession with an unidentified victim of the bombing, a young man who lies in a coma in a hospital, to whom she writes journal-like letters describing her new home and her loneliness. Eventually, she befriends three other supposedly outsiderish girls at school named Jane -- I say supposedly because each is a stereotype. One is the jock, one is the thespian, and one is the academic - and pretty much every high school school has packs of each, so it's hard to buy the premise that they'd all be outsiders as well.
In any event, the plot requires them to team up, so they do. And they do so in order to secretly artbomb the town with various installations and provocations. For some reason, this suburb is a kind of Reagan-era '80s throwback, because the media, cops, and authorities freak out as if there were commies hiding under the beds. What could have been an interesting idea, especially with the introduction of a brooding romantic interest, ends up being too obvious and over-the-top and most of the potential is wasted.
Unfortunately for the reader, Jane is a classic big city cultural snob, which makes her pretty annoying. This is balanced somewhat by her obsession with an unidentified victim of the bombing, a young man who lies in a coma in a hospital, to whom she writes journal-like letters describing her new home and her loneliness. Eventually, she befriends three other supposedly outsiderish girls at school named Jane -- I say supposedly because each is a stereotype. One is the jock, one is the thespian, and one is the academic - and pretty much every high school school has packs of each, so it's hard to buy the premise that they'd all be outsiders as well.
In any event, the plot requires them to team up, so they do. And they do so in order to secretly artbomb the town with various installations and provocations. For some reason, this suburb is a kind of Reagan-era '80s throwback, because the media, cops, and authorities freak out as if there were commies hiding under the beds. What could have been an interesting idea, especially with the introduction of a brooding romantic interest, ends up being too obvious and over-the-top and most of the potential is wasted.
riotbatgrrl's review
I'm disappointed I didn't like this more. I love positive female friendships! I love using art to reconcile trauma! I love guerrilla activism! But I just didn't love this book. I never really felt connected to any of the Janes, I thought the color choice was odd (Janes in Love was really hard to read because the whole thing was pink), and the battle with the town cop over the guerrilla art installations was just... boring? He was such a cartoonish villain. I don't know, I'm really sad about not liking this the way I wanted to.
satyridae's review
3.0
Graphic novel about 4 young women with a variation of the name Jane. Though it's populated entirely by stereotypes, the story rings true, and the guerrilla artists are interesting and fresh.
heathermassa's review
5.0
Teenage girl ART GANG! What, dude? Totally awesome. Jane's parents move to a suburb after their city was under some sort of terrorist attack. Jane feels like a different person than she was before, so she meets some other Janes and they do protest art. They are an ART GANG. It's so super good.
wcs53's review
4.0
This is another graphic novel I borrowed from the library. It was fairly short read, but quite enjoyable too. The story around Jane, who has survived a bomb attack, which caused he family to move away from the big city to suburbia. She finds three new friends, all called Jane, and they from a secret club called P.L.A.I.N. (people loving art in neighbourhoods).
I found it really interesting reading this book just after finishing The Sculptor, as both have stories of public anonymous art, where the art is not always well received. Apart from that, though, this one was quite different. It was decent story and was well-drawn. It's a quick read and wasn't a waste of time. It raised a few questions and was a little thought-provoking at times.
I found it really interesting reading this book just after finishing The Sculptor, as both have stories of public anonymous art, where the art is not always well received. Apart from that, though, this one was quite different. It was decent story and was well-drawn. It's a quick read and wasn't a waste of time. It raised a few questions and was a little thought-provoking at times.
debz57a52's review
3.0
I picked this up because I have a lot of guy-related graphic novels in my classroom and wanted a few girl ones. Although this isn't quite what I was looking for, there's enough rebellion, friend drama, and self-searching to satisfy any teen. The narration is honest, with attitude, but the dialogue is believable and doesn't seem teen-cliche.