The Thing About Jane Spring

Infobox Book
name = The Thing About Jane Spring


image_caption =
author = Sharon Krum
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country =
language = English
genre = Romantic comedy
publisher = Century (UK)
Viking Press (US)
pub_date = July 7, 2005
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = c. 315 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-670-03417-7
oclc = 57429345

"The Thing About Jane Spring" is a 2005 chick lit [cite news
first = Tatiana
last = Siegel
title = CFP Productions Inks Deal with Paramount
url = http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/film/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001771447
work = The Hollywood Reporter
publisher = Back Stage
date = 2005-12-28
accessdate = 2008-05-27 ]
romantic comedy novel by Sharon Krum, known for "Walk of Fame" (St. Martin's Press, 2001).cite news
title = The Thing About Jane Spring
work = Kirkus Reviews
date = 2005-05-01 ] cite news
first = Michelle
last = Hurley
title = Smile, and all the men smile with you
work = The Sunday Star-Times
date = 2005-07-31 ] It was Krum's second novel,cite news
first = Dianne
last = Dempsey
title = FICTION - The Thing About Jane Spring
work = The Age
date = 2005-08-06 ] and was published in July 2005 in the United States by Viking Press and in the United Kingdom by Century, an imprint of Random House. As of 2005, publication was also planned for Italy (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore), the Netherlands (Unieboek), Russia (Amphora), and Spain (Urano). [cite journal
last = Clee
first = Nicholas
date = March 18, 2005
title = From Pele to Pierre, rights set fair pace: Nicholas Clee rounds up the top titles creating international rights interest at Olympia
journal = The Bookseller
volume =
issue = 5170
pages = 11(1)
issn = 0006-7539 ] [cite news
first = Jason
last = Steger
title = Bookmarks
work = The Age
date = 2005-04-02 ]

Plot summary

The plot of the novel revolves around the title character Jane Spring, an attractive and intelligent 31-year-old Manhattan assistant district attorneycite news
first = Loralyn
last = Whitney
title = The Thing About Jane Spring
work = Library Journal
date = 2005-05-15
page = 104 ] cite news
title = The Thing About Jane Spring
work = Publishers Weekly
date = 2005-06-06
page = 39 ] and West Point general's daughter who grew up without a female role model [cite news
first = Dave
last = McNary
title = It's 'Spring' time for Par
work = Daily Variety
date = 2005-10-25 ] cite news
first = Andrea
last = Simakis
title = Jane Spring finds soft side to land a man
work = The Plain Dealer
date = 2005-07-31
page = H5 ] and struggles to understand why she fails to 'keep' men in a relationship. [cite news
first = Susan
last = Larson
title = Sob sisters? No way: Life might not be a laugh riot, but the heroines of these four novels are hardly ready to host pity parties
work = The Times-Picayune
date = 2005-07-19 ] Spring is described as "militaristic",cite journal
last = Mediatore
first = Kaite
date = July 1, 2005
title = Krum, Sharon. The Thing about Jane Spring; Brief Article; Book Review
journal = Booklist
volume = 101
issue = 21
pages = 1900(1)
issn = 0006-7385 ] "no-nonsense",cite news
first = Verna
last = McGeachin
title = Chick Lit; Books
work = The Sun Herald
date = 2005-07-24
page = 73 ] "aggressive", [cite news
first = Sherryl
last = Connelly
title = Beach Read of the Week: Romantic trials of a leggy legal eagle
work = Daily News
date = 2005-07-10 ] "abrasive", "caustic" and "tomboyish",cite news
first = Rebecca Swain
last = Vadnie
title = A Semi-Magical Makeover
work = Orlando Sentinel
date = 2005-07-20 ] and a "domineering hellion ... who makes old ladies cry on the stand and men run for the hills". A review in "The Age" characterizes Spring as the antithesis of Helen Fielding's fictional character Bridget Jones. A military brat, she prioritizes discipline and motivation and disdains 'civilians' who lack these qualities. A series of events, including overhearing her colleagues' thoughts about her and seeing a Doris Day marathon, ultimately give way to an epiphany and prompt her to reevaluate her approach and undergo a transformationcite news
first = Joanne
last = Hawkins
title = Red Hot Reads
work = Sunday Magazine
date = 2005-12-18 ] to "get in touch with her feminine side". [cite news
first = Kevin
last = Walker
title = Footnotes
work = The Tampa Tribune
date = 2005-07-17 ]

Reception

"Kirkus Reviews" described "The Thing About Jane Spring" as " [s] mart and bracingly funny" and a "winning fable about the seemingly lost art of being a lady", and an "Orlando Sentinel" review commended its "nostalgic charm". A reviewer for the "Connecticut Post" considered the book "a smart satire of feminine behavior in two entirely different eras". [cite news
first = Joe
last = Meyers
title = These 2 winners are full of fun and substance
work = Connecticut Post
date = 2005-08-01 ] "Publishers Weekly" called it "sprightly" and "high-concept", playwright and novelist Joanna Murray-Smith characterized it as "easy and entertaining" reading, and reviews in the "Deseret Morning News" and "Omaha World-Herald" labeled it "light-hearted". [cite news
first = Dennis
last = Lythgoe
title = Leisure reading
work = Deseret Morning News
date = 2005-06-24 ] [cite news
first = John
last = Keenan
title = A collection of characters, from desperate to undead
work = Omaha World-Herald
date = 2005-07-03 ] According to "Booklist", the novel is a "charming modern fairy tale with all the essential chick-lit elements: witty banter, quirky secondary characters, dueling love interests, and personal makeovers". A "Library Journal" review, however, asserted that "The Thing About Jane Spring" is characterized by "one-dimensional characters, lack of setting, and [a] thin story line".

A reviewer for "The Sun Herald" opined: "This funny, frothy Cinderella story is fabulously silly." A review in "The Sunday Star-Times" agreed, noting: "It's just plain silly. Which, ultimately, redeems it." However, a reviewer for "The Cairns Post" found the novel's premise to be "dated and damn irritating" and recommended it only for those who consider Doris Day to be the "epitome of womanhood". [cite news
first = Niki
last = Bruce
title = Time out
work = The Cairns Post
date = 2005-07-23
page = 60 ] A review in "The Plain Dealer" offered a more mixed assessment, stating that " [w] hile Krum’s message ... hits home, it also disappoints. ... The new Jane might be a happier person, but she’s not nearly as misanthropic and interesting as her nasty old self."

Film adaptation

CFP Productions, a production company established by Christine Peters, known for "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", acquired adaptation rights to "The Thing About Jane Spring" for Paramount Pictures in 2005. [cite news
first = Tatiana
last = Siegel
title = 'Spring' here early for CFP, Paramount
work = The Hollywood Reporter
date = 2005-10-25 ] Paramount optioned the novel for six figures. [cite news
author = Anthony, Jason, and Michelle Kung
title = Hollywood Reader
work = Publishers Weekly
date = 2005-10-31 ] According to "The Hollywood Reporter", Paramount enlisted director, producer, and screenwriter Shainee Gabel, known for "A Love Song for Bobby Long", in 2006 to adapt the novel into a film. [cite news
title = Shainee Gabel Penning Jane Spring
url = http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=14033
work = The Hollywood Reporter
publisher = ComingSoon.com
date = 2006-04-10
accessdate = 2008-05-27 ]

ee also

* Romance novel

References