Publishers Weekly, May 9 2011:The sudden appearance of a young woman called Jane in rural Graynier, Mass., propels this absorbing novel of reincarnation and karmic balances from filmmaker Kernochan, the winner of two Academy Awards, skillfully interweaving past and present incarnations.Blogcritics, June 6 2011:...a nerve-jangling but cohesive volume of paranormal suspense, with its cinematic vividness and well-considered attention to detail. The twists and turns have their own twists and turns. All you’ll really know is that you must keep reading...and lose a little sleep while you try to ignore those pesky bumps in the night.The arrival of a young woman named Jane to the little New England town of Graynier sets in motion fateful events that devastatingly touch the lives of its residents. Partial memories of past-life experiences in Graynier make Jane determined to find out what had happened to her. She finds her childhood home currently rented out to Brett and his young son, Collin, for the summer. Brett's odd protective feelings toward Jane encourage him to help her. Strange sensations and images also begin to occur to other residents as they encounter Jane. Memories of his psychotically religious mother make caretaker Hoyt nosedive completely into alcoholism. Local maid and prostitute Marly turns from her usually optimistic sunny self to a surly walking disaster as nightmares plague her. The past disastrously reenacts itself in the present as Jane gets closer to the truth.*Verdict* Kernochan, a screenwriter (*What Lies Beneath*; *9 ½ Weeks*) explores the possibilities of reincarnation through this suspenseful tale. Small-town characters are deftly brought to life as the author slowly unveils the fateful conclusion. -- Library Journal"A unique tale of karmic revenge that captivates from page one." -- Kirkus Reviews Author Sarah Kernochan , an Oscar-winning filmmaker and screenwriter, explores reincarnation and the paranormal as she fashions a suspense story out of two Janes separated by two centuries. Jane Was Here is sure to be enjoyed by fans of The Lovely Bones and The Time Traveler's Wife.
Features & Highlights
A mysterious young woman called Jane appears in a small New England town. She claims a fragmentary memory of growing up in this place, yet she has never been here before in her life. Searching for an explanation, she arrives at the unthinkable: that she is somehow connected to a beautiful girl who disappeared from the town in 1853. Is she recalling a past life? Jane becomes convinced of it. As she presses onward to find out what happened in this town over 150 years ago, strange and alarming things begin happening to some of the town's inhabitants. A thunderhead of karmic justice gathers over the village as Jane's memories reawaken piece by piece. They carry her back in time to a long-buried secret, while the townspeople hurtle forward to a horrific event when past and present fatally collide.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
5.0
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Haunting tale, brilliantly paced, suspenseful & beautifully written
Where do you go when your only memories seem to stem from a life not your own? Who do you call family when those who birthed you are but strangers? Meet Jane...a woman lost in the past who must find herself before she is lost once again in the present.
When Jane enters the small town of Graynier, it is familiar in a way that it shouldn't be, given that she's never been there before. But she has. She hangs onto this certainty as she claims for herself a house that is being occupied by a young man and his son. "This is my home" she tells the confused Brett at 3 a.m. on a rainy night. Her quest for herself creates a karmic ripple through the whole town as author Sarah Kernochan weaves a tale rich with unique characters each stuck in their own story of life.
Kernochan brings the best of her screenwriting skills to this perfectly paced, riveting suspense. With beautifully lyrical language, rich characterization and a lush setting ripe with drama, this is a must read book that you will not be able to put down until the last word is read...and then you will want more and more!
Jane is a fascinating woman, transplanted into an era not her own, who fights to reclaim herself while discovering the truth of her former life. I was completely engaged in her quest through all the unexpected twists and turns. JANE WAS HERE is a novel for anyone who enjoys a great read!
In "Jane Was Here," Sarah Kernochan has created a stunning and remarkable story that grabbed me at the first sentence and didn't let me go until I had devoured the entire story. Moving smoothly and quickly, the story has so many levels that if I tried to explain what it was all about, I'd completely spoil it for you, the future reader of this amazing book.
Who is Jane? She arrives in Granynier, searching for answers. She invites herself into a house rented for the summer by Brett so he could spend the summer with his son Collin; Brett is immediately taken with her, but Collin hates her. She claims she was born in the house, but as Brett researches the past of the house he finds it is impossible, as it has been owned by its current owner for 30 years and Jane is in her early 20s. Eventually a private investigator shows up, claiming the girl's name is Caroline and that she is autistic and her parents are searching for her. Jane insists that while they may have birthed her, they are not her parents and she is not Caroline. Is she crazy, or is she a reincarnation?
Questions abound in this book, which is beautifully atmospheric. There are many characters moving through the story, but Ms. Kernochan (who was kind enough to provide me a copy of her wonderful book so I could write this review for you to read) does such a wonderful job at giving them all individual traits and characteristics that it is easy to keep track of whom is who. I can't stress enough that you should give this book a read - it's really amazing!
16 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Intriguing Read
I was instantly intrigued by the premise of Jane Was Here but when I started reading it I almost decided not to finish it. I wasn't sure what direction the book was heading. I was glad that I continued reading it and ignore the things that annoyed me. That being said you do get wrapped up in Jane's mystery. You want to know where she came from and what she wants. Has she brought on all the strange occurrences to Graynier or is it just a coincidence.
Brett Sampson has come to town with his son, Collin, also and taken up residence in a rental house. Jane's first visit is to him. She tells him for some reason she is pretty sure she lived here. Brett knows for a fact that she couldn't be old enough to have lived here because Father Petrelli has owned the place for 30 years. Feeling instantly captivated and sudden need to help this woman named Jane, he allows her to stay so that she can discover who she is. The mystery deepens when Collin's friend Gita believes that Jane is actually Shaarinen, the personal enemy of her woman god, Gana. Now she enlists Collin in her endeavor to take down the demon.
Definitely a page turner and gets a little crazy at the end. There are some spooky elements that are reminiscent of a Stephen King tale.
8 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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I wanted to love it.
Jane shows up in her home town, trying to piece together her mysterious past. The problem is, she lived about 150 years ago. Apparently reincarnated, Jane lived part of her second life posing as an autistic woman. She has snippets of memories from her past, and returns to her New England home to try to piece them together. She encounters old enemies in her forms, and her appearance puts many peoples' lives in upheaval.
I really really wanted to love this book; instead I just found it to be o.k. I am intrigued by stories involving reincarnation, so the concept of this book fascinated me. And I think in terms of a the reincarnation story line, not only involving Jane but also her love interests, the author does a great job. I liked watching the wounds of the past manifest themselves in the present day; it reinforces the idea that everything has consequences.
However, I found there to be a bit too much going on in the book, too many characters, too many subplots. It was all just a little too much. Because there was just so much going on, including a child who makes her own religious philosophy (what the?), I found it difficult to connect to the story as much as I would have liked. I wanted to focus on Jane, but there was all this other literary noise that distracted me; by the time we got to the end of Jane's story, I had kind of checked out.
I think the book was well written, and many people will love it. But for me, it just did not connect.
7 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Interesting Premise
Jane Was Here starts off with a woman who appears in town with fragmented memories of her past and a strong belief that this is where she belongs. The author excels in creating an interesting premise, vivid characters and strong knowledge of literature and religion.
I was not fond of many of the characters and found a few to be a little too vulgar for my taste. I found the book to be packed with characters and I lacked the connection I wanted to create with anyone. My drive to complete the book was to see how these strange events connected and turned out, not because I cared much for the characters except for maybe Jane.
Overall, it was an interesting read that kept the reader engaged.
6 people found this helpful
★★★★★
2.0
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I'm sorry I got as far as page 30, should have stopped sooner
I probably shouldn't post this as I couldn't get past page 30 and if I got that far and couldn't get into the characters I've had enough. A bit too much of an effort to describe some undesirables in rather drawn out and superficial language really lost me from the start.
4 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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lovely, lyrical, read this
wonderfully constructed story that kept me enthralled from the beginning,
well done, superb writing, highly recommended, i will be looking for
other titles by this talented author
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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JANE IS HAUNTINGLY INTRIGUING! READ IT!!
The allure of a novel with a cinematic presence attached to it should come as no surprise since the author has dabbled in film for several decades. And it stands to reason that anyone who reaches the prestigious goal of achieving an Oscar, as the author has, would craft a story of such beauty and romantic reverence to such a time gone by.
It's obvious that the author has a firm hold on the period of time that the reincarnation of Jane was born from. The novel is rich in dialogue from that era; and one of the more interesting aspects of the novel is that it touches on a period of time when letter writing was the supreme form of communication- especially between two unrequited lovers.
The main character, Jane, is hauntingly but beautifully intriguing and she will move you and entice you to follow her all the way through the avenues and hills of her town, and through the pages of this novel, to the amazing and incredible twist of an ending.
The next time you feel compelled to wander through an antique shop or you feel forces pulling you to read letters of old from the long gone dead- consider the possibility that your fascination and eerie connection to these aged objects is more than a passing interest. Jane experienced a type of deja vu that forced her to confront her past- and to ultimately gain justice that had alluded her for more than 150 years.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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Perhaps a better Movie than Book
I cannot go into the ins and outs of this story without giving away the plot or without explaining things in such detail that I might as well re-write the book so the basics are this: Jane shows up in a small town claiming that she's been here before. Is it a reincarnation? Is it a spirit that has taken over Jane's body? Are you involved yet? The townspeople get really involved in all this too. The underlying tone is about how past history can affect what is going on today but the true mystery to this book is who will pay for something that happened 150 years ago? Hmmm??? Whatcha think???
What I liked: This author was the screenwriter for the movie "What Lies Beneath" and also "9 ½ Weeks." Okay, two different movies, but I had to point that out. Anyway, like in "What Lies Beneath" the story is slow to unfold even though when it does all come together, you have almost an "a-ha!" sort of moment. I like it when that happens. This book could transfer to the screen effortlessly. It would be a really good movie but this might be one of those cases where the movie may be better than the book.
What I disliked: Well I'm not crazy about the cover although in the alternative, I don't know what I might suggest. I wasn't overly fond of any of the characters in the book, I don't care about what happens to any one of them. That was a little rough for me with this book.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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The best yet from Sarah Kernochan
This is, quite simply, a masterful novel. It has an essential paranormal strand, as ghosts of the past return to haunt the living. It is also a mystery, where the enigmatic Jane and the truth she seeks about her past are revealed so gradually that one dare not lose concentration for a single moment. She searches for herself with the same desperation we assume in our search of her.
`Jane Was Here' is, most importantly, a beautifully told story. The sheer quality of the writing puts it into a class of its own. Screenwriter Sarah Kernochan's voice is mature, measured, sympathetic, respectful and ingenious. She is both imaginative composer and sensitive conductor in an elaborate literary symphony full of startling passages and vivid contrasts. And, like a symphony, it has several distinct movements - a painterly opening that sets the backdrop of small-town New England with its town of Graynier, a post-industrial nowheresville just off an interstate in Massachusetts populated by the good and the less good; a second movement, where the strangers and locals begin to collide with one another; a third, lyrical and slow, introducing 19th Century letters in the epistolary style of Austen or a Brontë; and the final, terrifying dénouement that, like all the best symphonies, contains hooks, reprises and leitmotifs that explain all, yet leave the reader bereft at having to close the book.
Careful writing makes this story entirely plausible, which is curious and clever in a book with a strong metaphysical theme of reincarnation. Even the concept of past lives is convincing here, for who can entirely reject the possibility of tangible links between what has gone before and its active influence on the present?
