30 ratings | 3 reviews | avg rating:4.90

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Jessica Francis Kane

Goodreads Author

Born

in Berkeley, CA, The United States

Website

http://www.jessicafranciskane.com

Twitter

JessicaFKane

Genre

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor and Comedy

Member Since

April 2010

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Jessica Francis Kane’s new novel, FONSECA, will be published by Penguin Press on August 12, 2025. It is based on the mysterious trip to northern Mexico made by English writer Penelope Fitzgerald in 1952 and took Kane eight years to write. It has been named a most-anticipated book of 2025 by the Los Angeles Times, LitHub, Publisher's Weekly and others.

Her previous novel, RULES FOR VISITING, was a 2019 Indie Next Pick and became a national bestseller. It was named one of the best books of the year by Oprah Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Vulture, The Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, Real Simple, The Today Show, and Good Morning America. In the UK it was published by Granta Books and was a finalist ...more

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Jessica Francis Kane’s books

Average rating: 3.73 · 17,554 ratings · 2,785 reviews · 16 distinct works • Similar authors

	Rules for Visiting 3.73 avg rating — 14,966 ratings — published 2019	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Report 3.71 avg rating — 1,300 ratings — published 2010 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fonseca 3.69 avg rating — 971 ratings — published 2025 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	This Close 3.74 avg rating — 269 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bending Heaven really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2002 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	American Lawn really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Old Beginning it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2013	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lucky Boy liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Double Take & Night Class 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Essentials of Acceleration 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Jessica Francis Kane…

Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman know the radical life-changing power of a good friendship. The two launched their hit podcast Call Your...

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Jessica’s Recent Updates

Jessica Kane and 1 other person liked Olivia Kane's review of The End of the Affair: "A book that cuts through the noise of current literature, that proves a sad character isn’t an inherently brilliant one, that tells you how to think without telling you what to think by enumerating the wrongs of the world. "
Feb 22, 2026 02:16PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The End of the Affair by Graham Greene. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The End of the Affair by Graham Greene <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jessica Kane liked Ruth's review of Fonseca: "Interesting back story about author Penelope Fitzgerald with assistance from her children. I will definitely be reading some of Fitzgerald’s work after this."
Feb 13, 2026 04:44AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fonseca by Jessica Francis Kane. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fonseca by Jessica Francis Kane <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jessica Kane and 1 other person liked Elderberrywine's review of Fonseca: "When I first started this, I thought, “Oooh, Mexican Gothic! My favorite jam!” But then it turned out to be a fictional/true story that, yes, was set in Mexico and had definite goth vibes. But I’m ashamed to admit that it took half the book until I t" Read more of this review »
Jan 18, 2026 07:13AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fonseca by Jessica Francis Kane. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fonseca by Jessica Francis Kane <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jessica Kane and 1 other person liked Brandon's review of Fonseca: "This is a surreal, smoky novel populated with eccentrics and is utterly captivating. It’s a story of awakening and a mystery. As a fictional biography, Fonseca is excellently researched and the author's note added an understanding to the novel that i" Read more of this review »
Jan 18, 2026 07:13AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fonseca by Jessica Francis Kane. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fonseca by Jessica Francis Kane <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jessica Kane is now following Betsy Robinson Author of The Trouble with the Truth
Jan 15, 2026 07:30AM · like
Jessica Kane rated a book it was amazing A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction by Elizabeth McCracken	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 28, 2025 07:36PM · 3 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Long Game by Elizabeth McCracken <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jessica Kane rated a book it was amazing Mexico's Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life Through Stories and Photos by Luisa Navarro (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 23, 2025 10:53AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mexico's Day of the Dead by Luisa Navarro. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mexico's Day of the Dead by Luisa Navarro <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jessica Kane voted for Heartwood as Readers' Favorite Mystery & Thriller in the Opening Round of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. Cast Your Vote
Nov 18, 2025 09:33AM · like
Jessica Kane rated a book liked it Heart the Lover by Lily King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 29, 2025 03:11PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Heart the Lover by Lily King. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Heart the Lover by Lily King <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jessica Kane rated a book it was amazing At Last by Marisa Silver (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 29, 2025 03:08PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of At Last by Marisa Silver. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — At Last by Marisa Silver <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Jessica's books…

Quotes by Jessica Francis Kane (?)

“It seems to me that your oldest friends can offer a glimpse of who you were from a time before you had a sense of yourself.”
― Jessica Francis Kane, Rules for Visiting

tags: friendship, self

11 likes

“Because certain things only come into focus when a person is gone. It’s sad but true. You need memory and loss to polish your thoughts.”
― Jessica Francis Kane, Rules for Visiting

10 likes

“Forgiveness without understanding is like faith without proof.”
― Jessica Francis Kane, The Report

tags: faith, forgiveness

10 likes

See all Jessica Francis Kane's quotes »

Polls

It's time to vote for the first Graywolf Press Book Club selection of 2011! You have until Thursday, December 16th to vote on our January 2011 read, and the winner will be announced on December 17th. All new books in all genres from 2010 are included. Happy voting!

Your Presence Is Requested at Suvanto: A Novel by Maile Chapman

5 votes 29.4%

I Curse the River of Time by Per Petterson

3 votes 17.6%

The Report by Jessica Francis Kane

3 votes 17.6%

Ghosts of Wyoming by Alyson Hagy

2 votes 11.8%

Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty: Poems by Tony Hoagland

2 votes 11.8%

Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir by Ander Monson

1 vote 5.9%

The Art of Recklessness: Poetry as Assertive Force and Contradiction by Dean Young

1 vote 5.9%

Obabakoak by Bernardo Atxaga

0 votes 0.0%

The Stranger Manual: Poems by Catie Rosemurgy

0 votes 0.0%

We Don't Know We Don't Know: Poems by Nick Lantz

0 votes 0.0%

I Just Lately Started Buying Wings by Kim Dana Kupperman

0 votes 0.0%

The Art of Description: World into Word by Mark Doty

0 votes 0.0%

Out of Sight: New and Selected Poems by Eamon Grennan

0 votes 0.0%

The Wilding by Benjamin Percy

0 votes 0.0%

Essays from the Nick of Time: Reflections and Refutations by Mark Slouka

0 votes 0.0%

Crave Radiance: New and Selected Poems 1990-2010 by Elizabeth Alexander

0 votes 0.0%

Skin, Inc.: Identity Repair Poems by Thomas Sayers Ellis

0 votes 0.0%

Missing You, Metropolis: Poems by Gary Jackson

0 votes 0.0%

17 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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One Million Pages...: Dan P's Million Pages	35	128	Oct 03, 2010 10:07AM
The Next Best Boo...: Dan's 36,500 Pages In 2010	45	358	Oct 03, 2010 10:15AM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2011: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2866	791	Feb 29, 2012 09:03PM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2291	757	Dec 28, 2012 03:29PM

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Jessica’s Quotes

“Forgiveness without understanding is like faith without proof.”
― Jessica Francis Kane, The Report

tags: faith, forgiveness

10 likes

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