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Looking For Jane
“The nuns use this as their measuring who your people are. Well, what if you don’t have no people? Or any you know of? What then? Are you doomed?” This is the nagging question of fifteen-year-old Nell’s life. Born with a cleft palate and left a foundling on the doorstep of a convent, she yearns to know her mother, whose name, she knows, was Jane.When the Mother Superior tries to pawn her off to a mean looking farmer and his beaten down wife, Nell opts for the only alternative she can she runs away. A chance encounter with a dime novel exhorting the exploits of Calamity Jane, heroine of the west, gives Nell the purpose of her to find Calamity Jane, who Nell is convinced is her mother.Her quest takes her down rivers, up rivers and across the Badlands to Deadwood, South Dakota and introduces her to Soot, a big, lovable black dog, and Jeremy Chatterfield, a handsome young Englishman who isn’t particular about how he makes his way, as long as he doesn’t have to work for it. Together they trek across the country meeting characters as wonderful and bizarre as the adventure they seek, learning about themselves and the world along the way.You’ll take Nell with you to that special place in your memory where you keep the best characters. She’ll stick with you, beat you down, buoy you up and teach you a thing or two about life. You’ll wonder at her stubborn determination, her patience and her courage, but you won’t forget her. Not for a long time.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
244 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2012
97 people are currently reading
495 people want to read
About the author
Judith Redline Coopey
11 books71 followersJudith Redline Coopey, born in Altoona, PA holds degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and Arizona State University. A passion for history inherited from her father drives her writing and a love for Pennsylvania sustains it. Her first book, Redfield Farm was the story of the Underground Railroad in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The second, Waterproof, tells how the 1889 Johnstown Flood nearly destroyed a whole city and one young woman’s life. Looking For Jane is a quest for love and family in the 1890s brought to life through the eyes of Nell, a young girl convinced that Calamity Jane is her mother. Her most recent work, The Furnace: Volume One of the Juniata Iron Trilogy, is set on an iron plantation near where she grew up and tells the story of an ill conceived marriage of convenience as it plays out over a lifetime. As a teacher, writer and student of history, Ms Coopey finds her inspiration in the rich history of her native state and in stories of the lives of those who have gone before.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
June 9, 2021
Judity Redline Coopey is an author originally from my home area. I think I've read all her books now. The previous ones were historical fiction set in my area and I enjoyed them and learned some history I was not aware of. This book starts out in Johnstown, PA after the flood (home territory) but trekked west to South Dakota. The main character is unbelievably convinced that Calamity Jane is her mother. This device is what propels the book and I never found it compelling. I really thought it might have been the author's first literary effort, but it is not. The story was interesting enough for me to keep reading, but I ended feeling unsatisfied and a bit like I could have used my time on more interesting or better efforts. The author several times referenced "dime novels" about Calamity Jane, and perhaps this is what she was attempting to emulate.
June 6, 2023
Everyone Matters
An amazing story of a little baby dropped off at a convent with a pocket and a picture inside of her mother and father. Nell leaves the convent at a young age to look for Calamity Jane who she believes is her mother. She meets a young man who she falls in love with. His name is Jeremy! He is a wanderer and stays will Nell until she reaches the town where she believes her mother is. Along the way there are so man any adventures, some good and some dangerous. Nell was born without a roof in her mouth which made her face look distorted. When she went to Iowa she met a Dr. performed surgery along with his apprentice who fixed her. She turned out beautiful! There is so much to this story and I thank Judith Redline Coopey for writing this great book !
An amazing story of a little baby dropped off at a convent with a pocket and a picture inside of her mother and father. Nell leaves the convent at a young age to look for Calamity Jane who she believes is her mother. She meets a young man who she falls in love with. His name is Jeremy! He is a wanderer and stays will Nell until she reaches the town where she believes her mother is. Along the way there are so man any adventures, some good and some dangerous. Nell was born without a roof in her mouth which made her face look distorted. When she went to Iowa she met a Dr. performed surgery along with his apprentice who fixed her. She turned out beautiful! There is so much to this story and I thank Judith Redline Coopey for writing this great book !
July 30, 2024
How could I resist reading a book with this title? Turns out it is a coming-of-age novel. Nell, our heroine, was a foundling abandoned at a convent fifteen years earlier. Because she was born with a cleft palette, she can't speak clearly, so people tend to assume she is an idiot—the nuns didn't think it worthwhile to send her to school. But when a mean-looking farmer offers to take her off their hands, Nell runs away. She knows only two things about her past: her mother's name was Jane, and she has a locket with a picture of a man and a locket of hair in it. A dime novel she finds gives her the idea that her mother was Calamity Jane, so she decides to try to find her. Along the way she finds a number of friends, and has adventures, but in the end, what she really finds is herself.
April 8, 2020
4.5 stars - This book was so entertaining. Nell is a lovable character and a great narrator. Written in a way that’s fun to read with her no-nonsense style and country charm. Set in the late 1800’s, Nell is a 15 year old orphan living with nuns at an orphanage. When she sees a dime novel about Calamity Jane she is sure as shootin’ that the Wild West legend is her mother and sets off on a journey from Pennsylvania to Deadwood, SD to find her. Along the way she meets up with some colorful characters, makes some good friendships, and creates her own family. Loved it.
March 10, 2019
What an excellent book! I was completely caught up with the characters and the plot from the very beginning right until the end, even though after I had finished the book and given it a little thought it occurred to me that both characters and plots are absolutely unbelievable. The author somehow manages to put this outrageous story together in a way that works beautifully and has a wonderful message about humanity and love and kindness.
March 10, 2019
An abandoned girl raised by nuns seeks her mother who she believes is Calamity Jane. The book is about her venture into finding her. In the process she discovers her tenacity, her grit, and her ability to love. A bit simplistic at times with some stereotypical characters, but on the whole an interesting depiction of travel in the late 19th century in the American west.
September 7, 2024
I intended to read another book with the same title for book club. This was a mistake, but once started I couldn’t abandon it. The story was quirky and very engrossing. Loved the prose and many rich characters. Loved this silly story. 4.5 stars
August 25, 2017
This is the best book I've read in a long time. Nell, an orphan raised in a convent in Pennsylvania, runs away and sets out to find her mother.
April 17, 2019
i would rate this Book 3.5
December 5, 2019
Good easy read
Entertaining, like to read about how people survived in early days. How they traveled from place to place, when it seemed impossible
Entertaining, like to read about how people survived in early days. How they traveled from place to place, when it seemed impossible
March 12, 2021
"Calamity"
MS.Cooley surely writes stories that tug so mightily on your heartstrings! I can so see this story as a film.
MS.Cooley surely writes stories that tug so mightily on your heartstrings! I can so see this story as a film.
June 17, 2023
This is a sweet book about a young orphan girl raised by the nuns. She decides to find her mother. She finds adventure and love.
December 16, 2023
Enjoyed this book lots of detail and mostly wholesome and homespun.
September 30, 2025
A good story with many life lessons and messages within its pages. It’s also about strength and survival during the days of long ago when daily life alone was hard.
June 13, 2025
SO GOOD
This historical fiction coming-of-age travel adventure was a delightful read. The story begins in 1890 Pennsylvania with 15 year old Nell who was raised by nuns. She was abandoned as an infant because she had a cleft palate. The only fact she knows about her mother is that her name was Jane, and Nell decides that Calamity Jane was her mother. When the nuns try to hire her out to a mean farmer, Nell runs away to search for her mother. Her travels take her west, and along the way she has several adventures and meets many people, including a few friends and found family.
The writing was fantastic. I loved the conversational tone, told so well in Nell's voice. I liked Nell as a character too, she was very practical and level-headed, if a bit naive from her very sheltered upbringing. Her adventures made a wonderful story too, a nice balance of both good and bad things happening throughout. The historic setting was detailed and very well-researched.
This book was a fantastic palate-cleanser after far too many fantasy romance books. I don't particularly enjoy romance plotlines, but it's hard to find books without romance that aren't either suspense or tragedy. This, however, was wonderful. Yes, there are some sad and bittersweet things that happen, but there are good things, too, and the overall tone was hopeful. And the writing, it was just delightful to read.
This book earns a full unreserved 5-stars because it definitely has the re-readability potential that I look for, plus many interesting plot points and themes to contemplate.
Content: PG-13
Language: A few usages of strong language scattered throughout
Sexual: Commentary on prostitutes, an attempted sexual assault, a brief suggestion that a character is attracted to the same gender
Violence: Fistfights, two fires, discussion of the Lakota massacre at Wounded Knee
Religion: Various views of various faiths are expressed (I recall Catholic, Quaker, a revival, an all-faith church, and the Sioux Indians being discussed).
Other: A con man poses as a revivalist preacher, discussion of gambling and drinking, Native Americans are referred to as Indians
This historical fiction coming-of-age travel adventure was a delightful read. The story begins in 1890 Pennsylvania with 15 year old Nell who was raised by nuns. She was abandoned as an infant because she had a cleft palate. The only fact she knows about her mother is that her name was Jane, and Nell decides that Calamity Jane was her mother. When the nuns try to hire her out to a mean farmer, Nell runs away to search for her mother. Her travels take her west, and along the way she has several adventures and meets many people, including a few friends and found family.
The writing was fantastic. I loved the conversational tone, told so well in Nell's voice. I liked Nell as a character too, she was very practical and level-headed, if a bit naive from her very sheltered upbringing. Her adventures made a wonderful story too, a nice balance of both good and bad things happening throughout. The historic setting was detailed and very well-researched.
This book was a fantastic palate-cleanser after far too many fantasy romance books. I don't particularly enjoy romance plotlines, but it's hard to find books without romance that aren't either suspense or tragedy. This, however, was wonderful. Yes, there are some sad and bittersweet things that happen, but there are good things, too, and the overall tone was hopeful. And the writing, it was just delightful to read.
This book earns a full unreserved 5-stars because it definitely has the re-readability potential that I look for, plus many interesting plot points and themes to contemplate.
Content: PG-13
Language: A few usages of strong language scattered throughout
Sexual: Commentary on prostitutes, an attempted sexual assault, a brief suggestion that a character is attracted to the same gender
Violence: Fistfights, two fires, discussion of the Lakota massacre at Wounded Knee
Religion: Various views of various faiths are expressed (I recall Catholic, Quaker, a revival, an all-faith church, and the Sioux Indians being discussed).
Other: A con man poses as a revivalist preacher, discussion of gambling and drinking, Native Americans are referred to as Indians
July 21, 2015
Nell was dropped at a convent in rural Pennsylvania when she was a baby. With a cleft palate and no knowledge of where she came from, except that her mother's name is Jane, Nell grows up ridiculed was believed to be developmentally disabled. When the Mother Superior tries to sell Nell to a mean farmer and his wife, Nell takes the opportunity to run away. With no real plans and no where to go, Nell procures a boat and proceeds to travel up and down rivers trying to find her way. She soon picks up handsome Britishman, Jeremy as well as a lovable river dog, Soot . Jeremy makes his way through life as a thief, but has grown attached to Nell and doesn't seem to mind her different looks and strange voice. As they travel, Nell reads the story of Calamity Jane. Once she hears that Jane is real, Nell is convinced that Calamity Jane is her mother and is given a reason for her quest as well as a destination, Deadwood South Dakota.
Set throughout the US in the 1800's, Nell's adventures showcase American history at the time. Nell is a lovable character, she is assumed to be disabled because of her cleft palate, but is very bright. She has taught herself how to read and has a good sense of what people to trust. When she finds Jeremy, they form a heartwarming and protective bond; though Nell sometimes wishes that there was more. Very reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, Nell's adventures up and down the Mississippi introduce Nell to a variety of spectacles and people. From tent revivals and snake oil salesmen to Quakers and an understanding Doctor who helps Nell with her palate and teeth, Nell sees the best and worst of what the world has to offer. While Nell's quest to find Calamity Jane and her belief that she is indeed her mother seems fanciful, Nell's intuition always seems to be spot on that I begun to believe it myself. Overall, this was a fun adventure with some great characters and a different kind of happy ending.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Set throughout the US in the 1800's, Nell's adventures showcase American history at the time. Nell is a lovable character, she is assumed to be disabled because of her cleft palate, but is very bright. She has taught herself how to read and has a good sense of what people to trust. When she finds Jeremy, they form a heartwarming and protective bond; though Nell sometimes wishes that there was more. Very reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, Nell's adventures up and down the Mississippi introduce Nell to a variety of spectacles and people. From tent revivals and snake oil salesmen to Quakers and an understanding Doctor who helps Nell with her palate and teeth, Nell sees the best and worst of what the world has to offer. While Nell's quest to find Calamity Jane and her belief that she is indeed her mother seems fanciful, Nell's intuition always seems to be spot on that I begun to believe it myself. Overall, this was a fun adventure with some great characters and a different kind of happy ending.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
April 3, 2015
I had a hard time getting into this novel at first. I will confess it seems like a whole lot of nothing for the first half, as the heroine gets in a stolen boat and begins a journey down a river, picking up some awful characters as she goes. It seems without a real plot, as though the story just changes direction with the river, which could be what the author intended, and just didn't appeal to me.
I became very frustrated with the heroine. For girl so very smart--she seems right through the pastor and the fools following him--she's very dumb when it comes to Jeremy. She complains about him; he isn't treating her right; he's inviting bad people into their boat/lives, and yet even when she has a chance, she doesn't just row away and leave him there, and she was pretty much already surviving on her own, so I wasn't buying that excuse. And as Jeremy kept popping up, I kept getting more aggravated.
But I really appreciated one thing: Everyone keeps trying to convince Nell that if she gets her face/roof-of-mouth problem "fixed", she'll have less hardship, 'cause folks will no longer look at her and think she's dumb or treat her bad because she's "ugly". Nell refuses/questions this, says she's happy with herself the way she is and changing her face may change her. I appreciated this. After all, she's not the one with the problem; it's others, so why should she change?
But in conclusion, I was very bored with this story. It gets sidetracked from the main, finding Calamity Jane, plot too often.
http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2015/...
I became very frustrated with the heroine. For girl so very smart--she seems right through the pastor and the fools following him--she's very dumb when it comes to Jeremy. She complains about him; he isn't treating her right; he's inviting bad people into their boat/lives, and yet even when she has a chance, she doesn't just row away and leave him there, and she was pretty much already surviving on her own, so I wasn't buying that excuse. And as Jeremy kept popping up, I kept getting more aggravated.
But I really appreciated one thing: Everyone keeps trying to convince Nell that if she gets her face/roof-of-mouth problem "fixed", she'll have less hardship, 'cause folks will no longer look at her and think she's dumb or treat her bad because she's "ugly". Nell refuses/questions this, says she's happy with herself the way she is and changing her face may change her. I appreciated this. After all, she's not the one with the problem; it's others, so why should she change?
But in conclusion, I was very bored with this story. It gets sidetracked from the main, finding Calamity Jane, plot too often.
http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2015/...
August 22, 2021
A cross between Huckleberry Finn and This Tender Land, and far better written than both. A little heavier than I would typically read on vacation, but good. Enjoyed this random find at the library on the “local author” shelf.
November 13, 2013
Looking for Jane is the story of a 15-year-old orphan named Nell who runs away looking for Calamity Jane. Though the proof is practically nonexistent, Nell thinks Calamity Jane is her mother. Nell's travels take her from Johnstown, PA all the way to Deadwood, SD. She's a smart girl who is determined and honest, but she learns some tough lessons about life and family along the way. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say Nell lands on her feet.
Looking for Jane is a good read, but Redfield Farm is still my favorite book by Coopey.
Looking for Jane is a good read, but Redfield Farm is still my favorite book by Coopey.
April 1, 2015
From the first page I felt for Nell. She was dropped at the convent and had a speech problem so others did not treat her as well as they should have. The author did a good job of describing Nell's journey to find her mother as you felt as if you were on the journey with her. I liked that it took place in South Dakota as that is one of the places I like to read about. This was kind of like a girl's version of Huckleberry Finn. Nell had such determination for such a young girl. I enjoyed this book and think it would be good for young adults to read as well.
September 3, 2013
Fortunately I came across this book and decided to purchase it. Loved all the entertaining adventures, the ending was beautiful.
Two unconventional people meet while on a quest to find something everyone needs which are family ties and love. They find out love can come in many forms, ties that bind are not always family. Fast moving, uplifting, a real gem!
Two unconventional people meet while on a quest to find something everyone needs which are family ties and love. They find out love can come in many forms, ties that bind are not always family. Fast moving, uplifting, a real gem!
March 23, 2015
An orphaned teenager who travels the river towns looking for her mother...whom she has decided is Calamity Jane. Predictably, she learns a lot about family. Many adventures and an enjoyable read though certain aspects came together a little too fast/vague at the end.
January 12, 2016
Great adventure
Takes you on a journey that you hope never ends. Kept me up late into the night reading this one. Full of adventure, hope, love, sorrow and happiness. I highly recommend this story. A great read.
Takes you on a journey that you hope never ends. Kept me up late into the night reading this one. Full of adventure, hope, love, sorrow and happiness. I highly recommend this story. A great read.
November 15, 2013
great read. let's you see that people can be good without getting anything in return and love doesn't have to end in the fairytale.
January 2, 2014
This was the perfect book to read during Christmas break - funny, sweet and totally absorbing!
January 4, 2014
Great book. Realistic, but heartwarming story filled with many adventures as a young girl searches for self realization. A favorite!
February 24, 2014
So fun!
I really enjoyed this book. Nell experienced so much in her travels and I loved Jeremy too. what a great ending!
I really enjoyed this book. Nell experienced so much in her travels and I loved Jeremy too. what a great ending!
June 13, 2015
Not quite as good as her other books. I got tired if the way Jane talked
April 27, 2016
A feel good story with a lot of adventure
Loved this story. Couldn't get enough. And now I've turned the last page and it has made me feel really good
Loved this story. Couldn't get enough. And now I've turned the last page and it has made me feel really good
June 20, 2016
I had to force myself to get through the first half but the ending sure was worth it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews