Book Review: “My Calamity Jane”

“My Calamity Jane” by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Source: Library

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction

Summary:

Welcome to 1876 and a rootin’-tootin’ America bursting with gunslingers, outlaws, and garou.

JANE (a genuine hero-eene)

Calamity’s her name, and garou hunting’s her game—when she’s not starring in Wild Bill’s Traveling Show, that is. She reckons that if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one.

FRANK (*wolf whistle*)
Frank “the Pistol Prince” Butler is the Wild West’s #1 bachelor. He’s also the best sharpshooter on both sides of the Mississippi, but he’s about to meet his match. . . .

ANNIE (get your gun!)
Annie Oakley (yep, that Annie) is lookin’ for a job, not a romance, but she can’t deny there’s something about Frank she likes. Really likes. Still, she’s pretty sure that anything he can do, she can do better.

A HAIRY SITUATION
After a garou hunt goes south and Jane finds a suspicious-like bite on her arm, she turns tail for Deadwood, where there’s been talk of a garou cure. But things ain’t always what they seem—meaning the gang better hightail it after her before they’re a day late and a Jane short.

My Calamity Jane brings the Lady Janies’ humor back in full force. Like in My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane, there are many blink-and-you’ll-miss-it jokes and tongue-in-cheek jokes for the observant reader. They’re not too distracting if you don’t know them all.

The page count in this final installment is longer than the other books in the ‘series’ but I really felt the page count this time. It felt a bit awkwardly paced and drug on in places. This may have more to do with the fact that I’m not a Western fan though.

I personally enjoy the narrators (writers?) breaking the fourth wall and speaking to the reader. That particular trope is back in MCJ so reader beware if you hate that. I thought they made good use of it when encountering problematic things from history (the Lakota people particularly and the treatment of them).

While this story was fun, it was definitely my least favorite of the Jane books. Can’t wait to meet the Marys in the future.

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