Best thing I've read in years. I would give it 20 stars if I could. I can not share any better than the good reviews already expressed. A well written, beautiful and peaceful book.

What a pleasure this book was! The descriptions of Mississippi during this time period were beautifully written and the characters truly came to life as the story unfolded. I was caught up in this tale immediately and felt sympathy, heartbreak, interest and by the middle of the book total admiration for the main character, Jane. The story is one of a kind and I would definitely recommend this book to my book club, as I am sure the story would lead to discussion in many different directions. Well done, Brad Watson!

Miss Jane by Brad Watson is a surprising treasure of a read. This was a totally unexpected story with beautiful writing. So much more than a tale of a girl born with a rare deformity, it is the story of the struggle of one family in the 20s and 30s in rural Mississippi. This family had many secrets, with each character fully developed and their relationships to one another explored as only a talented author can impart. Jane's discovery of her oddity and how she deals with her life is the central theme but how her life changes the plans and dreams of everyone around her is told with grace. This is historical fiction at its best. The time and place envelop you as you read. Mr. Watson explores the true meaning of love and is it best realized through emotional satisfaction or physical pleasure?

A beautiful book. Calm as a deep river that flows on despite the occasional turbulence. The character Jane would feel at home in Harper Lee's Maycomb or Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, and with the women young and old in those books whose lives we share and admire as strong and humane. Don't overlook Miss Jane.

I love this book! Not only is it a compelling story with complex characters, it is beautifully written with sentences to re-read and savor. The title character is a woman born in the early part of the twentieth-century in rural Mississippi with a birth defect that shapes all of her life's choices. Never maudlin, it is a memorable story of courage in the face of adversity.

It took me so long to write this review because I read it as slow as possible to savor it and the writing. It is a beautiful story with sadness but tenderness and bravery as well. I truly loved this book.

It is not often that you happen upon a book so eloquently written, interesting in subject matter and overflowing with emotions. Simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, this wonderful novel tapped every single feeling possible. Ultimately I came away with a tremendous sense of the strength of a human spirit that would not embrace defeat and heartache but instead choose to live the best life possible in the circumstances presented. I highly recommend this beautifully written, superb novel that held my interest from start to finish.

I love this book! Really love it. Each of us has a story, but the ability to tell it is what keeps most of us from doing so. Brad Watson gives voice to Miss Jane's story in some of the most beautiful writing I've read in a long time. Set in the South, in pre-depression Mississippi up through recent times it is about a rural family coping with their lives in ways often alien to one another. Miss Jane is born with some type of genital defect and since this is relatively unknown in these times her life is compromised in several ways and she attends school for a short period. But her life is fulfilling in so many ways as she teaches herself from keen observation and the natural environment. Jane's life is rich and full though she spends so much of it alone. She is a strong character who intrigues those who come to know her. The friendship she has with Dr. Thompson throughout their lives is special to both-and became so to me. It was also a portrait of the south that appealed to me through its gentle approach to the people and their land. Watson is a storyteller of great power and finesse.