Mary Jane

By: Amy Herzog

Narrated by: Rachel McAdams, April Matthis, Brenda Wehle, Lily Santiago, Susan Pourfar

Academy Award nominee Rachel McAdams stars in Mary Jane, a poignant and intimate drama following a single mother’s journey caring for her chronically ill young son. Set in New York City, the play unfolds in two parts—Mary Jane's small Queens apartment and a pediatric hospital.

With unflinching honesty and unexpected humor, we witness Mary Jane's tireless devotion, her interactions with medical professionals, and her struggle to maintain her sense of self.

Playwright Amy Herzog's naturalistic dialogue and carefully observed details create an achingly authentic portrait of contemporary motherhood and medical care. Mary Jane offers a clear-eyed look at resilience and human connection in trying circumstances.

Available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.

©2024 Amy Herzog (P)2024 AO Media, LLC

Amazing performance

this book easily draws you in and holds your attention every moment. in a short amount of time you feel like you know these characters. then the end just kind of drops you. it's perhaps meant to allow you to imagine your own ending, but there are too many choices and you are so invested in the characters that you would like to know what actually happens in the story. it's a little disappointing.

Empathetic, immersive, well-written and acted

I found this to be moving relatable, painful human and lovely. I thought the writing and acting were terrific.

Too real

This was so realistic, life with a child with severe developmental delay… I could feel all the feels

it's brutal in it's perfectly honest portrayal of a

I loved the to truth of it. the acting and portrayal of the experience were so compelling. my niece was born with cystic fibrosis and we had some scares that make me relate to this. it's heartbreakingly beautiful.

the ending is super blunt and confusing and I don't understand the author's intent there, but I'm so glad I experienced the story.

Family life when there’s a child with special needs - ACCURATE reflection

Fantastic performance by each actor, incredible flow, felt like I was in the room with them. All the additional side characters (landlady, niece, other mothers, music therapist) were so spot-on. Great performances all around!

Missing character development

I deeply related to the main character. It is a great character study and a window into life with a severely disabled child. It is heartbreaking and valuable to listen to. However, I wanted to see more development of her character. None of the other characters return, so you’re pulled through a series of interactions with one character.

Every new conversation is an opportunity for her to advocate differently for herself and she never takes it. She is so kind and forgiving to everyone around her that she loses herself. She has one fit of temper at the end, but it is just a glimmer of the controlled, assured character I wanted to see realized.

It would love to see a part two where she has another conversation with each of the people we meet in this story a year later. I want to meet the person on the other side of the fractals.

The Reality

I spent a lot of time with my daughter in the hospital and I don’t know if I have ever heard something that has struck so close to home. I am moved just by her words and confusion about things. I felt this in my soul.

Amazing performance!

The performance was amazing! I felt all the feels in this story. I was not a fan of the ending though - I didn’t expect a happy ending just a different ending. Closure.

Rachel McAdams is an amazing actress

I felt privileged to be find this story. I was in awe of Mary Jane's overall strength & gratitude. Thank you.

Alex saved Mary Jane

I think Alex saved Mary Jane's life.

It reminded me of the Parable of the Chinese Farmer.

Spoiler:

There are two things that make me think this. First, at the end Mary Jane is telling her last visitor, the Chaplain, how she gets really bad headaches and she often passes out. She considers this something normal for her. But the Chaplain tells her that they are probably a Neurological event.

Second, in the last anecdote before the book ends she is talking about how snow flakes are fractal. That word sounds a little like Fractured to me.

So it kind of tells me that maybe Mary Jane has been sick for a long time. But since her whole focus has been Alex she has been ignoring the symptoms.

So when she is at the hospital because of Alex and she has an episode in front of someone else and she passes out, she finally gets the help she's needed, probably since she was a young girl.

Why did I think of the parable of the Chinese Farmer because we don't know what life uncertainties actually mean. We don't know what impact they may or may not have on our lives.

I obviously don't know what the author meant by her ending. And I really don't know about Taoism to explain with more clarity what the Chinese Farmer parable means in all it's levels. But this made sense to me in how the book ended.

My point is that I believe that Alex saved Mary Jane in more ways that we can imagine.