---
product_id: 3704901
title: "In Zanesville: A Novel Paperback – Bargain Price, April 3, 2012"
brand: "jo ann beard"
price: "$66.91"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 6
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/3704901-in-zanesville-a-novel-paperback-bargain-price-april-3-2012
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# In Zanesville: A Novel Paperback – Bargain Price, April 3, 2012

**Brand:** jo ann beard
**Price:** $66.91
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** In Zanesville: A Novel Paperback – Bargain Price, April 3, 2012 by jo ann beard
- **How much does it cost?** $66.91 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/3704901-in-zanesville-a-novel-paperback-bargain-price-april-3-2012)

## Best For

- jo ann beard enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted jo ann beard brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![In Zanesville: A Novel Paperback – Bargain Price, April 3, 2012 - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51cm4hXKHML.jpg)
![In Zanesville: A Novel Paperback – Bargain Price, April 3, 2012 - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/315EzTqHHEL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Very Unbelievable Narrator Delivers an Interesting Novel
  

*by E***Y on Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2011*

This novel has one major problem--the first person narrative that would never come from the head of a fourteen-year-old young woman, even the most precocious who has read a rather amazing number of novels, including Thomas Wolff. I am very surprised that a novelist who teaches writing at the undergraduate and/or graduate level would not have considered this major flaw: vocabulary and syntax that would only come from the head of a very skilled, adult writer, namely this novelist. Why did Jo Ann Beard not realize this? This could so easily have been written with the mature narrator, the one who looks back the way Harper Lee did with Jean Louise Finch (Scout) in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Did the author really believe that having the narrator and her buddy, Felicia, enjoying word play, i. e., flutile (futile) for flute. Sorry, but this is hardly enough to make this reader believe that this could possibly come from a fourteen-year-old. I laughed when somewhere in the middle of the novel, our narrator, we learn, is in gifted English. Apparently very, very gifted English.But setting that aside, the narrator and Felicia, living in the pre-iPod, Facebook, CD era,  are really delightful girls living in typical dysfunctional households in everything-is-the-same-or-nearly-so neighborhoods called Zaneville, Illinois. The story opens with the girls babysitting six children whose parents ride motorcycles to and from work and who are, we soon discover, truly horrid parents. I won't divulge to what extent. And the girls do babysitting in hopes that a fast-growing pile of put-aside new clothes at the Style (a local store) can eventually be purchased. Of course even though the reader knows this will be impossible--and in this case from the most amazing fourteen-year-old writer ever--these two girls are convinced they will indeed raise the money.They bounce back and forth between their houses with mothers you will enjoy meeting--one never stops smoking--and a father who begins drinking early in the day, one of those passive men who dislikes his door-to-door salesman job. And then it's time for the school band--the John Deere High School band--to tune up with new uniforms. I won't tell you what happens. But it is very funny.Because I taught high school for decades, I can attest to this: these girls are very believable (as opposed to the lack of the narrator's verisimilitude). The girls find themselves involved with cheerleader types and a sleepover, with the the onset of menstruation, all the angst teens endure. Here is a sentence that captures what I suspect a majority of adolescents feel: "I'm sick of being a teenager. Being a teenager so far hasn't gotten me anything beyond period cramps and nameless yearning that has boys attached to it."And, yes, there is a plot although for most of the novel, one wonders if all of these pieces will actually lead to a conclusion that satisfies the reader.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Coming of age is never easy
  

*by J***M on Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2015*

The fourteen-year-old narrator takes readers along on a coming-of-age journey in 1970s Zanesville, Ohio.As the story unfolds, it's summer; she and her longtime best friend Felicia are full of high spirits as they cavort around town on their various adventures. Days, they have a regular babysitting job with a family full of horrors; nights, they usually sleep in Felicia's family's camper and run around the neighborhood after dark.Then when ninth grade begins, things suddenly start to shift. First the girls decide to quit band, which is bound to mark them as outcasts. Then, they get invited to a cheerleader's birthday party, where the two have vastly different experiences which lead them to start hanging out with different friends. Why is it so impossible at 14 to be friends with various groups? The narrator wishes she knew.Throughout it all, there is a background of tumultuous home life. Though the narrator's father's alcoholism and subsequent family stress is often mentioned - either outright or in details such as the three siblings eating cereal or Jello for supper when their stomachs are too upset - readers learn that friends and school are the narrator's main stability in life. Thus it's especially worrisome when that begins to fade.Beard's depictions of adolescence, as well as the gradual realization that the adults in one's life aren't all-knowing, are nearly painful in their accuracy.

### ⭐ 







  
  
    Not for everyone
  

*by G***A on Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2022*

Maybe I’m in the wrong demographic—older male from NYC— but I have read other coming of age books about teenage girls and found them much more readable and moving. Simply, this book is boring and essentially has no plot. The family interactions and insecurities of the main protagonist have been visited many times before in literature and film, and in a more entertaining way.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/3704901-in-zanesville-a-novel-paperback-bargain-price-april-3-2012](https://www.desertcart.us/products/3704901-in-zanesville-a-novel-paperback-bargain-price-april-3-2012)

---

*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-03-12*