The Thing About Jane Spring
 The plot of the novel revolves around the title character Jane Spring, an attractive and intelligent 31-year-old Manhattan assistant district attorney and West Point general's daughter who grew up without a female role model and struggles to understand why she fails to 'keep' men in a relationship. Spring is described as "militaristic", "no-nonsense", "aggressive", "abrasive", "caustic" and "tomboyish", and a "domineering hellion ... who makes old ladies cry on the stand and men run for the hills". A review in The Age characterizes Spring as the antithesis of Helen Fielding's fictional character Bridget Jones. A military brat, she prioritizes discipline and motivation and disdains 'civilians' who lack these qualities. A series of events, including overhearing her colleagues' thoughts about her and seeing a Doris Day marathon, ultimately give way to an epiphany and prompt her to reevaluate her approach and undergo a transformation to "get in touch with her feminine side".