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3rd out of 199 books
—
478 voters
Saving Francesca
by
Melina Marchetta (Goodreads Author)
A compelling story of romance, family, and friendship with humor and heart, perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Lauren Myracle.
Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian’s, a boys' school that pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no...more
Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian’s, a boys' school that pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no...more
Paperback, 243 pages
Published
May 9th 2006
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
(first published March 31st 2003)
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"i was born seventeen years ago," i tell him. "do you think people have noticed that i'm around?"
"i notice when you're not. does that count?"
seriously - that is barf-in-your-mouth sweet (in a good way) and part of why i love this marchetta gal. she writes boys you wish you had dated when you were sixteen. not now - now i would see through a line like that in a heartbeat, but at sixteen? hook line and sinker, man. put the apple schnapps away,boy, you will not be needing it tonight.
(full disclosur...more
"i notice when you're not. does that count?"
seriously - that is barf-in-your-mouth sweet (in a good way) and part of why i love this marchetta gal. she writes boys you wish you had dated when you were sixteen. not now - now i would see through a line like that in a heartbeat, but at sixteen? hook line and sinker, man. put the apple schnapps away,boy, you will not be needing it tonight.
(full disclosur...more
95 likes · like · see review
view all 35 comments
As seen on The Readventurer
Updated 8/16/12
So, two years later after my original reading of Saving Francesca and I am removing a star. I've been claiming for a long time that this novel was my favorite by Marchetta, but it's not true any more. Let's see where my rereading of the entire Marchetta catalog leads me, however at this point I am certain I now prefer her fantasies. Truly, her later novels are simply better.
Original review
Within just a few days (and books) Melina Marchetta has become on...more
Updated 8/16/12
So, two years later after my original reading of Saving Francesca and I am removing a star. I've been claiming for a long time that this novel was my favorite by Marchetta, but it's not true any more. Let's see where my rereading of the entire Marchetta catalog leads me, however at this point I am certain I now prefer her fantasies. Truly, her later novels are simply better.
Original review
Within just a few days (and books) Melina Marchetta has become on...more
60 likes · like · see review
Whoever made the decision to put that cover on this book should be reprimanded. I was reading this out on the porch of the cabin, and my friend asked me, "So what is that, a Catholic school sex comedy?" No! I cried, it's a heartfelt book about adolescence that isn't just about adolescence, but about the gummier, stickier subject of life! She waved her Kindle at me. "Another good reason to use this."
Bah.
One morning Francesca's mother does not get out of bed. Francesca is in the first co-ed clas...more
Bah.
One morning Francesca's mother does not get out of bed. Francesca is in the first co-ed clas...more
74 likes · like · see review
There is this cute, bouncing red tomato bopping around GoodReads singing the praises of Melina Marchetta.
I'll admit that I ignored the Tomato because my therapist said that it wasn't normal for fruit to recommend books to people. I accepted this advice because I'd already read Marchetta's Looking for Alibrandi and I hadn't enjoyed it.
I couldn't understand people's fascination with it, actually. Nobody in my class at school liked Looking for Alibrandi and I thought for awhile that maybe it was be...more
I'll admit that I ignored the Tomato because my therapist said that it wasn't normal for fruit to recommend books to people. I accepted this advice because I'd already read Marchetta's Looking for Alibrandi and I hadn't enjoyed it.
I couldn't understand people's fascination with it, actually. Nobody in my class at school liked Looking for Alibrandi and I thought for awhile that maybe it was be...more
69 likes · like · see review
Thank you, Tommy! VD forever!!! ;)
I think I used to pursue only fantasy books because I thought I had to read about magic in order to have those magical transporting feelings, you might know the ones, like when Mathilda knocks over the glass with her mind and in the end stays with Miss Honey; like when Bran desperately reaches out with the crystal sword to cut the first blooming spray from the Midsummer tree; or how about when Amberle looks back at Wil and as he screams she reaches out to the El...more
I think I used to pursue only fantasy books because I thought I had to read about magic in order to have those magical transporting feelings, you might know the ones, like when Mathilda knocks over the glass with her mind and in the end stays with Miss Honey; like when Bran desperately reaches out with the crystal sword to cut the first blooming spray from the Midsummer tree; or how about when Amberle looks back at Wil and as he screams she reaches out to the El...more
37 likes · like · see review
It's a weird smile, but it reaches his eyes and I bottle it. And I put it in my ammo pack that's kept right next to my soul and Justine's spirit and Siobham's hope and Tara's passions. Because if I'm going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed, I'm going to need everything I've got to fight this disease that could be sleeping inside of me.
After reading Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta I’m convinced that this author can write a 500 page book about the different brands of t...more
After reading Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta I’m convinced that this author can write a 500 page book about the different brands of t...more
47 likes · like · see review
Feb 07, 2011
Vinaya
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Vinaya by:
Tatiana
Aaaand Tatiana scores again!
I've read every book ever written by Sarah Dessen. I've read Elizabeth Chandler. And Kate Brian. And Melissa Kantor. And Lauren Barnholdt. And practically every other YA author out there. SO when I began reading Saving Francesca, I was slightly dismissive. For the first hundred pages or so, I continued dismissive. It's not like I haven't heard the story before. New girl in school, out of place, dysfunctional family, misunderstood, etc, etc. Don't get me wrong, I love...more
I've read every book ever written by Sarah Dessen. I've read Elizabeth Chandler. And Kate Brian. And Melissa Kantor. And Lauren Barnholdt. And practically every other YA author out there. SO when I began reading Saving Francesca, I was slightly dismissive. For the first hundred pages or so, I continued dismissive. It's not like I haven't heard the story before. New girl in school, out of place, dysfunctional family, misunderstood, etc, etc. Don't get me wrong, I love...more
38 likes · like · see review
The people who know me around here, know that I have a hard time expressing my feelings about books I like. Well... No wait, I'm sorry, this is all wrong because I don't like this book.
I love it. Every single word on every single page.
This was the first time that I didn't want to finish a book because I had so much fun reading it. I felt really happy and really sad at the same time when I turned the last page.
Many many thanks to all the Bookers who recommended this book to me. I'm sure I would...more
I love it. Every single word on every single page.
This was the first time that I didn't want to finish a book because I had so much fun reading it. I felt really happy and really sad at the same time when I turned the last page.
Many many thanks to all the Bookers who recommended this book to me. I'm sure I would...more
27 likes · like · see review
How does she do it?
How does she write a story so beautiful and captivating that it makes me want to crawl inside the book and hug all the characters and tell them how much I adore them?
How does she wrap topics like friendship, family, love and coming of age into one amazing story that leaves me grinning like a dork, puts warmth in my heart and tears in my eyes?
How does Melina Marchetta do it? Can you tell me?
This seems to become a habit with her books. Just like when I started reading Jellicoe R...more
How does she write a story so beautiful and captivating that it makes me want to crawl inside the book and hug all the characters and tell them how much I adore them?
How does she wrap topics like friendship, family, love and coming of age into one amazing story that leaves me grinning like a dork, puts warmth in my heart and tears in my eyes?
How does Melina Marchetta do it? Can you tell me?
This seems to become a habit with her books. Just like when I started reading Jellicoe R...more
26 likes · like · see review
4.5 stars
Melina Marchetta writes like a god, there’s no denying it. Having read both On the Jellicoe Road and Finnikin of the Rock, I knew with near certainty that Saving Francesca would be just as spectacular as those books. How does she do it? I have never been so in awe of a writer’s writing before, but Melina Marchetta does not disappoint. Every single time I read something by her, I find myself sinking into each page, becoming lost among her poignant, humorous, and unequivocally real senten...more
Melina Marchetta writes like a god, there’s no denying it. Having read both On the Jellicoe Road and Finnikin of the Rock, I knew with near certainty that Saving Francesca would be just as spectacular as those books. How does she do it? I have never been so in awe of a writer’s writing before, but Melina Marchetta does not disappoint. Every single time I read something by her, I find myself sinking into each page, becoming lost among her poignant, humorous, and unequivocally real senten...more
37 likes · like · see review
5 'I simply love it' Stars.
NOTE: This one breaks the dry spell of monotonous cheesy contemporaries and spares the hackneyed high school drama. This is "A Must read at all costs " book.
I won't be exaggerating if I say that it was like finding a gem among countless abject stones.
The splendor of this book lies in the fact that it's highly acclimatized to every one of us - we can relate to it, may it be instances or characters.
There's REALITY and then there's ORIGINALITY...They both are as comple...more
NOTE: This one breaks the dry spell of monotonous cheesy contemporaries and spares the hackneyed high school drama. This is "A Must read at all costs " book.
I won't be exaggerating if I say that it was like finding a gem among countless abject stones.
The splendor of this book lies in the fact that it's highly acclimatized to every one of us - we can relate to it, may it be instances or characters.
There's REALITY and then there's ORIGINALITY...They both are as comple...more
23 likes · like · see review
RATED: 4.5
“It's a weird smile, but it reaches his eyes and I bottle it. And I put it in my ammo pack that's kept right next to my soul and Justine's spirit and Siobham's hope and Tara's passions. Because if I'm going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed, I'm going to need everything I've got to fight this disease that could be sleeping inside of me.”
i wasn't fair to this book the first time i read it. i see that now. at the time i read jellicoe road and i had such high expect...more
“It's a weird smile, but it reaches his eyes and I bottle it. And I put it in my ammo pack that's kept right next to my soul and Justine's spirit and Siobham's hope and Tara's passions. Because if I'm going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed, I'm going to need everything I've got to fight this disease that could be sleeping inside of me.”
i wasn't fair to this book the first time i read it. i see that now. at the time i read jellicoe road and i had such high expect...more
20 likes · like · see review
Oh, little book! Sweet, painful, truehearted little book.
I concluded in my review of The Boyfriend List that regular high school shenanigans young adult bores me without zombies or faeries or whatever. I retract that. I submit instead that high school shenanigans bore me (hang on, this really is a different argument).
See, okay, it’s not like I didn’t have high school shenanigans. I went to the dances, I had a crush on my best friend’s boyfriend, I drank wine out of a box and threw up in someone...more
I concluded in my review of The Boyfriend List that regular high school shenanigans young adult bores me without zombies or faeries or whatever. I retract that. I submit instead that high school shenanigans bore me (hang on, this really is a different argument).
See, okay, it’s not like I didn’t have high school shenanigans. I went to the dances, I had a crush on my best friend’s boyfriend, I drank wine out of a box and threw up in someone...more
24 likes · like · see review
This review is headed down memory lane. Consider yourself warned.
In chemistry class during my senior year of high school, I learned my trio of guy friends had a code name for me, which was…wait for it…The Cheese. I certainly mulled over that discovery for days. I suppose I should have been flattered (and maybe worried) that they talked about me enough to warrant a nickname. But I was primarily concerned with their choice. Why, oh why, did it have to be The Cheese? Do I eat my string cheese too c...more
In chemistry class during my senior year of high school, I learned my trio of guy friends had a code name for me, which was…wait for it…The Cheese. I certainly mulled over that discovery for days. I suppose I should have been flattered (and maybe worried) that they talked about me enough to warrant a nickname. But I was primarily concerned with their choice. Why, oh why, did it have to be The Cheese? Do I eat my string cheese too c...more
26 likes · like · see review
I had NO clue what I was getting into when I ordered this book. I ordered it just because of the high ratings and great reviews. I LOVED this book. Therefore, I must say THANK YOU to my GR friends!
This is not a lengthy book. However, there is NOTHING missing from the book. It is beautifully written. At some point in the book, I knew I was falling for the characters. I got that goofy smile on my face. The one that no one can see but you can't help smiling anyways. By the time the book was over, I...more
This is not a lengthy book. However, there is NOTHING missing from the book. It is beautifully written. At some point in the book, I knew I was falling for the characters. I got that goofy smile on my face. The one that no one can see but you can't help smiling anyways. By the time the book was over, I...more
18 likes · like · see review
Melina, Melina, Melina. The World is your oyster and words are your domain.
If there was a place called The land of brilliant YA fiction, Melina Marchetta would have a paramount title and an absolute ownership of that place....all in all the girl sure knows how to dazzle you with words.
Saving Francesca is real and sarcastic and fearful and hopeful and simply brilliant.
I wish that teens and young adults out there would read this book, because in the turbulent sea of the third rate intellectually...more
If there was a place called The land of brilliant YA fiction, Melina Marchetta would have a paramount title and an absolute ownership of that place....all in all the girl sure knows how to dazzle you with words.
Saving Francesca is real and sarcastic and fearful and hopeful and simply brilliant.
I wish that teens and young adults out there would read this book, because in the turbulent sea of the third rate intellectually...more
15 likes · like · see review
Apr 19, 2011
Lora
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone who's still waiting to read it.
Recommended to Lora by:
Basically everyone
Shelves:
g-ya-realistic,
quality-ya-fic
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Saving Francesca tells the story of a girl named Francesca Spinelli. Francesca's life is semi-perfect until she's sent to St. Sebastian's, an all-boys school recently turned co-ed, and her mother slips into the abyss of depression for reasons unknown to Francesca. This is a story about family, friends, loves, and, most of all, hope.
It's safe to say that I'm one of the very few people left to read this. Almost all of my GR friends, and, frankly, a lot of my "real life" fri...more
Saving Francesca tells the story of a girl named Francesca Spinelli. Francesca's life is semi-perfect until she's sent to St. Sebastian's, an all-boys school recently turned co-ed, and her mother slips into the abyss of depression for reasons unknown to Francesca. This is a story about family, friends, loves, and, most of all, hope.
It's safe to say that I'm one of the very few people left to read this. Almost all of my GR friends, and, frankly, a lot of my "real life" fri...more
15 likes · like · see review
This book tells the story of Francesca, an Australian girl who is one of a small number of girls enrolled at a formerly all-boys school. I didn't know too much about the book going into it so I thought it was going to be a fun jaunt into Australian high school life and basically fluff. I was so far off base it is laughable. Contrary to the idea you get from the cover art,this book deals with serious issues, namely Francesca's transition into the school while her mother is suffering from debilita...more
22 likes · like · see review
I have a theory that there are three kinds of books in the word, based on my reactions to them:
- I could write better than that when I was 15!
- I can do that!
- I'll never be able to write that well!
There are variations within each category of course. In the "I can do that!" there is the occasional, "But I don't *want* to do that!" or "I'd have to work hard at it, though."
With the last category sometimes I dreamily add, "Maybe in ten years I could consider trying."
SAVING FRANCESCA is one of these...more
- I could write better than that when I was 15!
- I can do that!
- I'll never be able to write that well!
There are variations within each category of course. In the "I can do that!" there is the occasional, "But I don't *want* to do that!" or "I'd have to work hard at it, though."
With the last category sometimes I dreamily add, "Maybe in ten years I could consider trying."
SAVING FRANCESCA is one of these...more
20 likes · like · see review
So many YA authors have a cute idea with a less than perfect execution. Haven’t we all read and thought of ways to improve upon it? Or perhaps write your own? But then you come across (I’m guessing anything written by) Melina Marchetta and you realize that writing is more than just a good idea. It’s a talent and a gift that is really only bestowed upon a few people.
This is only my second novel by Marchetta. The first was On the Jellicoe Road and to tell the truth, I was nervous to read anything...more
This is only my second novel by Marchetta. The first was On the Jellicoe Road and to tell the truth, I was nervous to read anything...more
13 likes · like · see review
Oct 10, 2011
Sparrow
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Sparrow by:
all the ladies
I guess I have mixed feelings about Saving Francesca. I like the friends, and I like the way Marchetta tells the friends. I like the way she talks about camp because that felt real, and there was one moment in the book where I thought, “Ahh, truth.” But, I thought Francesca was mostly annoying. She pushed a lot of the buttons that were permanently welded to my framework in high school. They are mostly rusted over and useless buttons at this point, so I wasn’t really bitter at Francesca, but she...more
18 likes · like · see review
Nov 25, 2010
Morgan F
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
2000s,
young-adult,
surviving-school,
its-a-girl,
ive-got-issues,
favorites,
haha,
read-2010,
own,
small-sized,
depression,
family
It takes a very special book that makes me want to hide all the characters in my closet. That's where I keep all my dinosaurs, so you know its good.
A quick, fun, truthful, funny read.
A quick, fun, truthful, funny read.
15 likes · like · see review
Jan 10, 2011
Jillian -always aspiring-
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone -- especially those who had high school blues during their teen years
Shelves:
realistic-fiction,
humorous,
writing-to-which-i-aspire,
stories-with-a-message,
soared-above-and-beyond,
wowed-me,
couldn-t-stop-reading-it,
2011-reads,
best-characters,
comfort-reads,
ultimate-favorites,
amazing-storytelling,
will-love-it-until-i-die,
wish-i-could-write-a-book-like-this,
i-am-not-worthy,
prose-envy,
writer-crush,
reviewed
Words cannot express how much I loved this book.
Melina Marchetta, most well-known for her Printz award-winning novel Jellicoe Road, somehow knows how to balance all the elements -- whether humorous, dramatic, or simply heartfelt -- in her novels and just make everything seem so right, so effortless, so powerful.
I started reading this book mainly because I couldn't sleep -- and then I found that I could not put it down. It seemed such an injustice to leave the book half-read for any amount of tim...more
Melina Marchetta, most well-known for her Printz award-winning novel Jellicoe Road, somehow knows how to balance all the elements -- whether humorous, dramatic, or simply heartfelt -- in her novels and just make everything seem so right, so effortless, so powerful.
I started reading this book mainly because I couldn't sleep -- and then I found that I could not put it down. It seemed such an injustice to leave the book half-read for any amount of tim...more
14 likes · like · see review
Right at the moment, I don’t have a lot of time to read. Mostly only on my daily train trip to and from uni. I loathe this train trip. It takes away almost three hours of my time. Right now, if it’s late, it means getting into contact with lots of drunken people (because of this). I hate openly drunken people who try to convince me to talk to them. They scare me a little. But Francesca made me appreciate my train time more. I was almost sad to get off because that mostly meant that my time with...more
19 likes · like · see review
I've just finished re-reading "Saving Francesca". I've wanted to do so for a long time, but since my wonderful friend Nic has presented me with a copy of The Piper's Son, which is a kind of follow-up some years later, lately, it was the perfect occasion to set the plan into action.
I am so much in love with this book. I am as enchanted with the style and the whole gang of unusual friends as I was when I first read it. The Spinelli Family, Will Trombal, Justine Kalinsky, Tara Finke, Siobhan Sulli...more
I am so much in love with this book. I am as enchanted with the style and the whole gang of unusual friends as I was when I first read it. The Spinelli Family, Will Trombal, Justine Kalinsky, Tara Finke, Siobhan Sulli...more
14 likes · like · see review
This book made me remember why I tend to only read fantasy: everyday life is just so ... tedious. I realize that I am in a very tiny minority when it comes to disliking this book, and it always makes me feel like I'm missing something when I don't like a book or series lauded as incredible. I have to wonder if perhaps this type of book just isn't for me though, and that because of the way I grew up and the environment I was raised in I just won't ever be able to relate to something like this.
Fo...more
Fo...more
30 likes · like · see review
4.5 stars.
"I want to be an adjective again.
But I’m a noun.
A nothing. A nobody. A no one."
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Gorgeous. The perfect ending.
High Point.
Melina Marchetta- if you’ve read anything she’s written you’ll understand. Australia. Close family. Ethnicity. The power of girls vs Ridiculous boys. Finding your own way. Mental illness, this subject is a really important one for me and I really respect authors who write about this ‘taboo’ with honesty and understanding.
Low Point.
I have...more
"I want to be an adjective again.
But I’m a noun.
A nothing. A nobody. A no one."
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Gorgeous. The perfect ending.
High Point.
Melina Marchetta- if you’ve read anything she’s written you’ll understand. Australia. Close family. Ethnicity. The power of girls vs Ridiculous boys. Finding your own way. Mental illness, this subject is a really important one for me and I really respect authors who write about this ‘taboo’ with honesty and understanding.
Low Point.
I have...more
16 likes · like · see review
After falling absolutely head-over-heels with Marchetta’s masterpiece, JELLICOE ROAD, I was really excited to start this.
I know.
All the bad reviews start off like that.
You know, the ones that say “I wish this was better,” or, “not that I didn’t like it,” or, “I’m so disappointed.”
I won’t say any of those lines. If I do, feel free to message me hate mail.
SAVING FRANCESCA had a different feel from JELLICOE ROAD, a more high school-eqsue mood – and a very different protagonist. Frankie reminded m...more
I know.
All the bad reviews start off like that.
You know, the ones that say “I wish this was better,” or, “not that I didn’t like it,” or, “I’m so disappointed.”
I won’t say any of those lines. If I do, feel free to message me hate mail.
SAVING FRANCESCA had a different feel from JELLICOE ROAD, a more high school-eqsue mood – and a very different protagonist. Frankie reminded m...more
11 likes · like · see review
SAVING FRANCESCA was one of those books that has a subtle bit of genius to it. The amazingness of it definitely snuck up on me in the last 40 pages.
Now, I'm not saying that it took me 200 pages in order to get into becasue I was really interested in these characters, it was just that I couldn't quite figure out WHY I was interested in them. Which is just like how the love Francesca felt for them snuck up on her...oh, clever Marchetta, very clever.
It's a really colorful cast of characters from J...more
Now, I'm not saying that it took me 200 pages in order to get into becasue I was really interested in these characters, it was just that I couldn't quite figure out WHY I was interested in them. Which is just like how the love Francesca felt for them snuck up on her...oh, clever Marchetta, very clever.
It's a really colorful cast of characters from J...more
9 likes · like · see review
Sep 11, 2011
Haleema
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
All my awesome GR friends that haven't read it
Recommended to Haleema by:
All my awesome GR friends
Note to self: The next time I read a book by Marchetta, I need a box of tissues, a pillow, and time. Lots and lots of precious time. Just for this masterpiece.
Melina Marchetta has won my heart. She won it big time.
I am in love with Australian writers now. First, Zusak. Now Marchetta. Damn.
What can I say about this one? How can I say all of the things I wanted to say? I can't even remember. There are too many good things. I hate this feeling where I can't say everything I wanted to say! Okay, we...more
Melina Marchetta has won my heart. She won it big time.
I am in love with Australian writers now. First, Zusak. Now Marchetta. Damn.
What can I say about this one? How can I say all of the things I wanted to say? I can't even remember. There are too many good things. I hate this feeling where I can't say everything I wanted to say! Okay, we...more
10 likes · like · see review
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **SPOILERS** Do you think Francesca and Will are going to stay together for long? | 5 | 55 | 2 de Feb 14:52 | |
| Nothing but Readi...: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - Start Date June 2nd | 47 | 117 | 6 de Jun 19:58 |
Melina Marchetta was born in Sydney Australia. Her first novel, Looking For Alibrandi was awarded the Children's Book Council of Australia award in 1993 and her second novel, Saving Francesca won the same award in 2004. Looking For Alibrandi was made into a major film in 2000 and won the Australian Film Institute Award for best Film and best adapted screen play, also written by the author. On the...more
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“I can't believe I said it out loud. The truth doesn't set you free, you know. It makes you feel awkward and embarrassed and defenseless and red in the face and horrified and petrified and vulnerable. But free? I don't feel free. I feel like shit.”
—
608 people liked it
“Comfort zones are overrated. They make you lazy.”
—
265 people liked it
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