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When Rosie Met Jim / Shoeboxes
A young woman who finds herself stranded in a Queensland town during a flood, where she meets a guy named Jim
20 pages, ebook
First published June 20, 2017
802 people want to read
About the author
Melina Marchetta
37 books7,604 followersMelina 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 Jellicoe Road was released in 2006 and won the US Printz Medal in 2009 for excellence in YA literature. This was followed up by Finnikin of the Rock in 2008 which won the Aurealis Award for YA fantasy, The Piper's Son in 2010 which was shortlisted for the Qld Premier's Lit Award, NSW Premier's Lit Award, Prime Minister's Literary Awards, CBC awards and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award. Her follow up to Finnikin, Froi of the Exiles and Quintana of Charyn were released in 2012 and 2013. Her latest novel Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil is an adult crime novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
August 16, 2017
Me: there’s something beautiful about her writing, it’s magical, it’s captivating, it sucks you in holds your soul and you’re entirely bewitched. And its ONLY 20 PAGES. How does she do it? She’s a blessing to us, kid, I’m telling ya. I think you’d really enjoy and appreciate her brilliance
my 3 month old niece: *blinks up at me*
CAN I GET A FULL BOOK PLEASE???
4.5 stars!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hi
i didnt know about this until this morning
and
now im ready to die while i wait
please melina, i need this
December 31, 2017
Reread: 5/9/17
There are so many Piper's Son parallels in this I'm still hurt-
Anyway, some important updates on the Jimmy Novel (!!!!!!) on my Tumblr.
First read: 20/6/17
This review is for When Rosie Met Jim.
5 rereads and 3 hours later and I'm still so fucking emotional don't touch me-
I can't believe that we finally got a novella about Jimmy Hailler after years of waiting. When Rosie Met Jim is told from Rosie's POV naturally; I love her already. She reminds me of what I imagined Taylor Markham would have grown up to be like had she not meet her found family in Jellicoe. There's just so much pain and hints of backstory (classic Marchetta) that I can't wait to read more about in the Jimmy Novel.
Now, James Hailler, my son the sinnamon roll, where do I start? I laughed when I read that little excerpt in Marchetta's teaser post about Rosie meeting a Jesus-like guy in SES overalls. Jim in this novella has grown up; I had to mentally reconcile this new guy with the boy I loved in Francesca and Piper's Son. He's so different in this one, and I'm not just talking about him growing out his hair and keeping a fucking beard of all things; he's a little jaded yet throughout the story we get to see some ol' Jimmy traits . I just miss him so much more when the story ends.
There are mentions of the inner west gang that broke my heart , and the whole thing with his mum and what happened after his granddad died that made him take off . So yeah, I'll basically read this every day until we get the Jimmy Novel because I just miss Jimmy Hailler so fucking much and like I hurt-
There are so many Piper's Son parallels in this I'm still hurt-
Anyway, some important updates on the Jimmy Novel (!!!!!!) on my Tumblr.
First read: 20/6/17
This review is for When Rosie Met Jim.
5 rereads and 3 hours later and I'm still so fucking emotional don't touch me-
I can't believe that we finally got a novella about Jimmy Hailler after years of waiting. When Rosie Met Jim is told from Rosie's POV naturally; I love her already. She reminds me of what I imagined Taylor Markham would have grown up to be like had she not meet her found family in Jellicoe. There's just so much pain and hints of backstory (classic Marchetta) that I can't wait to read more about in the Jimmy Novel.
Now, James Hailler, my son the sinnamon roll, where do I start? I laughed when I read that little excerpt in Marchetta's teaser post about Rosie meeting a Jesus-like guy in SES overalls. Jim in this novella has grown up; I had to mentally reconcile this new guy with the boy I loved in Francesca and Piper's Son. He's so different in this one, and I'm not just talking about him growing out his hair and keeping a fucking beard of all things; he's a little jaded yet throughout the story we get to see some ol' Jimmy traits . I just miss him so much more when the story ends.
There are mentions of the inner west gang that broke my heart , and the whole thing with his mum and what happened after his granddad died that made him take off . So yeah, I'll basically read this every day until we get the Jimmy Novel because I just miss Jimmy Hailler so fucking much and like I hurt-
June 21, 2017
When I read stuff by Melina Marchetta, sometimes I feel like she is writing stories about people I know who've had experiences I've had. Like she is telling the stories I would try to tell if I had even half the talent she has as a writer.
I saw a Goodreads email that had an update from my friend Maggie about the release of this short story. I am so far out of the loop these days, but it came out today so I immediately went and bought it and read it as it started to turn dark outside. I teared up a couple times despite the short length of the story, and when I was finished, I went back and read some of my reviews of her other books and some pieces I wrote about her work on my defunct blog and one from a friend's site. Marchetta's work to me is like a photo album from college or high school that you look through and you are so happy and so sad at the same time. I remember how it felt to read The Piper's Son and Saving Francesca and On the Jellicoe Road for the first time and how much I chatted with other Goodreaders about them. How I've reread them several times, kind of morbidly happy that other (fictional) people feel the despair that I feel. (or, I'm happy to say, felt for long periods in the past)
Anyway, this isn't even a review. It will be helpful to no one. But I don't really give a shit. I know there are more people out there who feel exactly the same way about her work that I do. If I'm talking about you, go read this. It's $2.99 or something like that. Some readers might just fly through it and say, "So what? It's about a guy who seems pretty quiet, just having a fling with a girl while they are both stuck in a town during a flood?" To me, it was another picture in the album, and I'm happy I'll be able to keep coming back to look at it.
I saw a Goodreads email that had an update from my friend Maggie about the release of this short story. I am so far out of the loop these days, but it came out today so I immediately went and bought it and read it as it started to turn dark outside. I teared up a couple times despite the short length of the story, and when I was finished, I went back and read some of my reviews of her other books and some pieces I wrote about her work on my defunct blog and one from a friend's site. Marchetta's work to me is like a photo album from college or high school that you look through and you are so happy and so sad at the same time. I remember how it felt to read The Piper's Son and Saving Francesca and On the Jellicoe Road for the first time and how much I chatted with other Goodreaders about them. How I've reread them several times, kind of morbidly happy that other (fictional) people feel the despair that I feel. (or, I'm happy to say, felt for long periods in the past)
Anyway, this isn't even a review. It will be helpful to no one. But I don't really give a shit. I know there are more people out there who feel exactly the same way about her work that I do. If I'm talking about you, go read this. It's $2.99 or something like that. Some readers might just fly through it and say, "So what? It's about a guy who seems pretty quiet, just having a fling with a girl while they are both stuck in a town during a flood?" To me, it was another picture in the album, and I'm happy I'll be able to keep coming back to look at it.
July 31, 2017
"Hopes he won't ask her to tag along, because right now she'd say yes and there's something about this guy that would break her if he ends up being a disappointment."
So that was Jimmy. JIMMY. I AM CALM. I SWEAR I AM. Seriously though, I can't believe I've been tricked into forgetting that I was reading a 20 pages novella but believe me, the come down was hard . I've been waiting for so long to get news of Jimmy that I just don't want to let go now. I need more, more, more, more. Please tell me it's coming soon, because I'm haunted by his crazy eyes.
Read
June 30, 2017QUIERO MÁS. Melina, ya saca el libro de Jimmy Hailer, porfa 😭.
June 23, 2017
'the title is quite literal, and yes, it’s him for those who know my previous work'
I AM COMPLETELY FINE DON'T LOOK AT ME
edit: HOW CAN A 20 PAGE BOOK EVOKE SUCH EMOTION IN ME HOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW feel like i could cry enough tears to flood a small queensland town tbh
I AM COMPLETELY FINE DON'T LOOK AT ME
edit: HOW CAN A 20 PAGE BOOK EVOKE SUCH EMOTION IN ME HOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW feel like i could cry enough tears to flood a small queensland town tbh
June 23, 2017
I just paid $2.99 for one chapter of a book that's not coming out until I have no fricken idea when. A small handfull of pages and you know what? I'd totally do it again.
Because Jimmy Hailler.
It was worth every cent for me. I loved this. I loved finally seeing Jimmy again (sorry, he's still Jimmy for me, not Jim -- I'm sure I'll get there eventually like I did with "Frankie" and "Tom")
You'll recognize Marchetta's writing right from the first page -- it has a way of leaving you feeling a bit raw. She pulls things out of words that no human person should be able to do, I swear.
Whether it's YA fantasy or teenage high school crap or angsty NA, her writing always gets to me, right there (in the gut. I mean in the gut.) Btw, though, I've seen people who've read Saving Francesca and/or The Piper's Son and were eh, I don't get it. Which is fine. But if you thought those were boring, then I think it's safe to say you won't be impressed much by this litle preview chapter either.)
I have no idea when the actual book comes out (note to self: must ask Lisa), but this will sustain me until then:
spoilers
Because Jimmy Hailler.
It was worth every cent for me. I loved this. I loved finally seeing Jimmy again (sorry, he's still Jimmy for me, not Jim -- I'm sure I'll get there eventually like I did with "Frankie" and "Tom")
You'll recognize Marchetta's writing right from the first page -- it has a way of leaving you feeling a bit raw. She pulls things out of words that no human person should be able to do, I swear.
Whether it's YA fantasy or teenage high school crap or angsty NA, her writing always gets to me, right there (in the gut. I mean in the gut.) Btw, though, I've seen people who've read Saving Francesca and/or The Piper's Son and were eh, I don't get it. Which is fine. But if you thought those were boring, then I think it's safe to say you won't be impressed much by this litle preview chapter either.)
I have no idea when the actual book comes out (note to self: must ask Lisa), but this will sustain me until then:
spoilers
June 20, 2017
I NEED A PEN, A PAPER AND A MOMENT BC AHHHHHHH.
-----
I'm here and sooooooooooo ready for this.
-----
I'm here and sooooooooooo ready for this.
December 28, 2018
This was too short! I hope it becomes a book. But I think I'm going to rerate this book once I read Saving Francesca since I know nothing about Jimmy. In all cases, this was very much fun to read and made me realize that I miss on the Jellicoe road and I should read a book by Melina soon!
June 20, 2017
'My friends aren't the type to let go'
YUP, I'M DEAD BECAUSE THESE 20 PAGES KILLED ME.
---------
'It’s rained for forty days and forty nights, so when a guy who looks like Jesus in orange SES overalls comes to stand next to her, Rosie thinks it’s all a bit biblical.'
JIMMY HAILLER WORKING AT SES, SAVING THE WORLD AND IMPRESSING TARA FINKE ALL IN THE FIRST LINE OF THE BOOK, I'M READY
YUP, I'M DEAD BECAUSE THESE 20 PAGES KILLED ME.
---------
'It’s rained for forty days and forty nights, so when a guy who looks like Jesus in orange SES overalls comes to stand next to her, Rosie thinks it’s all a bit biblical.'
JIMMY HAILLER WORKING AT SES, SAVING THE WORLD AND IMPRESSING TARA FINKE ALL IN THE FIRST LINE OF THE BOOK, I'M READY
June 22, 2017
I AM CRYING. I NEED JIMMY'S ENTIRE BOOK. I ALSO NEED TO GO BACK AND RE-READ FAV BITS FROM SAVING FRANCESCA because this tiny glimpse of Jimmy has reminded me just how much I've missed him these past 5 years.
June 20, 2017
IM DEAD THIS WAS SO GOOD I NEED MORE WHEN IS THE FULL LENGTH NOVEL OUT
June 20, 2017
ok but first of all, *takes a deep breath* AAAAAAAaAAaAaaaAaAaAaAAAaaAaAaAAaA I CANT BELIEVE THIS DAY FINALLY CAME
Let me get through this one by one
1) When i read that first paragraph, my heart soared because it recognized marchetta instantly. I can never get over of my love for her writing style it seems.
2) I love Rosie. But then again, have i ever disliked marchetta's characters? Answer's no.
3) Jim Hailler, my dearest child. Ive missed him, but i didn't realize how much i really miss him until now. His traits doesnt even change! He still talks a lot (he must've annoyed Trombal even after school lmao), HE EVEN TALKS DURING SEX HAHAHAHAH, he magic over elderly still works, he still manages to make someone laughs even at the shittiest of time, Bonus: Jimmy Hailler is generous with his tounge during sex.
4) if the romance in this short story is already messing up with my head, imagine the whole book,
"And there’s something about the way skinny SES Jesus hitches Miss Fricker up in his arms and wades through the deluge that makes Rosie think that she’d follow him anywhere.”
"There's something about this guy that would break her if he ends up being a disappointment.”
“You listen too much for someone who doesn’t like people."
"You talk too much for someone who’s just interested in sex.”
5) We finally know what happened to Jimmy all these years he went missing im weeping so hard
6) HE CALLED FRANKIE HIS BEST MATE
7) i reaaaaaaallly love marchetta
8) so i reread The Centre after WRMJ and i think the timeline for WRMJ is before The Centre???
and i also read Shoeboxes and boy, the creepiness freaked me out
------------------
JIMMY HAILLER IS COMING IN 10 DAYS TIME SCREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Let me get through this one by one
1) When i read that first paragraph, my heart soared because it recognized marchetta instantly. I can never get over of my love for her writing style it seems.
2) I love Rosie. But then again, have i ever disliked marchetta's characters? Answer's no.
3) Jim Hailler, my dearest child. Ive missed him, but i didn't realize how much i really miss him until now. His traits doesnt even change! He still talks a lot (he must've annoyed Trombal even after school lmao), HE EVEN TALKS DURING SEX HAHAHAHAH, he magic over elderly still works, he still manages to make someone laughs even at the shittiest of time, Bonus: Jimmy Hailler is generous with his tounge during sex.
4) if the romance in this short story is already messing up with my head, imagine the whole book,
"And there’s something about the way skinny SES Jesus hitches Miss Fricker up in his arms and wades through the deluge that makes Rosie think that she’d follow him anywhere.”
"There's something about this guy that would break her if he ends up being a disappointment.”
“You listen too much for someone who doesn’t like people."
"You talk too much for someone who’s just interested in sex.”
5) We finally know what happened to Jimmy all these years he went missing im weeping so hard
6) HE CALLED FRANKIE HIS BEST MATE
7) i reaaaaaaallly love marchetta
8) so i reread The Centre after WRMJ and i think the timeline for WRMJ is before The Centre???
and i also read Shoeboxes and boy, the creepiness freaked me out
------------------
JIMMY HAILLER IS COMING IN 10 DAYS TIME SCREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
October 9, 2017
this was such a tease I WANT MORE
_______________________________________
HOLY SHIZZLES NEW MELINA MARCHETTA
_______________________________________
HOLY SHIZZLES NEW MELINA MARCHETTA
January 4, 2019
Love this author. More please.
June 20, 2017
20 short pages of Marchetta perfection! Should I count it as having read a full book? Probably not. Am I going to? Yes I am because Melina Marchetta SLAYS all things! Oh Jimmy! ♥
June 20, 2017
I need more Jimmy!! <333
June 23, 2017
OUTSTANDING! Read these, even if you haven't read Saving Francesca by Melina. The return of a beloved secondary (tertiary, even) character is a joy for MM fans, but the story stands on its own for gritty Aussie characters, haunting sadness but a saving last line that will stay with you.
And I haven't read Kathryn Barker's In the Skin of a Monster, but now I have to - Shoeboxes is a chilling short story that will play with your mind - argggh, great twist!
And I haven't read Kathryn Barker's In the Skin of a Monster, but now I have to - Shoeboxes is a chilling short story that will play with your mind - argggh, great twist!
August 27, 2017
i absolutely LOVE rosie! i can already tell she's gonna be my fav & i Cannot Wait to know more abt her !! and now re: why i'm here in the first place,,, 1) jimmy is still "a talker & didn't shut up the whole night" & im personally still dead inside and would also "follow him anywhere", thank & 2) HE WAS LIVING WITH FRANCESCA AT SOME POINT & IM ABOUT READY TO THROW UP
July 17, 2017
i've decided to stop trying to explain my love for marchetta and her characters. here's a quote about my feelings after a 20 page short story, "one night he cries and she doesn’t know whether it’s because of the bodies they found in a paddock two ks out of town, or because his car got him as far as a town that’s soaked with despair."
November 19, 2017
Oh, it's so good to see Jimmy again. And I loved all the new characters, especially Rosie.
Can't wait to read more of their story.
I also really liked "Shoeboxes"!
Can't wait to read more of their story.
I also really liked "Shoeboxes"!
Read
October 11, 2017I know someone who needs a pen and some paper... the author, to finish this story!!
But I guess that a laptop, or whatever she likes best, will work just fine.
Please, please, please.. let this book become reality, we all need more Jimmy in our lives ;)
PS: I will also need to read the second short story, most probably after I finish rereading The Piper's Son, as I'm too much into this "series" at the moment.
Later Edit: ok, so it's happening. https://melinamarchetta.wordpress.com... I need to get "out of my cave" and get more updates from my fave authors, LOL.
But I guess that a laptop, or whatever she likes best, will work just fine.
Please, please, please.. let this book become reality, we all need more Jimmy in our lives ;)
PS: I will also need to read the second short story, most probably after I finish rereading The Piper's Son, as I'm too much into this "series" at the moment.
Later Edit: ok, so it's happening. https://melinamarchetta.wordpress.com... I need to get "out of my cave" and get more updates from my fave authors, LOL.
June 20, 2017
I love you Jimmy. I can't wait for your full book. If this beginning is any indication, it's going to kill me. But I wouldn't expect any less.
June 7, 2023
feeling like reading the place on dalhousie again🥹
June 20, 2017
From Melina’s Facebook post:
The Review of Australian Fiction (reviewofaustralianfiction.com) has a great concept where a well-established writer asks a talented writer, who may be lesser known, to also submit a short story…
My short story is called When Rosie met Jim. It’s about a young woman who finds herself stranded in a Queensland town during a flood, where she meets a guy named Jim. (the title is quite literal, and yes, it’s him for those who know my previous work).
Mine will be the first chapter of the novel I’m writing, which unlike the short story, is set in the same part of Sydney I tend to write about in my contemporary novels.
Here’s the first line;
It’s rained for forty days and forty nights, so when a guy who looks like Jesus in orange SES overalls comes to stand next to her, Rosie thinks it’s all a bit biblical.
***
I was lucky enough to be sent a sneaky early copy of ‘When Rosie Met Jim’ … and for anyone who knows me even a little, you’ll know what a big deal it was for me to start reading this story. And if you don’t know me at all – well, – here I am in a Buzzfeed article, writing about how Melina Marchetta basically changed my life.
‘When Rosie met Jim’ landed in my inbox when I was at Sydney airport, flying home after the Writers’ Festival. I glanced at my phone, felt a rush of blood to the head and heart … then promptly walked to my gate, sat down and started reading. And crying.
I was crying because it’s kinda sad. And beautiful. But mostly I was crying because I’ve missed these characters … well, character in Jimmy Hailler (though others are alluded to). He first appeared in the 2003 novel ‘Saving Francesca’ – then was conspicuously absent (but mentioned) in Melina’s follow-up, 2010 novel ‘The Piper’s Son’.
I’ve worried about Jim in the intervening years. I have wondered what he’s up to, if he’s okay, and who he loves. ‘When Rosie met Jim’ is but a taste of those questions about to be answered in a full-length novel.
This teaser also includes our meeting Rosie – the female protagonist of said novel. And what comes across so achingly clearly in this short story is how lonely Rosie is. And Jim too.
He’s gone when she wakes in the morning and she’s relieved they don’t have to do the polite stuff. Outside, it’s drizzling and steamy and her tee shirt’s pasted onto her with the grime that comes from humidity and sweat. A couple of utes and four wheel drives pass her by, packed with possessions being taking to higher ground. Rosie wonders if she’s left it too late to get out of this town.
Rosie, to me though, is another indestructible Marchetta heroine. The moment I read the line "Rosie doesn’t believe in anything hopeful" I instantly thought of Violette and Quintana ... and Taylor Markham. All the warrior women; the defiant ones who stay with you long after the last page. I can’t wait to read her story, and how it’ll (hopefully) become Jim’s story too.
Back in 2010, after I first read ‘The Piper’s Son’ I wrote a review – and hit on the closest thing I think I’ve ever come to explaining what Melina’s novels do to me. What they mean to me;
… this follow-up book is like catching up with old friends down at the local; we know and love them, we’ve missed them and now they’ve returned, just like we've always known they would.
This is still true – of ‘When Rosie met Jim’ too. And it’s why I cried, because these characters mean something to me. I hold them dear. I hold them dear.
And I’ve missed them. Missed him.
He shakes his head.
‘It got to me a couple of years ago when my grandpop died and I had to get out of our flat because it was housing commission and someone else was waiting in line for it. And I realized I didn’t have a home so I disappeared for about a year. My friends aren’t the type to let go, which is a good thing, so I ended up back in Sydney couch surfing. A couple of months ago, I’m living with my best mate’s family and she convinces me to track down my mum.’
Thank you, Melina.
The Review of Australian Fiction (reviewofaustralianfiction.com) has a great concept where a well-established writer asks a talented writer, who may be lesser known, to also submit a short story…
My short story is called When Rosie met Jim. It’s about a young woman who finds herself stranded in a Queensland town during a flood, where she meets a guy named Jim. (the title is quite literal, and yes, it’s him for those who know my previous work).
Mine will be the first chapter of the novel I’m writing, which unlike the short story, is set in the same part of Sydney I tend to write about in my contemporary novels.
Here’s the first line;
It’s rained for forty days and forty nights, so when a guy who looks like Jesus in orange SES overalls comes to stand next to her, Rosie thinks it’s all a bit biblical.
***
I was lucky enough to be sent a sneaky early copy of ‘When Rosie Met Jim’ … and for anyone who knows me even a little, you’ll know what a big deal it was for me to start reading this story. And if you don’t know me at all – well, – here I am in a Buzzfeed article, writing about how Melina Marchetta basically changed my life.
‘When Rosie met Jim’ landed in my inbox when I was at Sydney airport, flying home after the Writers’ Festival. I glanced at my phone, felt a rush of blood to the head and heart … then promptly walked to my gate, sat down and started reading. And crying.
I was crying because it’s kinda sad. And beautiful. But mostly I was crying because I’ve missed these characters … well, character in Jimmy Hailler (though others are alluded to). He first appeared in the 2003 novel ‘Saving Francesca’ – then was conspicuously absent (but mentioned) in Melina’s follow-up, 2010 novel ‘The Piper’s Son’.
I’ve worried about Jim in the intervening years. I have wondered what he’s up to, if he’s okay, and who he loves. ‘When Rosie met Jim’ is but a taste of those questions about to be answered in a full-length novel.
This teaser also includes our meeting Rosie – the female protagonist of said novel. And what comes across so achingly clearly in this short story is how lonely Rosie is. And Jim too.
He’s gone when she wakes in the morning and she’s relieved they don’t have to do the polite stuff. Outside, it’s drizzling and steamy and her tee shirt’s pasted onto her with the grime that comes from humidity and sweat. A couple of utes and four wheel drives pass her by, packed with possessions being taking to higher ground. Rosie wonders if she’s left it too late to get out of this town.
Rosie, to me though, is another indestructible Marchetta heroine. The moment I read the line "Rosie doesn’t believe in anything hopeful" I instantly thought of Violette and Quintana ... and Taylor Markham. All the warrior women; the defiant ones who stay with you long after the last page. I can’t wait to read her story, and how it’ll (hopefully) become Jim’s story too.
Back in 2010, after I first read ‘The Piper’s Son’ I wrote a review – and hit on the closest thing I think I’ve ever come to explaining what Melina’s novels do to me. What they mean to me;
… this follow-up book is like catching up with old friends down at the local; we know and love them, we’ve missed them and now they’ve returned, just like we've always known they would.
This is still true – of ‘When Rosie met Jim’ too. And it’s why I cried, because these characters mean something to me. I hold them dear. I hold them dear.
And I’ve missed them. Missed him.
He shakes his head.
‘It got to me a couple of years ago when my grandpop died and I had to get out of our flat because it was housing commission and someone else was waiting in line for it. And I realized I didn’t have a home so I disappeared for about a year. My friends aren’t the type to let go, which is a good thing, so I ended up back in Sydney couch surfing. A couple of months ago, I’m living with my best mate’s family and she convinces me to track down my mum.’
Thank you, Melina.
July 1, 2017
A new record? Melina Marchetta made me cry in 30 pages.
December 31, 2017
The Marchetta is GOOOOOOOOD. I am invested in Rosie now, too. BRING ON JIMMY'S BOOK.
The second story, by Kathryn Barker, was a pretty abrupt tonal shift. It was well done, but too short to really do justice to the idea.
The second story, by Kathryn Barker, was a pretty abrupt tonal shift. It was well done, but too short to really do justice to the idea.
September 12, 2017
Hurricane Irma Power Outage Read #2 GAH. Give me more!
February 26, 2022
if you think i will ever pass up anything by melina marchetta, even if it's just a short story,
you are wrong.
you are wrong.
August 21, 2017
Reading Melina Marchetta is like coming back to your favorite place. The experience is familiar and new all at the same time, your eyes hungrily absorbing everything and safekeeping every detail in your heart so that you can recall them over and over again and sigh at the perfections and the imperfections, everything that makes it so special and unforgettable. So, naturally my heart went into an overdrive of anticipation and utter glee when the news of an upcoming story about a certain Jim dropped in my inbox on 31 March 2017. I've pretty much spent the next two and a half months waiting for the story and imagining all sorts of scenarios involving James Hailer(because I'm useless and that's what I do when I'm desperately in love with an author. I wait and daydream about their characters and stalk their blogs on a regular basis until the much-awaited book is out. And then I stalk them again in hopes of bonus material or alternate perspectives). The actual story, however, surpassed my imagination just as I was hoping it would. After all, Melina Marchetta never fails to amaze me.
When Rosie Met Jim is from the perspective of Rosie, a nineteen year old girl from Sydney, who finds herself stranded in a remote town in Queensland. Rosie's voice has the same kind of despair and loneliness as Taylor's and Fransceca's and Tom's, but where all of them had friends or their families to catch them when they fall, Rosie is wholly and utterly alone. With her parents no longer alive and her stepmother seizing the only property that ever belonged to her, she has nowhere to go home to. Maintaining an aura of indifference, she deliberately keeps a little distance, remains a little detached from everyone she meets for the fear of getting too close.
Although Rosie's character intrigued me and reminded me a bit of Marchetta's previous characters whom I love to death, it was still not enough for me to form a proper opinion about her or to determine whether I liked the character or not. Jimmy Hailer, however, is another story. He is the same talkative and honest Jim we met in Saving Francesca, who is deep down just as lonely as Rosie and yearns for his mother's love, but it's like his edges are a bit softer now. He is kinder, more compassionate. I can't see him as the same shamelessly rude boy who used to bully his classmates. While searching for his father, Jim ends up stuck in the same town. As opposed to what I was expecting, there was no slow-burning attraction between Rosie and Jim. It starts as a casual fling which then slightly develops into something a little more emotionally intimate as they spend more time together, which is when Rosie decides she needs to leave soon.
Since it was just a very small part of their relationship( which I'm expecting to develop properly in their upcoming book) and could hardly be even called romance, I don't mind the fact that it didn't particularly drew me in or made my heart hurt the way most of the Marchetta's couples do. Plus, I admit I was more curious about Jim than I was about romance, especially the reason of his disappearance in the previous book, The Piper's son. It made me quite happy to know that Francesca and the gang finally found him and even convinced him to track down his mother and talk to her. Even better was the fact that Jimmy knew with a certainty that he had friends who will never give up on him or let him go. And even better was Jimmy calling Francesca his "best mate" because if you've read Saving Francesca, you'd know Jimmy was sort of an isolated kind of person, a bit lonely, despite the fact that he never shut his mouth.
So, of course I was beyond elated over the fact that Jimmy and Francesca are so close now and he has someone to come back to in case he doesn't find his father.
Reading When Rosie Met Jim made me realize how much I missed all these characters and while it was absurdly satisfying to read the story and getting the answers I was searching for, it was nowhere near enough. I'm afraid it's never enough when it comes to Melina Marchetta. I'm always, always left wanting for more.
Ps: Jimmy Hailer talks during sex.
Pps: Jimmy Hailer called Francesca Spinelli his "best mate". *bawls my eyes out*
Ppps: Jimmy Hailer is alive and well and is the main character of the upcoming Marchetta book. Boy, what a time to be alive!
You can check out my other reviews on my blog, My Labyrinth of Words
When Rosie Met Jim is from the perspective of Rosie, a nineteen year old girl from Sydney, who finds herself stranded in a remote town in Queensland. Rosie's voice has the same kind of despair and loneliness as Taylor's and Fransceca's and Tom's, but where all of them had friends or their families to catch them when they fall, Rosie is wholly and utterly alone. With her parents no longer alive and her stepmother seizing the only property that ever belonged to her, she has nowhere to go home to. Maintaining an aura of indifference, she deliberately keeps a little distance, remains a little detached from everyone she meets for the fear of getting too close.
"‘You feel lonely sometimes?’ Always, she wants to say. Worse is when she feels lonely in the company of others. The ache of it makes her feel weary. Like she isn’t nineteen. More like a hundred."
Although Rosie's character intrigued me and reminded me a bit of Marchetta's previous characters whom I love to death, it was still not enough for me to form a proper opinion about her or to determine whether I liked the character or not. Jimmy Hailer, however, is another story. He is the same talkative and honest Jim we met in Saving Francesca, who is deep down just as lonely as Rosie and yearns for his mother's love, but it's like his edges are a bit softer now. He is kinder, more compassionate. I can't see him as the same shamelessly rude boy who used to bully his classmates. While searching for his father, Jim ends up stuck in the same town. As opposed to what I was expecting, there was no slow-burning attraction between Rosie and Jim. It starts as a casual fling which then slightly develops into something a little more emotionally intimate as they spend more time together, which is when Rosie decides she needs to leave soon.
"One night he cries and she doesn’t know whether it’s because of the bodies they found in a paddock two ks out of town, or because his car got him as far as a town that’s soaked with despair. She holds him in her arms and feels the shudders.
‘Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.’
He clings to her and being this needed feels better than sex. It’s when Rosie knows she has to leave this place. Because she could easily love this guy. It’s what Rosie does best. She loves broken people who damage her in return."
Since it was just a very small part of their relationship( which I'm expecting to develop properly in their upcoming book) and could hardly be even called romance, I don't mind the fact that it didn't particularly drew me in or made my heart hurt the way most of the Marchetta's couples do. Plus, I admit I was more curious about Jim than I was about romance, especially the reason of his disappearance in the previous book, The Piper's son. It made me quite happy to know that Francesca and the gang finally found him and even convinced him to track down his mother and talk to her. Even better was the fact that Jimmy knew with a certainty that he had friends who will never give up on him or let him go. And even better was Jimmy calling Francesca his "best mate" because if you've read Saving Francesca, you'd know Jimmy was sort of an isolated kind of person, a bit lonely, despite the fact that he never shut his mouth.
“We make weird friends,” I say instead.
“I’ve never been into the f-word with people.”
“I’m privileged, then? Why me?”
He thinks for a moment and then shrugs again.
“You’re the realest person I’ve ever known.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“It’s fucking awful. There’s not much room for bullshit, and you know how I thrive on it.”
We laugh for a moment and begin walking again.
-Saving Francesca
So, of course I was beyond elated over the fact that Jimmy and Francesca are so close now and he has someone to come back to in case he doesn't find his father.
Reading When Rosie Met Jim made me realize how much I missed all these characters and while it was absurdly satisfying to read the story and getting the answers I was searching for, it was nowhere near enough. I'm afraid it's never enough when it comes to Melina Marchetta. I'm always, always left wanting for more.
Ps: Jimmy Hailer talks during sex.
Pps: Jimmy Hailer called Francesca Spinelli his "best mate". *bawls my eyes out*
Ppps: Jimmy Hailer is alive and well and is the main character of the upcoming Marchetta book. Boy, what a time to be alive!
You can check out my other reviews on my blog, My Labyrinth of Words
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