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Jellicoe Road

Melina Marchetta (Goodreads Author)

4.13 · Rating details · 48,310 ratings · 7,052 reviews

I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six yea ...more

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ebook, 229 pages

Published April 6th 2010 by HarperTeen (first published August 28th 2006)

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Average rating 4.13 ·

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· 48,310 ratings · 7,052 reviews

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Feb 23, 2011 Emily May rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Emily May by: Tatiana

Shelves: young-adult, 2011, contemporary

There's a monster in my mirror with puffy bloodshot eyes because she stayed up most of the night, crying and reading On the Jellicoe Road. But it was worth it.

Melina Marchetta never fails to remind me why she is one of my favourite authors and, in my opinion, this is the best of her books I've read so far. It's very difficult to put into words how I feel about On the Jellicoe Road. All I can say is that my heart has been ripped out and shredded, my throat has sealed up with emotion, and when I f ...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Lora rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Lora by: Lots of good people

Shelves: aussies-rock-my-world, lib-read, g-ya-realistic, favorites, want-to-reread, summer-reads, quality-ya-fic

There's a reason why books like Twilight don't receive those. They don't give those to just any book, and when you factor in excellence . . . well, a lot of titles just don't make the cut. But it is clear to me why Melina Marchetta's third tribute to YA literature received a Printz award back in 2009. It is because it is excellent, to the very meaning of the word.

If all YA contemporary writers wrote like Marchetta, I doubt I'd play in any other genre playground very often. She writes these beaut ...more

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Feb 28, 2011 karen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya, teen-faves, sshh-family-secrets

i have got to stop being surprised when teen fiction is good. printz-award winning fiction (you know, the award for literary teen fiction that all the grown-ups read and say "this is for teens??"). australian teen fiction. complicated, multi-layered teen fiction.

this book is all of the above, and it is remarkable.

it has sex and drugs and rock and roll, it has violence and terrible crimes, it has shock and awe and guilt and terrible secrets and it opens with a death. this is my kind of teen ficti ...more

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Feb 13, 2009 Maggie Stiefvater rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, recommended

I will preface this review by saying that I love this book. But not every will love this book.

I will also preface this review by saying that you shouldn't decide whether you belong in group A or group B before you get to page 125 or so. The first 125 pages are a confusing, emotional slog that seems to be about territorial "wars" between rival teen sects in Australia. But it's really brilliantly done -- because that is exactly what the main character, Taylor Markham, thinks of things. It's busy I will preface this review by saying that I love this book. But not every will love this book.

I will also preface this review by saying that you shouldn't decide whether you belong in group A or group B before you get to page 125 or so. The first 125 pages are a confusing, emotional slog that seems to be about territorial "wars" between rival teen sects in Australia. But it's really brilliantly done -- because that is exactly what the main character, Taylor Markham, thinks of things. It's busy and there are plot threads everywhere and all I knew was that I loved SAVING FRANCESCA and Melina Marchetta was doing all of this for a reason.

And she was. It ties up beautifully in the end, and there's a scene which even made me shed a tear -- me, who has not cried since THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE (three tears) and while writing my second novel SHIVER (one tear from each eye) -- and I'm left feeling just about cheerful about everything in the book though it was not a Hollywood happy ending by any stretch.

I think quite possibly my absolute favorite thing that Marchetta does is the character reversal. She introduces a character which we view in a terrible light because the main character views them in a terrible light, and then she completely changes our mind about them in a subtle and realistic way throughout the book until finally we and the main character are in love. She did this in SAVING FRANCESCA and she pulled it off again in JELLICOE ROAD even though I was watching for it. By the time we get the first kiss in the novel, I was sort of clapping embarrassingly like a seal.

This is one of those books that I know will be wonderful on the reread, because I'll get to look past the busy beginning to see the groundwork Marchetta was laying.

Happy sigh. I'm very happy this one won the Printz this year.

***wondering why all my reviews are five stars? Because I'm only reviewing my favorite books -- not every book I read. Consider a novel's presence on my Goodreads bookshelf as a hearty endorsement. I can't believe I just said "hearty." It sounds like a stew.**** ...more

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May 14, 2012 Kristin (KC) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, epic-profound, powerful, young-adult

*5+ Stars! Gorgeous*

Books like this make me realize just how insignificant words become when attempting to convey raw emotion.

On the Jellicoe Road is more than just a book; it is a hauntingly beautiful journey towards an unexpected destination where tragedy and despair become the bridges to the greatest of friendships.

And life goes on, which seems kind of strange and cruel when you're watching someone die.

This story is told in alternating perspectives set in both past and present w ...more

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Oct 01, 2012 jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

i was obsessed with this book when i was a teen and its always a relief when a favourite is just as good as you remember it being.

what i loved about this when i first read it was the mystery. i had fun trying to figure out how the lives of five teenagers were significant to taylor and the current students at jellicoe. but now that im older, i can further appreciate the history, rather than the mystery.

“these people have history and i crave history. i crave someone knowing me so well that they

...more

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Aug 28, 2009 Tatiana rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of realistic YA fiction

Shelves: 2010, favorites, ya, printz, aus-nz

As seen on The Readventurer

I don't often give books 5-star ratings. Normally these are the books that either horrify me (Unwind, The Handmaid's Tale) or delight me with superb writing (The Queen of Attolia, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks) or awe me with imaginative world building (The Left Hand of Darkness) or make me cry (Before I Die). Jellicoe Road definitely falls into this last "made-me-weep" category.

Jellicoe Road is the location of a boarding school for kids that are oft As seen on The Readventurer

I don't often give books 5-star ratings. Normally these are the books that either horrify me (Unwind, The Handmaid's Tale) or delight me with superb writing (The Queen of Attolia, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks) or awe me with imaginative world building (The Left Hand of Darkness) or make me cry (Before I Die). Jellicoe Road definitely falls into this last "made-me-weep" category.

Jellicoe Road is the location of a boarding school for kids that are often neglected or with criminal tendencies. Taylor Markham is residing in the school because her mother had abandoned her at the age of 11 at a nearby 7-Eleven. Now Taylor is 17 and unexpectedly selected to be the school's leader in the game of territory wars with the Townies (locals from a tiny neighboring town) and Cadets (who spend several weeks a year in the Australian wilderness). Taylor is not sure she can handle the responsibility. She is uneasy more than ever - her mentor and friend Hannah disappears and Taylor is sure it has something to do with her mother; Jonah Griggs, a Cadet who she has a shared past with, is back and seems to know her all too well; she is plagued by dreams of a young boy who attempts to tell her something. What follows is Taylor's journey through the past and present to uncover the reasons why and how she was abandoned by her mother.

As always, it is hard for me to explain what I like about a 5-star book, but I'll try. Melina Marchetta draws characters that are deep, complex, and real. The relationships among them are touching - more than anything I think, this book is about the power of friendship and, boy, there are some magnificent examples of friendship in this book! The book is also about grief, guilt, forgiveness and, of course, love.

If I am forced to point out any flaws in this book, I'd say the writing some might find confusing in the beginning. It takes a few pages to figure out what is a dream and what is a page from a story Taylor is reading; what is from present and what is from the past. But soon enough all pieces of the puzzle fall together and you are faced with a deep, meaningful and heartbreaking story.

Another thing that might bother readers is that some characters go through a lot of tragic events, sometimes too many. However, the story never becomes overly melodramatic or emotionally manipulative IMO.

Jellicoe Road is a remarkable work of YA fiction and rightfully deserves the Printz award it was given in 2009. I have no doubt I will read Marchetta's books in future. ...more

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Jul 29, 2017 Candace rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: listened-to-audio-version, childhood-loves, dark-themes, forbidden-romance, shocking-twists, wtf-did-i-just-read

'On the Jellicoe Road' is the first book I've read/listened to by this author. After all of the glowing reviews for this one, I was prepared to be blown away. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out that way for me. It ended up being an "okay" story for me.

My first problem has less to do with the actual story, and more to do with the format that I chose. I listened to the Audible edition and that was a big mistake. The problem didn't stem from the quality of narration, so much as the complexity o 'On the Jellicoe Road' is the first book I've read/listened to by this author. After all of the glowing reviews for this one, I was prepared to be blown away. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out that way for me. It ended up being an "okay" story for me.

My first problem has less to do with the actual story, and more to do with the format that I chose. I listened to the Audible edition and that was a big mistake. The problem didn't stem from the quality of narration, so much as the complexity of the story. There were simply too many moving parts for me to try and keep track of while listening to an audiobook. It is incredibly hard to pull off a book like this in audiobook format and it didn't work for me.

I spent hours trying to figure out who the characters were and what the hell was going on. The transitions between characters and time frames was not always obvious, making matters even worse. I must have been hours into the story before I figured out that there were actually two stories playing out -- one in the present and one in the past. Needless to say, I lost a lot of time being utterly confused and unaware of what was going on.

By the time I began to piece some things together, I had already missed so many of the "connections" and details that it was kind of pointless. When the big reveals came toward the end, they were kind of meaningless to me. I never really connected with the characters or the storyline. I had simply missed too much to play catch-up at that point.

The story centers on Taylor Markham, a girl that was abandoned on the Jellicoe Road by her mother at the age of 11. She lives at a boarding school (orphanage???). When the lady that has taken care of her disappears, she is certain that something is amiss. Taylor sets out to find Hannah, or discover what really happened to her.

When she runs across a book/journal written by Hannah, she begins to unveil some long-standing secrets. Along with some friends from her school, she has several creepy encounters and a variety of adventures. There is some sort of rivalry described between the two groups of kids...but I was pretty confused so I can't say I ever really grasped what that was about for sure.

Overall, this ended up being a middle of the road story for me. I do suspect that I'm not doing this story justice though. I was just too lost for most of the book to take much away from the experience this time around.

I do plan to re-read this in the future, because I have some lingering questions. I'm sure they were answered along the way and I just didn't catch it. I definitely won't be listening to the audiobook on my second attempt. This story will require my full attention.

Check out more of my reviews at www.bookaddicthaven.com ...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Nataliya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Nataliya by: Emily May

Shelves: 2012-reads

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12 - Jesus, did you?" This quote belongs to Stephen King, but it describes the soul of Melina Marchetta's Jellicoe Road perfectly.

Jellicoe Road is the story of friendships that form your world, friendships so wonderful that it's easy to fall to pieces when they break. It is the story of abandonment and loss and learning to deal with it. It is the story of love, intense to the extreme with the generous helping of teen angst. In shor "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12 - Jesus, did you?" This quote belongs to Stephen King, but it describes the soul of Melina Marchetta's Jellicoe Road perfectly.

Jellicoe Road is the story of friendships that form your world, friendships so wonderful that it's easy to fall to pieces when they break. It is the story of abandonment and loss and learning to deal with it. It is the story of love, intense to the extreme with the generous helping of teen angst. In short, it is an excellent example of a good quality YA book, emotional, intense, and lyrical.

"I remember love. It's what I have to keep on reminding myself. It's funny how you can forget everything except people loving you. Maybe that's why humans find it so hard getting over love affairs. It's not the pain they're getting over, it's the love."

Here's a short spoiler-free synopsis: Taylor Markham was abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at age eleven. She is now 17, living in Jellicoe School, a boarding school full of state wards and troubled children. She is in charge of her House (50 girls) and is expected to lead a sixteen-year-old 'territory war' between the Jellicoe School kids, the 'Townies' and the Cadets who camp out in the area for a couple of months each year. All while having strange dreams and feeling abandoned by her caretaker Hannah. All while reading Hannah's unfinished novel about five teenagers in the 1980s who form very intense friendship bonds after the horrific car accident on Jellicoe Road when they were 11-12 years old.

Now, I have to say that not once did I look at this book as a mystery even though it's marketed as such. The central mystery of the story - well, I easily figured it out only a few chapters in, and the rest of the details easily came into light as the story developed. Not much took me by surprise; it was quite predictable, actually. But since the mystery was not why I enjoyed the story, the reading experience was perfectly fine. To use the book's own language, the whole mystery setup was not a trip but a journey. It was never about the resolution but about the emotional journey it took to get there.

"I remember asking, "What is the difference between a trip and a journey?" and my father said, "Narnie, my love, when we get there, you'll understand," and that was the last thing he ever said."

What I loved was the friendships that the 'old five' and the 'new five' have developed throughout the course of their respective stories. My favorite by far was between Taylor and Raffaela, with the developing friendship with annoying but adorable Jessa as a close second. Even though there was a romantic story threatening to take the foreground, it never overshadowed the rest of the story and the friendships, and I'm thankful for that.

"This is the best night of my life," Raffy says, crying.
"Raffy, half our House has burnt down," I say wearily. "We don't have a kitchen."
"Why do you always have to be so pessimistic?" she asks. "We can double up in our rooms and have a barbecue every night like the Cadets."
Silently I vow to keep Raffy around for the rest of my life."

I was quite emotionally affected (I'd say 'manipulated' if not for the negative connotation of that word) by the nostalgic atmosphere Marchetta creates here. The nostalgia for the beauty of childhood and adolescence, for the friendships of the kind that you can only have before you reach adulthood, for the safety of childhood (no matter how messed up it can be), for the safe haven of Jellicoe School for the lost and messed up children.

I also loved Marchetta's excellent characterization. Her characters are well-developed and multi-dimensional, and feel quite real. That is not to say that there's no stereotyping or clichés, but those are kept to the minimum.

"These people have history and I crave history. I crave someone knowing me so well that they can tell what I'm thinking."

As for the voice of the novel - it is very emotional. Please be warned - it is emotional with the generous helping of teen angst. Oh, teen angst! It's on every page, in every sentence - just like it was so overwhelming when you were 16-17. Everything is intense, the tension is palpable, emotions are right on the surface. Reading this book is like experiencing being a teenager you once were. I found it to be a bit of eye-rolling experience initially (thankfully, I'm way out of the adolescence) but eventually the style grew on me and started to feel quite organic. But if you'd rather not deal with overexaggerrated raw teenage emotions - well, be warned and stay away from this story.

"What do you want from me?" he asks.
What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him.
More."

------------------------------
Now, here are the issues that I had with this book that forced me to knock off a star:

- The Territory wars. I thought that storyline was limping on both feet. Why all the intensity if the whole thing only takes place for about 2 months each year? Why the whole issue with the Club House when it's only a few weeks when it becomes relevant? Honestly, just setting up a rivalry between the 'factions' would have been enough for the story. (view spoiler).

- Sometimes the emotional intensity slips into a blatant melodrama. I mean, there was actually a remark on (view spoiler).

- The adults in this book (even Taylor remarks on it!). Seriously, what the hell is going on with the adults? (view spoiler)

- Taylor and Jonah: (view spoiler)

And yet, despite my adulthood, despite a few eye-rolls, despite the issues that I describe above, I STILL teared up at the end. I think admitting that will TOTALLY ruin my street cred, but oh well. All the above taken into consideration, 4 easy stars.

"And life goes on, which seems kind of strange and cruel when you're watching someone die. But there's a joy and an abundance of everything, like information and laughter and summer weather and so many stories."

...more

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Oct 17, 2015 the burning dreamer. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone alive.

Shelves: can-you-feel-the-chemistry, emotionally-damaging-so-worth-it, favorites, fictional-non-fiction, feels-inducing, quick-reads, must-read, romance-shomance, perfect-authors, contemporary

GUYS.
I JUST READ THIS AGAIN ON A WHIM AND MY HEART. I AM A MESS. ALL OVER AGAIN.

HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE BECAUSE EVERYTHING HURTS JUST AS MUCH BUT ALSO EVERYTHING HURTS JUST AS GOOD OR MAYBE EVEN INFINITELY MORE SO AND I CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO FATHOM THE FUCKING BEAUTY THAT IS THIS STORY AND THIS PROSE AND OFFICIALLY MY MOST CHERISHED BOOK OF ALL TIME.

Thank you for existing.

(21.10.16)
________________________

This is the kind of book that slowly sucks you in, and at first, you may be unsure if you ...more

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Nov 16, 2016 sunny rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommended to sunny by: ♛ may

Shelves: boring-af, i-dont-get-the-hype, romance, contemporary, cringe-romance, endless-pain, young-adult, literal-garbage

*had to rewrite the roast bc gr is a fucking shitface and deleted it so I apologize if it is sucky. I tried kids.*

description

And that's basically me after reading this ^

My brain cells are ded. I want to cry and drown in my own tears, not because of the feels this book gave me, but the lack of fucking everything this book failed to give me. I want my time back that was wasted reading this book.

You know you should dnf a book when you:
1. Can't even pronounce the fucking title correctly.
2. Find it hidden unde ...more

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Dec 03, 2019 ✨ A ✨ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: People who want to cry and read at the same time

Recommended to ✨ A ✨ by: Fares

Shelves: five-stars, wishlist, all-the-stars-in-the-sky, faves-ya-mystery, read-in-2019, buddy-read, young-adult, mystery

This book really came at me unexpectedly. Going into this, I did not know that these characters and their stories would stick with me for days, weeks, after. Immediately after finishing this book, I felt like starting it all over again.

I think Jellicoe Road is best read if you jump into it blindly. So I'll try not to give too much away in this review.

“These people have history and I crave history. I crave someone knowing me so well that they can tell what I'm thinking.”

Since the age of ele ...more

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Dec 07, 2016 Fares rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, heartache-and-tears

You see, I know pain
This book has taught it to me
You see, I'm back again
Jellicoe is where I long to be

Buddy read with Me? and Chairman Meow
-----------------------------------------------
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
People happy and celebrating.
People at home cozy and warm.
And Fares reads Jellicoe Road.
Let the pain begins!
-----------------------------------------------
Another end of year and another Jellicoe read.
Get it? Cuz Jellico Road and now it's Jellicoe read?
I'll just leave now ...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Jo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

God. This book.

-----

Note: I’m not sure where the words ‘On the’ went… I’m assuming it’s different for the British version and not that I have a defective copy.
Also… while I’m Note-ing: This review will be a lot shorter than other reviews because this book is best read knowing nothing about it.

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Breathtaking. I need to listen to the masses more.

High Points.
JONAH GRIGGS. Sorry, had to get that out there. Taylor Markham= New Soul Sister. Australia. Mystery! Nostalgia. C ...more

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Jun 25, 2017 emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to emma by: ♛ may

Shelves: ya, mystery-thriller-horror-etc, 3-stars, reviewed, unpopular-opinion, dark, eh

THIS IS NOT A ROAST!!!!!!

NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO HATE, DISOWN, OR OTHERWISE PUNISH ME BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A RANT REVIEW!!!!!!!

I'm giving it three stars okay???? So don't be mad. That's not even a bad rating.

That being said:
- this book was sososososo confusing, for, like, the first 15%, after which it was overwhelmingly obvious but took 300 pages to get to the revelations that had been pret-ty clear in a long term way
- STUPID UNNECESSARY ROMANCE THAT I HATE. SO MUCH. BLEH BLEH. Why do people ship th ...more

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Jul 23, 2013 Andreea Pop rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: amazing-feelings, huge-character-development, awesome-romance, cry-the-shit-out-of-me, favorites, i-worship-these, contemporary-romance, great-parents, swoon-worthy-characters, holy-shit

“From this distance everything is so bloody perfect.”

This will not be a proper review, because On the Jellicoe Road turned me into ruins. Quite possibly, my favorite book of the year, because it is so unique and so gut-wrenching and so enrapturing it deserves the title.

This book is not merely a reading experience; this book is a journey. One filled with two emotional plotlines, past and present, that overlap in places only to thread themselves together in a masterful and sad, yet agonizingl ...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Vinaya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: the-real-5-star-deal, books-i-loved

This book is so fucked up. Completely, totally fucked up. Everybody in it is fucked up, and living their lives is fucked up, and by the time you're done with it, you're fucked up, but you can't tell because your head is cloudy from all the tears you've shed getting through this fucked-up book.

I hate On The Jellicoe Road. I hate books that make me cry, and this book made me want to weep tears of blood for all that lost youth and promise, and the pain of loss and the promise of the future. If som This book is so fucked up. Completely, totally fucked up. Everybody in it is fucked up, and living their lives is fucked up, and by the time you're done with it, you're fucked up, but you can't tell because your head is cloudy from all the tears you've shed getting through this fucked-up book.

I hate On The Jellicoe Road. I hate books that make me cry, and this book made me want to weep tears of blood for all that lost youth and promise, and the pain of loss and the promise of the future. If somebody had told me how mixed-up and emotional this book was going to make me feel, I would have abandoned it in a corner and floated off to the simple uncomplicated world of supernatural ass-kicking, where nobody dies and even if they do, they rarely stay dead.

In the big debate of Saving Francesca versus Jellicoe Road, I would have to pick Jellicoe Road. I liked Francesca better, but that's because it made me laugh and think and smile mistily, but it never, ever, shoved me into the wringer and brought me out feeling like a limp dishcloth. It never made me feel that piercing tender pain you get when you think of things long past that can never be regained. It never made me feel like I was drowning in the lives of people who are so real, it's hard to believe they don't exist and haven't consumed your life. Jellicoe Road is a harsher, deeper read, the sandpaper to Francesca's paint peeler.

Undeniably, the writing is brilliant. It's evocative and tender, it makes the emotions in each page almost tangible. The characters are drawn brilliantly too, and despite the fact that over half of the main cast wants to kill themselves at one point or the other, you cannot help but be drawn to them. I loved Taylor and Griggs and Santangelo and Raffy, but my heart got well and truly tangled up with Narnie and Webb and Judd and Tate and Fitz. It's for them that my heart broke, and shattered into a million pieces. The story is told largely from the perspective of Taylor, but it is the ghosts that predominate, that breathe life into the story, ironic as that sounds.

This is not a book for people who want a straightforward love story with a dash of drama. This is for people who want to appreciate good writing, and don't mind losing a little bit of themselves between the covers of a book in the process. Oh man, this book is just so seriously Fucked. Up. And I would so totally KILL anyone who dissed it. Ever. ...more

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Oct 10, 2010 Stacia (the 2010 club) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, young-adult, favorites, realistic-general-or-lit-fiction, made-me-emotional

Simply incredible. I cried way too much, but it was so worth it. Will review tomorrow when I can wrap my head around what to write.

*moves ahead a day in time*

After sleeping on it, I'm still struggling with how to write a proper review. There are some books which are virtually impossible to explain, and this is one of them. The GR book summary gives no indication what the book is really about, and truth be told, I'm not sure you'd want to know what the book is about before reading it.

The first 15 ...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Ari rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: EVERYONE!

Shelves: rereading-material, arc-galley-or-author, death-and-dying, movie-to-be, signed, standalone, great-books, beloved, best-of, top-ten

Update 2020: No words are enough to express my love for this author! I bow to you, Melina Marchetta! When I grow up, I want to be you! (Ok, I might have lost that chance, maybe in a new life then, lol)
__________________

Full (former) review:

It took me 113 days to write a full review.. I counted.

Reading one of Marchetta’s stories should be one of the “10 things to do in your lifetime”. Seriously, this woman is one of the most creative people alive, one of the most amazing writers I came across ...more

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Sep 13, 2015 Nicole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, favorites, ya

The Reader’s Guide to the Jellicoe Road is a wholly unremarkable review. It has been compiled and recompiled many times over many days and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from a countless numbers of experienced readers and researchers.

The introduction begins like this:

“On the Jellicoe road,” it says, “is good. Really good. You just won’t believe how phenomenally amazingly mind-bogglingly good it is. I mean, you may think it’s confusing up the road, but that’s just n ...more

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May 09, 2010 Flannery rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone looking for good YA

Recommended to Flannery by: All my GR friends

Shelves: aussie-ya-is-the-cats-meow, favorites, young-adult-teen, kcls, read-in-2011, so-good-i-stayed-up-to-read-it, reviewed-2011

A lot of people think that Henry David Thoreau* went to Walden to live a solitary life. I felt like that until I actually went to Walden Pond. Imagine my surprise when some friends and I decided to go for a hike, go for a swim and check out the scenery--we left Boston around 9...and we got there by 9:30. Yeah right, HDT, I could live deliberately in the woods, too, if I knew my transcendentalist cronies would bring me a Cinnabon and some pumpkin ale once in awhile.** Nevertheless, Thoreau’s idea ...more

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Dec 30, 2016 Claudia Ramírez rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: made-me-cry, 2016, top-2016

4.5 stars.

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May 29, 2019 Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-ya-land, why-the-hype

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest

People swear by this book; they want to make it their god. Well, if this book is a religion, then I'm an atheist, because there was absolutely nothing in this book I want to believe in. Did we all read the same book? Man, the author is lucky that books don't have hotlines where you can phone in to complain about your lack of customer satisfaction, because I'd be on the line right now, saying, "Dafuque-ce que c'est?" Comme ça.

JELLICOE ROA ...more

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Dec 29, 2017 ♛ may rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 400-pgs, aaaaaaaaaa, bye, shattered-me, super-cute, binged, buddy-read, i-am-trash, my-heart, perfection

how could this book hurt me on the second read just as much as the first read? i am a puddle of feels and sadness and tears and joy. i love this book more than i love myself.

description

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

guess which Marchetta Trash™ is back to have her soul ruined AGAIN???

buddy read and reread with the nice mice, zoop & foop

can't wait to die :') ...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Aly (Fantasy4eva) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: THE WORLD

Recommended to Aly (Fantasy4eva) by: Audrey

Shelves: pleasantly-surprised, hilarious, favourites, i-ache-for-you, you-inspire-me, digging-the-premise, my-kinda-protagonist, big-fat-tears, oh-how-the-heart-flutters, boys-that-make-me-swoon

“He’s the most beautiful creature I have ever seen and it’s not about his face, but the life force I can see in him. It’s the smile and the pure promise of everything he has to offer. Like he’s saying, ‘Here I am world, are you ready for so much passion and beauty and goodness and love and every other word that should be in the dictionary under the word life?’”

Sometimes, guys, simply reading a book once is not enough.

You find that reading it a second time offers you a whole other reading exper ...more

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Jan 01, 2009 Emily rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-childrens_lit, 2008-cybils-finalists, 2009-01

So I just don't get what others love about this book. It's a Cybil's Finalist and a ALA Printz Award Winner. So people LOVE Jellicoe Road and I usually follow popular librarian opinion, but I just can't get on this bandwagon.

I felt like the writing was very, very confusing. For the first 100 pages I really couldn't tell what was going on. Don't get me wrong - dramatic and interesting things were happening, but I couldn't even begin to see how they were related. The character development is very So I just don't get what others love about this book. It's a Cybil's Finalist and a ALA Printz Award Winner. So people LOVE Jellicoe Road and I usually follow popular librarian opinion, but I just can't get on this bandwagon.

I felt like the writing was very, very confusing. For the first 100 pages I really couldn't tell what was going on. Don't get me wrong - dramatic and interesting things were happening, but I couldn't even begin to see how they were related. The character development is very spread out and most of the characters do not become clear until the end.

There are two plot lines -

1 - Taylor's life at Jellicoe School - The school has tradition of playing war games with the local townies and the cadets of a military school. They fight over territories, trails, and clubhouses. They take it very seriously, but it’s mostly in good fun. Taylor is the student leader of the Jellicoe School (like head girl - very big responsibility), but the school is made up of 6 houses and all of the houses have leaders too and they must collaborate to wage war against the townies and cadets.

2 - Taylor's life before Jellicoe School – Taylor’s father has been killed and her mother is an abandoning drug addict. Taylor has no family to speak of but is taken care of by a local woman named Hannah. Hannah is writing a book about the goings on of Jellicoe School when she attended and Taylor is using the book to piece together her own random memories to understand what her life was actually about – mainly the story of her mother and father.

In my opinion, these two plot lines do not mix. I didn’t know when to take Taylor seriously or when she was in deep emotional distress. One moment Taylor’s reclaiming territory for the Jellicoe School and the next moment she’s drowning a cat with her bare hands.

There are very moving parts to this story. I felt for Taylor, Hannah, Griggs, & Jude, but everyone beyond that didn’t touch me. They were just part of the confusion.

Will someone please, please tell me what they LOVE about this book and what makes it a multiple award winner? Is something wrong with my logic? ...more

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Apr 28, 2017 Jiana rated it did not like it

Honest to God, I don't even know what the hell I read.

Before I begin, you'll realize I've referred to this book as JelliNOE Road. Because that's what is: A NO.

Don't ask me what this book is about, because 1) I don't know what it's about, and 2) I'd like to forget this book exists.

Thank you.

JelliNOE Road has been on my TBR for a while. I added it because MAYBELINE adores it. I only decided to pick it up last week because May and I had a deal. She fulfilled her part of the deal and me reading thi ...more

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Jul 08, 2019 Em Lost In Books rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, 2000-09, stand-alone-read, 1-star, dnf

Gave up on 40%. Couldn't connect to the characters or the story, guess it was time to move on. ...more

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Oct 19, 2011 K.D. Absolutely rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: GR-TFG 100 Favorite Books (2011 version)

Shelves: tfg-100, family-drama, ya, populist, trashy

Every Filipino who loves his country must read this book.

Reason: On April 13, 2012, North Korea's long-range rocket launched, failed. Reuters is now saying that, embarrassed by rocket crash, North Korea may now be thinking of trying nuclear test.

Check the path and the trajectory plan of that failed rocket launch:

Do you see that tail-end of the yellow line? That's Luzon, the biggest island in the Philippines. That's where Manila is. That's where I live!

But why should we read this book?

Here's Every Filipino who loves his country must read this book.

Reason: On April 13, 2012, North Korea's long-range rocket launched, failed. Reuters is now saying that, embarrassed by rocket crash, North Korea may now be thinking of trying nuclear test.

Check the path and the trajectory plan of that failed rocket launch:

Do you see that tail-end of the yellow line? That's Luzon, the biggest island in the Philippines. That's where Manila is. That's where I live!

But why should we read this book?

Here's why:

He reads this book!

Seriously, I am one of the moderators of The Filipino Group here in Goodreads. This book, Jellicoe Road by an Australian novelist, Melina Marchetta is our book of the month and we will have our face-to-face book discussion on Saturday. As a moderator and one of the senior members of the group, some members ask me what I think of the book. Even if they don't say or admit it, my views influence some of them. At this point, I guess my job is to encourage them to read the book and join the actual book discussion. That's why even if I did not like this book, I cannot rate this with 1 star. Why I did not like this book?

1. I cannot understand why the first 100 pages should be made confusing
2. The claim or fight for territory has nothing to do with the rest of the book. Also, I do not understand exactly how it is supposed to work.
3. The love affair between Taylor and Briggs is too mushy for my taste. Felt like Katniss-Peeta or Bella-Edward. I'm too old for that.
4. Taylor is a pathetic female character IMO.
5. Taylor is asked to lead even if she is asthmatic. Is there nobody else who can lead?

Anyway, according to my trusted friends in this group, the book is amazing. Maybe they are still young and the story "speaks" to them. So, let's leave it at that. However, I can say that this book has a good intent. It also has a developed story that other readers can emphatize with. I guess that this is just not for me.

But it is my ardent desire that this book will influence our North Korean friend to back off in his evil plan of building nuclear arsenal in the side of the world. Stop your expansionist plan, please and be content on what you have. Then if you have to test nukes, please don't point it to the Philippines! See, we also love Melina Marchetta! See, we both read and enjoy this book!

Thanks for lending me this book, Aaron. ...more

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Nov 21, 2016 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: year-2016, 4-star

This book was recommended to by the lovely MAYFLOWER! And boy, do I have a lot of gratitude that she pulled this book to the forefront of my TBR list.

I'm gonna be honest, when I first started reading this I didn't find myself immediately drawn into the story. I was like that new kid in a group that's sort of hanging out on the edge of conversation, listening but not really participating.

But then I saw the light.

Things started to come together for me once Taylor began to pursue the truth of her p ...more

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About Melina Marchetta

Melina Marchetta

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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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“It's funny how you can forget everything except people loving you. Maybe that's why humans find it so hard getting over love affairs. It's not the pain they're getting over, it's the love.” — 1336 likes

“If you weren't driving, I'd kiss you senseless," I tell him.
He swerves to the side of the road and stops the car abruptly.
"Not driving any more.” — 1236 likes

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