On the Jellicoe Road in Buddy Read Zone

Jun 26, 2012 Tom rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite

5 just isn’t enough stars for this book. It is the kind of book that if 5 is the top rating makes me rethink all my other ratings because if this is a 5, I have some 5 star books that might be 3’s. I haven’t been this passionate about a book since Sempre and although I can pimp that book out to a wider range of people, this book has surpassed it as my favorite YA romance book ( not even sure if YA romance is the right description for it).

This is a story of friendship, growing up, hurt, love, lo 5 just isn’t enough stars for this book. It is the kind of book that if 5 is the top rating makes me rethink all my other ratings because if this is a 5, I have some 5 star books that might be 3’s. I haven’t been this passionate about a book since Sempre and although I can pimp that book out to a wider range of people, this book has surpassed it as my favorite YA romance book ( not even sure if YA romance is the right description for it).

This is a story of friendship, growing up, hurt, love, losing oneself, finding oneself, there is mystery and it is written in such a different way that it keeps you thinking throughout. For me the main outline of a YA book is to build, build, hit you over the head and then in the end start to make you feel heeled. That is not how this book is handled. I would say this book evolves and unfolds. And as things get unfolded the story has a natural progression that doesn’t feel forced and I was just so sucked into. After a certain point in the book I literally had to take it in chunks. I would read and stop and think about it and gather myself, make a status and get back into it and when I got back into the intensity was right where I left it.

This is the story of Jellicoe Road. There are 2 stories going on in this book. The story is told from Taylor’s voice and a story from a manuscript that is separated from the main story in italics. (I would not recommend this book to audio readers because of that fact) The main story is told in the voice of Taylor Markham. She goes to the Jellicoe School which is a state school, made up with many state wards and people who want their children educated in the bush. The story is focused around a war game that is played out between the cadets, Jellicoe students and the townies. We’re kind of thrown into the story and it unfolds as it goes so the beginning can be tad confusing until you figure out what is going on. Taylor gets dumped on Jellicoe road by her mother and is raised by Hannah who Taylor suspects didn’t come by her by accident. With her high school years coming to an end the mystery around her mother starts to consume her and she set out for answers.

**Idiot Paragraph** Not part of official review. First of all I almost didn’t read this book. I got it from the library and have had so many library books and buddy reads that this book had been getting shuffled aside. I finished a book in work( I work nightshift ) and opened it to see if I was into the voice. I had no idea what the book was about, NONE. I got it because Catie and Tatiana agreed that it was a 5 star book (more my fantasy go tos) that doesn’t happen often. I scan down my list and there is a wider range of people with the same rating. The only part I remember is Catie saying the beginning was a little confusing but she likes figuring things out. **Idiot part** There is writing in italics and they tell you pretty early on that it is a manuscript that Taylor is reading. Wellll I missed it. I’m like 20% in trying to piece together this story, trying to figure out whether it’s a dream or 5 personalities in her head and boy was I down all kinds of paths. I actually went back and had to reskim the first 20% when the confusion in my head got out of hand.

This book gave me chills and although I have welled up on 2 books in the past because of the sadness I felt for the characters this was the first book that I actually had a liquid type substance around the area of my eyes from the pure happiness at times. And that feeling wasn’t just at the end like you feel in many novels after you get to the top and you are finally rewarded there were several throughout the story.

In the end there is a mystery, love stories, bonds of lifelong friendships and just a great story that I would recommend to anyone except those that have to have sex in their books. If you need sex keep moving if not read this book now and don’t let it simmer in the TBR pile like I did.
...more

27 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Keertana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: beautiful-prose, favorites, aussie, life-changing, swoooon, teary-eyed-reads, books-that-linger

I finished this remarkable novel a little past midnight, my eyes red and blotchy from crying, my face streaked with dried-up tears, and my soul a little lighter, a little happier, and a lot more hopeful than it ever has been before. On the Jellicoe Road is, without a doubt, Melina Marchetta's most profound, heart-wrenching, and ultimately best book. It goes without saying that this woman is a Goddess of Literature. She has an unrivaled command over words, an ability to make even the most stoic h I finished this remarkable novel a little past midnight, my eyes red and blotchy from crying, my face streaked with dried-up tears, and my soul a little lighter, a little happier, and a lot more hopeful than it ever has been before. On the Jellicoe Road is, without a doubt, Melina Marchetta's most profound, heart-wrenching, and ultimately best book. It goes without saying that this woman is a Goddess of Literature. She has an unrivaled command over words, an ability to make even the most stoic hearts melt, and her stories make you see the world in an entirely new light. I cannot give this book or its author enough praise and I cannot write a review that can possibly do justice to this book, but I can try.

Most people have that one moment that changes their life forever - Taylor Markham had two. The first was when her mother abandoned her at the age of 11 in a 7-Eleven near Jellicoe Road, the location of a boarding school for children who are neglected or have violent/criminal tendencies. The second was when Hannah, Taylor's mentor, friend, and care-taker, mysteriously abandons her without a word, leaving the school and leaving behind 17-year-old Taylor, who is now in charge of a game of territory wars with the Townies, locals from neighboring towns, and the Cadets, who happen to spend several weeks in the wilderness. Taylor, who isn't even sure that she can handle her new-found role of responsibility, is now forced to become a leader, take on Jonah Griggs, the leader of the Cadets, who happens to know her far better than she'd like simply because they shared a past, and do her best not to worry about Hannah's disappearance which may or may not have something to do with her mother, all while suffering from a recurring dream of a young boy who is desperately trying to tell her something. On the Jellicoe Road is Taylor's story - the tale of her past, her present, the answers to all the unanswered questions in her life, and ultimately, it is a remarkable journey of heart-break, sorrow, and hope.

When I first began On the Jellicoe Road I thought I had finally stumbled upon a Marchetta story I wouldn't like. The beginning was good, interesting, and even mildly gripping, but it by no means led me to understand the hype surrounding this novel. I was confused beyond measure by various elements of the plot and I very nearly gave up on it - but then, it started to creep up on me. I had set it down for a few hours to finish some work, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I had to know what happened. I had to know who the "Fucked-Up Five" were. I had to know how their story related to Taylor's. On the Jellicoe Road is not simply the story of Taylor, it is also the story of her entire family, before she even came to be. It is a profound and moving tale that explores topics of far more depth and sorrow than Marchetta has ever explored in the past. It is a story about death, murder, guilt, and depression, but it is also a story of hope, forgiveness, love, and honor. It is a story about finding the people who truly care about you in life and learning to never take what you have - or who you have - for granted.

On the Jellicoe Road is told primarily from Taylor’s POV, but it also contains glimpses into the past – into a friendship that came before Taylor and a love so strong it existed after her. Speaking of love, there is so much of it in this book. Each and every friendship, relationship, and romance was beautiful and touching. I don’t think I’ve ever come to care for characters as much as I cared for the cast of On the Jellicoe Road. Taylor, Jonah, Raffy, Jude, Hannah, Santangelo, Jessa, Webb…the list goes on and on. There wasn’t a single character I didn’t feel deeply for, a single character for which I didn’t wish utter happiness and didn’t feel their complete despair. There are such few stories in this world that have purposeful characters who are each understood by the reader just as well as the narrator, but On the Jellicoe Road is one of those few books.

Although Marchetta is primarily a contemporary YA writer, I am somehow constantly surprised by the depth of her love stories. Her romances are slow to build, taking their time, introducing each character until you are practically dying of anticipation for them to get together and when they finally do, it is so sweet, so perfect, and so human that you cannot help but sob from joy. That is quality and vibrancy of emotion that Marchetta sparks. Jonah Griggs is definitely by favorite Marchetta boy of them all – I love him more than Will Trombal, more than Tom Mackee, more than Jimmy Hailler, more than Finnikin and Froi, more than any other character I have ever come across. In some ways, his sorrow felt deeper, sadder, and more tangible to me than Taylor’s did and I loved him all the more for it. I loved him for his understanding of Taylor when no one else did. I loved him for being able to read her mind so perfectly. I loved him for his jealousy, his possessiveness, his confidence, his vulnerability, his need to be loved just as much as everyone else. If you take only one thing away from this book, it will most likely be that you need a Jonah Griggs in your life, because I definitely need one in mine.

I know my review is vague, but I don't want to say anything more about this story. I didn't know much about it before I began and I would have been terribly upset if I understood the full complexity of this plot before I read it. This is a story that is meant to be read and felt by putting together the pieces yourself and making sense of what it means - not only in the book, but to yourself as well. I feel as if each and every one of Marchetta's novels has a profound impact on her readers, but all in a different and unique way. I myself can't say what it was that affected me so deeply, but Marchetta is able to capture human emotions, human nature, and human feeling so perfectly, that you cannot help but feel the sadness of each character. Sorrow is a feeling that is impossible to describe, yet Marchetta manages to create a story that describes this sorrow and makes it tangible, but not to the point where it crushes it, but to the point where it brings you hope and the strength to overcome your own hurdles and fears in life. Whatever it may be, On the Jellicoe Road is truly inspirational. If Taylor can go through everything she's been through, if her friends and family can suffer through their sorrow and pull through in the end, then so can I, so can you, the reader, so can anyone in the world. This feeling of hope that Marchetta inspires is so palpable that you can feel it blooming inside you long after you have closed the cover of the novel. I can't articulate how perfect this book was, but it was beautiful. Love cannot even come close to summarizing what I feel about this book. It is one that I will treasure and keep close to my heart - always.
...more

26 likes · Like · see review

Sep 28, 2012 Lise *friends don't flag* rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: made-me-feel, literary-fiction, fav-ya, library-book

"I'm not looking for anything more than being part of him. Because being part of him isn't just anything. It's kind of everything"

Truly incredible piece of literary fiction by the amazingly talented author, Melina Marchetta.

Thank-you to my goodreads friend, Rebecca for suggesting I read this book and embark on a beautifully intricate journey.... simply outstanding! ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Sarah (SB) ღ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: i-could-die-happy, yes-i-cried

I've typed and erased several things to say about this book. I keep looking at the empty screen thinking some polite, concise praise will dance magically onto the page, so everyone will clearly be able to see how much I love this story. But I can't seem to come up with those words with this hole in my chest, it still hurts too much. It's amazing. Everyone should read this book. If, when you do read it, you should find yourself curled around the pages, hugging them to your soul with tears rolling ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2014 Tara Blumberg rated it really liked it

Fantastic book, but heart wrenching. The most amazing characters, I've never read anything like them before. Gosh I don't really know what to say, phenomenal story. Must read at least once in your life. Ms. Marchetta is a damn good writer. It's just that simple. ...more

1 like · Like · see review