Review: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Hardback, First U.S. Edition

Release Date: August 26, 2008 from HarperTeens

Pages: 432

Best Enjoyed By: Females (though some Males as well), Ages 14 and up

Rating: A

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This review is going to be a bit different. I really don’t have a summary, and the one on the book doesn’t seem to fit either. There are too many elements. You just need to go in head-first, not knowing anything, and read it. But if you’re feeling totally stranded, know this: it’s a story-within-a-story; it’s about a girl who was abandoned; it’s part mystery, part action, part coming-of-age, and part romance. And it is 100% amazing.

Don’t believe me? Read these two quotes. On both I nearly cried, and one is on the second page!

Someone asked us later, “Didn’t you wonder why no one came across you sooner?”

Did I wonder?

When you see your parents zipped up in black body bags on the Jellicoe Road like they’re some kind of garbage, don’t you know?

Wonder dies. (Page 2 from the US Edition, HB)

and

Tate had lost her younger sister as well as her parents in the accident. “We were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors,” she told him once. “I was paper and she was rock so I lived and she died.” (Page 30 from the US Edition, HB)

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Reviewer’s Note:

I should admit that at first I wasn’t impressed by Jellicoe Road (which is called On the Jellicoe Road in the original Australian version). I got to page 122 and just wasn’t feeling it. So I put it away and read some other books. But it bothered me. I hate giving up on a book. Plus I was seeing all these amazing reviews and I thought maybe it got better. So I reread those first 122 pages and then some. And could not put it down. Maybe my brain was in the clouds while I had read it before. Because the book was good. No, the book was incredible.

Actual Review:

The first chapter (not the prologue) of Jellicoe Road is, in fact, not a real beginning. The beginning is in the past, and to understand that you’ll need to read the book. Instead, you begin in the midst of Taylor’s (the protagonist) teenage life and left in complete turmoil. There are little to no explanations provided, no introductions to characters. The plot seems to everywhere and nowhere, as Melina Marchetta doesn’t explain anything until later on. Want more bad news? This is only part of the story, the part going on right now.

The rest is in the past―seventeen years ago―and is, perhaps, even more confusing. This part centers around five teenagers all pushed together on Jellicoe Road after a terrible accident. I believe it documents over a few years, while different types of relationships form and deteriorate. The characters here are just as important as Taylor and her friends.

This is one of those books where you eyes will be glued to the page―and they need to be. Even if you feel compelled to, by skipping paragraphs or pages, it will make much less sense. Because it does start to clear up when you get closer to the end of the book. And I think it’s meant to be confusing, as if to echo Taylor’s thoughts. You just have to stick it out. My suggestion is to just read carefully and when you’re done, maybe even read it again, because you’ll understand certain parts better.

Hopefully I haven’t discouraged you to read Jellicoe, because it is a brilliant piece of literature. One that goes beyond the Young Adult limits and more than just one genre. There’s romance, adventure, action, tragedy, mystery, and some sort of magic, though it’s never called such.

This book is definitely a new favorite and having stupidly never read any of Marchetta’s other books, I am going to ASAP. I can’t guarantee everyone will feel like I did about this book. But you should still give it a try because it’s brilliant, though you probably won’t think so until the end. Jellioce Road is heartbreaking and sad, but there’s always hope fluttering through the pages. I recommend this to anyone.

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Additional Links:

Melina Marchetta’s Website | Goodreads | IndieBound | Borders | Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Review: The Dust of 100 Dogs by A. S. King

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King

Paperback, First Edition

Pages: 330

Rating: A

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Saffron Adams in the reincarnation of a seventeenth century pirate, Emer Morrisey. Set out on the seas to find her one true love, Emer is caught up in a dangerous love triangle that leads to the death of all three players and is ultimately cursed with the dust of one hundred dogs, causing her to go through one hundred lives as a dog before returning to the human species. Now, Saffron, a teenager in the end of the twentieth century, is leaving her dysfunctional family to return to Jamaica to get back what was once lost…

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The Dust of 100 Dogs was by far one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. I had been expecting this book to be good, from reading some reviews, but it was better. Something just clicked. On my library copy of the book (I'm definitely going out and buying this when I have a chance) there is the Fantasy sticker on the side. But honestly, I couldn't just put this in one category, so I left the genres section of my review out.

But for a review:

I didn't mention in my summary, but this book actual has three stories intertwined into one. Emer's story, from her life in Ireland as a child where she meets her love, to being sent to England, and then her life as a pirate (which is actually the opening scene for the book); Saffron's story, which gives you a background on her home life and her travel to Jamaica; and Fred Livingstone's life in Jamaica. While often times having so many perspectives can be confusing, in The Dust of 100 Dogs, it simply wasn't. The latter character, Fred, may seem unimportant at first, but in a way, his role is quite similar to Saffron's. There are also mini chapters entitled Dog Facts, which are narrated by Emer/Saffron about dog life and their philosophy, which not only relates to the story, but to our own lives.

One of the most important themes in the book was reincarnations. Now, on a personal level, I love the idea of being reincarnated, of living life long after death. It seems like a way to explore all the options life gave you but you didn't take on your original life's journey. What I found interesting about all the reincarnations in the book (and yes, there are more than just Emer and Saffron) is how their personalities still differentiated. Saffron is but is also not Emer. While in Jamaica, she often says she "feels like Emer," when she gets violent. Feels would be the key word. There is another character that is different from his "kin" because of the choice he makes at the very end of the book, but I didn't notice until later. It goes back to what I said before, about choosing differently than what you did before.

I also liked the different types of relationships expressed. There are the abusive in Emer's case, but also the whole love-at-first-sight scenario. In Fred's story, it is all about not admitting to yourself what you want. Saffron's is less about a love relationship and more about the one she has with her parents, who won't support her choices in life. And again, I thought A. S. King was really able to make it relatable to lives today.

Now, I know I haven't really talked about characters and voicing and such, which I typically jump right into. Really, it was all amazing. There was Emer, who I thought was such a badass, Fred, who I wanted to beat the living daylights out of, and Saffron, who I hoped would succeed and also punch the living daylights out of Fred. My only complaint was that -- especially in Emer's case -- the reader has to play catch-up because parts are left out. At times it made me feel like I had skipped a chapter and would go back to check. But honestly, once it had happened a few times I got used to it.

The Dust of 100 Dogs was extremely well written. As I read, I felt like I was there or the characters were in my room along with me. It was all very visual, which is unusual because I rarely see the scenes in my head, despite how good an author's writing is (this may come from my lack of any artistic capabilities whatsoever).

The story closes with Saffron and I was left quite pleased. Sometimes, really good books have really bad endings. They just don't mesh. But this one did and it completely tied up all the themes. There are a few things for the reader to decide, like what happened to Saffron's family and where will she go, but the key points of the story have been solved and there's a cute surprise at the end.

Normally, I would say "I recommended this if you like…" but, as I said above, there really isn't any other story out there like this to compare it to. Even if it should be considered a Young Adult book is debatable, because while Saffron is a teenager, the mind inside her is much, much older and wiser (something like three hundred years). So, my recommendation is to simply read the book. I can't guarantee you'll love it, or even like it, but you should definitely try it.

Additional Links:

A. S. King's Website | Read An Excerpt | GoodReads | IndieBound | Borders | Barnes&Noble | Amazon

Review: Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers

Paperback, First Edition

Pages: 214

Genres: Young Adults, Real Life

Rating: A

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High school senior Parker Fadley: girlfriend to the most popular boy in school, cheerleading captain, future valedictorian, overall perfection. Until the night she messed up. Now, haunted by her demons, she's on a downward spiral that consumes her. She shows up to school drunk, is dangerously close to not graduating, and has cut herself off from the world, which according to her, is exactly what she wants to do. But what has changed Parker from the girl who had it all into someone her parents can't trust, someone nobody could have predicted Parker would turn into?

Parker knows. And she knows it's what she needs to do. Because it's her fault. And someone else had to pay the price.

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"Imagine four years.

Four years, two suicides, one death, one rape, two pregnancies (one abortion), three overdoses, countless drunken antics, pantsings, spilled food, theft, fights, broken limbs, turf wars–every day, a turf war–six months until graduation and no one gets a medal when they get out. But everything you do here counts.

High school." (page 1, PB)

They always say start off with a strong first sentence to hook the reader in. And for me, I was the fish and the first sentences in Cracked Up to Be were the big juicy worms on the hook of a good book (yeah yeah, weird analogy I know).

I was immediately drawn to Parker's personality and that Courtney was able to make her seem so real. The book is not filled with over description or large words a high school would never think, much less say. Parker's narration is honest and vivid. At times, her refusal to accept certain thoughts annoyed me, but it also made her flawed and more realistic.

Her lifestyle, while a mess in my standards, adds to her character. She wants to be left alone, and she does a damn well job trying to do so. She pushes away those who are just trying to help, and while that may seem selfish, it's really just a sign of how badly she is suffering.

Throughout the story, Parker has flashbacks to the night where everything changed. At first, the flashbacks didn't seem to make much sense and I wondered if they were out of order. I found it annoying that parts were repeated or cut off and you couldn't just know what happened. But piece by piece the events that happened that night unfold, leading to the final scene where you find out what changed Parker. And, if you're like me, you'll cry when you read it.

Parker's story is one that will make you consider your own life and values. It's well written and has a great cast of characters. You'll agonize over Parker's apathetic attitude, laugh at her snarky remarks, and wonder what you would do if you were in her situation. This is one of my new favorite books and I know I'll read it again (and again). I highly recommend this, though with a warning that there's a lot of alcohol, swearing, etc.

(If you liked this book, I would also recommend Looking For Alaska by John Green and vice versa.)

Additional Links:

Courtney Summers Website | Read An Excerpt | GoodReads | IndieBound | Borders | Barnes&Noble | Amazon