Jellicoe Road

Author: Melina Marchetta

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

Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all.

In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.

Review: The beginning of the book was really confusing. I wasn't sure who was who or why the characters did what they did because it felt all jumbled and twisty. What kept me going though was the writing and a promise that it would get better.

The author's writing flowed very well and although I was confused by the plot, the writing was wonderful enough to make me keep reading and it definitely paid off. The descriptions provided specific details important to configuring an image in the reader's mind making the setting spectacular.

The farther into the book I got, the more the pieces started coming together and making sense. I don't think it could have been better because the initial events reflected Taylor Markham's inner turmoil and really established her character. I just didn't see that until I looked back on it after I figured out what the heck was going on.

This is probably one of my favorites now because of the strength of the characters even though there were quite a few of them. The tale was bittersweet making me cry, laugh out loud and "Aww, how cute" the characters.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 4.5 5