My seventeenth book review: On the Jellicoe Road

On the Jellicoe Road
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 300
Published: June 26th 2007
Author: Melina Marchetta

Summary from Goodreads:
My father took one hundred and thirty two minutes to die.

I counted.

It happened on the Jellicoe Road. The prettiest road I’d ever seen, where trees made breezy canopies like a tunnel to Shangri-La. We were going to the ocean, hundreds of kilometres away, because I wanted to see the ocean and my father said that it was about time the four of us made that journey. I remember asking, “What’s 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.

We heard her almost straight away. In the other car, wedged into ours so deep that you couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended. She told us her name was Tate and then she squeezed through the glass and the steel and climbed over her own dead – just to be with Webb and me; to give us her hand so we could clutch it with all our might. And then a kid called Fitz came riding by on a stolen bike and saved our lives.

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.’

My review:
So my last review was Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley which is an Aussie author. And now I'm going to review my fist Melina Marchetta's book, On the Jellicoe Road. She is also an Aussie author who won a Printz award for this book. The summary intrigued me a lot and I've checked out many positive reviews on this book and bloggers who love it, including a guy from the book called Jonah Griggs. I wanted to read Marchetta's first book, Looking for Alibrandi but somehow, this book intrigued me more than her first book. This book is just spectacular. Aussie authors sure have their way to create beautiful books, so touching, romantic and funny at the same time!


On the Jellicoe Road tells the story of Taylor Markham, a girl who was found on the Jellicoe Road and goes to the boarding school there. I'll make it brief so that it won't spoil anything. Taylor is chosen to be the school's leader for a war territory with the Townies and Cadets. She finds herself finding more about her past, developing friendship and falling in love.


This book is really beautiful. I find myself laughing, crying and smiling the whole time. I can understand Taylor's pain of being left by her mother on the road so sudden that she didn't understand why. The territory war is also very interesting. Taylor finds herself building friendships wih the Townies and Cadets. She also falls in love with Jonah Griggs, a Cadet who shared a past with her. What a breath-taking book. I enjoyed every single word. The book progressed slowly, telling the story of Taylor and her life in the boarding school. As you get to the middle, it becomes really exciting and there are also some stories from the past. These stories will help readers understand more about Taylor and the Jellicoe Road. 


My favourite character in this book would be Jonah Griggs. I've seen him featured in some blogger's My Book Boyfriend meme and the quotes they picked made me very intrigued with him. And boy, he is such a good character! He is a sweet character who's also strong at the same time. Taylor is a perfect match for him. The past they share made them even more meant to be together. 


My favourite quotes from the book:
'What do you want from me?' he asks. What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him. More.

'Never,' he tells me in a tone full of ice, 'underestimate who or what I care for.'


What a short review. The thing is I don't know what to write. I'm too speechless to write about this book because it's perfect. Really. I rarely say this word to a book but it is.There's not a single thing I don't like from this book.


Overall: I'm in love with this book. I don't know why it took me so long to read this. I'm going to make a month dedicated to read Melina Marchetta's book. My next to read is Saving Francesca. I'm also proud to say that my first Marchetta's book is awesome! This is a MUST-READ. Oh, and Jellicoe Road actually exist in Sydney! 

5 Forget-me-not flowers for On the Jellicoe Road!