Jellicoe Road

Reviewed by Tasha for TeensReadToo.com

Taylor Markam was abandoned by her mother at a 7-Eleven on Jellicoe Road when she was a mere eleven years old. Only moments later a woman by the name of Hannah picked her up and brought her to the Jellicoe School. Now she is seventeen and finds that Hannah is a rock in her inconsistent life. While she has Hannah, Taylor doesn't know much about her family except the horror stories she remembers of her mother.

She does find comfort, though, in a manuscript that Hannah has written about a group of five friends who met in the worst circumstances, but developed a remarkable friendship when they only had each other. When Hannah just up and leaves, Taylor doesn't understand what has happened and she becomes a wreck. Not only does she have to deal with Hannah's disappearance, but she has just been named the head of her House and the leader of the school kids in the annual territory wars against the "Townies" and "Cadets."

In the war, the three groups battle and negotiate, following an extensive set of rules that might as well be history. As the war wages on, Taylor learns to take an active role in her community, as well as develop relationships that she never thought possible. Especially with Jonah Griggs, the leader of the Cadets, whom she already has quite a history with.

This war will be like no other. It will not only be between the normal three parties, but among friends, hearts desires, and, most of all, Taylor herself.

From the title I was expecting a light and fun read. Wow, was I wrong! This book is filled with heartbreak, joy, laughter, and sorrow. It completely blew me away and surpassed every expectation I had, even though I was expecting something completely different.

Before I even get into the elements of the story I have to comment on how much talent the author has. Melina Marhetta's writing style is indescribable. It seemed that she was so comfortable writing the story and her words just flowed from page to page with great clarity. I loved how the author weaved many intricate details and mini-stories into one big story, making it like a puzzle that slowly comes together until those last couple of pieces just fall into place.

The only miff I had with this book is that it took me probably until the third chapter to actually understand what was going on. In the beginning, there were two stories and it was hard to wrap my head around everything that was happening. After that, though, it seemed the author settled into writing and the story took off.

Taylor, without a doubt, is one of the best characters that I think has ever been created. She has this true voice where you can hear and feel her emotions ring out. By the time the book had ended I felt like I knew Taylor like I know my best friends. While Taylor was the main character, the author did a fabulous job creating the other characters, too. Unlike many supporting characters in books, the characters in JELLICOE ROAD all had their own voices and became their own people, with real and likable personalities.

I highly recommend this book to readers everywhere. Whether you're a girl or a guy, you will treasure this novel and hold it near and dear to your heart for a long time to come. JELLICOE ROAD is a beautiful love story, a heart-wrenching story of loss, a poignant self-discovery, and, most of all, an unforgettable tale.

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

Jellicoe Road

Taylor Markham was a really interesting character; she has a true voice and I really felt for her. I was so eager to find out about her past, and future. Five kids from the pasts' story enter-lace with Taylor's, starting with the boy in her dreams; and the tension between her and Jonah was incredible and excited me every time he came in.

When I finished this book, I found that I was seriously in love with it. Whenever I'm asked, "What's your favorite book?" I have a hard time answering, but Jellicoe Road is definitely it. I don't think any other book in the whole world has had me this addicted. I read the whole thing in one day, stopping only to eat and use the restroom. The emotion, the characters, the plot...everything was amazing. So many people say they couldn't fully like a book because it was sad, but I sobbed at the end of this one and still LOVED it. This book also has one of my favorite quotes: "Hold my hand, hold my hand because I might disappear."

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Angieville: JELLICOE ROAD

I picked JELLICOE ROAD up as a result of the fact that it came away with the Printz Award this year. It is Australian Melina Marchetta's third book and the first of hers I've read. A fault that will have to be remedied quickly as I absolutely loved this knotty, painful, beautiful book.

Taylor Markham is head of her house at the Jellicoe School--a backwoods boarding school located somewhere in Australia. Abandoned by her mother at a 7-Eleven on the Jellicoe Road, Taylor was taken in by a mysterious woman named Hannah and installed at the school. Now eighteen, Taylor is embroiled in turf wars between the Jellicoe students, the Townies, and the Cadets. But when Hannah up and leaves without a word, Taylor is convinced it has something to do with her mother and with a horrific accident that happened on the Jellicoe Road twenty-two years before. Past and present become harder to discern as the story unfolds. Simultaneously obsessed with and terrified of finding out what happened and just how closely it is tied to her own fragmented life, Taylor is forced to form alliances with the leaders of her rival gangs, including Cadet leader Jonah Griggs with whom she shares a confusing and painful history.

This story grabbed me by the throat and shook me until I begged for mercy. Parts of it read almost stream of consciousness and you have to just let it wash over you as characters and histories distill and become clearer on the page and in your mind at about the same pace they do for Taylor herself. And by the time the wars really begin, you are so invested it's impossible to extricate yourself from the world Marchetta has created. Fortunately you don't want to. I was charmed by the dust and heat of the Australian summer, the layered language with its overtones of fear and longing, and the periodic chapters detailing the story of five children who were determined to survive after the world ended. This book will both stop your heart and then remind you how to breathe again. It's gorgeous and deserves every accolade it gets.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ!!!

This book was AMAZING!! There were a lot of twists that you wouldn't expect. JELLICOE ROAD is actually two stories. While you're reading the main story there are little excerpts from another story.
This story is told in 17-year-old Taylor Markham¿s perspective. She is the reluctant leader of the Jellicoe Boarding School Dorms, which only the students know about. Since she is leader, she has to think of strategies for the "war." While she is battling the "war" for territory against the Townies and Cadets, that only lasts 6 weeks ('til the Cadets leave), Taylor is trying to figure out the disappearance of Hannah, who has written a manuscript about 5 people¿s lives eighteen years ago, and the closest thing Taylor has to adult family.
Taylor has the feeling that Hannah finding her when her mom left her was no coincidence. A girl in her house, Jessa, seems vaguely familiar, but she doesn't know why. Taylor tries to figure out how a mysterious boy in her dreams, a stranger who once whispered in her ear, her mom dumping her then Hannah finding her, and the 5 people who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago are related. During the ¿war,¿ Taylor meets the magnetic Jonah Griggs (<3), leader of the Cadets, who she hasn't seen in 3 years. There's an obvious spark between them and it turns out Jonah knows more about Taylor than she thinks.
JELLICOE ROAD is a wonderful book and I would recommend it everyone!!! Taylor finds her true self and on the way discovers how important love, friendship, and family really are! This is a book you won't want to put down and you'll immediately be drawn to all the characters! :)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Jellicore road

This book is smazing i absolutely loved it. It is a great bok for teens and i think they will love it too i strongly suggest reading.

100% best book ever. I have read this twice (thats a good thing

100% best book ever. I have read this twice (thats a good thing considering it takes a lot to make me do that), and plan on reading it again at least once! I absolutely LOVED this book. The first time around the past confused me a bit, (which was part of the reason I wanted to read it again, I wanted to appreciate the entirety of the book without being confused). It made me cry both times and no doubt will make me cry the next time I read it. The writing was so amazing, the way she writes has so much inner meaning it is absolutely amazing. I would recommend you pick up this book immediately. I did recommend this book to two of my friends who could not get past the begging which was a shame because it was the first time I had ever been obsessed with a book, it is a very controversial book, you either like it or you don't. Hope this helped!

Off the beaten path

So, goodreads had this under dystopian. NOT!!!!! Not sure how to classify it, but its not my usual read....it took me awhile to get into ut, but once I did, it was beautiful.....tragic but beautiful! Seeing how Taylors' mysterious past unfolds before her eyes is not only heartwrenching but bittersweet. To see such deep friendship & love really just makes you wonder.....

One of the best i've read in a long time

Such a good read! Totally recommend!

Awesome

This is one og my favorite books, you won't regret reading it.

Might be one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.

Might be one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.

from missprint.wordpress.com

Jellicoe Road is not a novel with one protagonist. Rather, it has many. The story starts on the Jellicoe Road with a tragic accident that will have far reaching repercussions for each character in the novel. Then, abruptly, the story starts again twenty-two years later at the Jellicoe School--the boarding school located farther down the same road--when Taylor Markham is chosen to lead the school's faction in a secret territory war that has spanned a generation between the school boarders, the Townies, and the Cadets.

The Jellicoe School is the only real home Taylor has ever known. She has been at the school since she was eleven, when her mother abandoned her on Jellicoe Road and Hannah drove by to pick Taylor up and take her to the school. Now seventeen, Taylor is in many ways still a young girl afraid of being abandoned by those she loves. Which is why, at the start of the story, Taylor balks at the authority thrust upon her and the relationships it will necessitate. Leading the Jellicoe School through the territory wars is bad enough, but being in charge of an entire dorm of students seems truly unbearable. Taylor's resolve to live a life apart is tested, and in many ways broken, with the efforts of well-meaning friends and the appearance of Jonah Griggs--the one person Taylor never expected to see, or need, ever again.

As the territory wars escalate, Taylor's life is thrown into disarray with the sudden disappearance of Hannah--the only adult Taylor would come close to calling family. With Hannah gone, Taylor begins reading Hannah's unfinished novel for lack of anything else to cling to. Marchetta weaves Taylor's story and the events of Hannah's novel and even the histories of other characters together to create one haunting narrative where, the more Taylor reads, the more it feels like she is looking not at fictitious characters but at people she has known her entire life.

While trying to understand Hannah's sudden absence, Taylor also starts to understand herself. Eventually she realizes that living life at a distance offers no protection from abandonment and provides even fewer options to heal scars from past betrayals.

The novel starts with rapid fire narration as Taylor throws out events and names at the reader without any frame of reference. Later in the story the importance of the Cadet, the Hermit, and the Brigadier becomes painfully obvious. But in the first pages the narrative comes closer to painfully confusing and unwieldy. By the end of my reading I had a marker at almost every page to indicated important points and favorite passages. However, if you can roll with the uncertainty, you will be rewarded. At a little over four hundred pages, Marchetta still creates a page-turner that moves quickly and weaves together every single narrative thread by the final page.

Because Taylor is not forthcoming with explanations, the novel reads like a mystery (fitting since my two Printz Award predictions were also mysteries of sorts). However a good portion of the story is also simply about friendship and love. Taylor expects neither from her time on the Jellicoe Road even though they might be exactly what she was supposed to find there all along. Marchetta blends moments of humor and gravitas in her unique prose style to create another really great read.

Amazing

So awesome brautiful i cannot possibly write a good enough review combines two stories and reminds us of lifes painful journeys but beautiful moments, to starting new journeys, embracing the truth and dealing with grief. A little difficult to follow definately requires a more experienced reader. But it ties together so beautifully in the end. Two thumbs up for Melina Marchetta!!! Love love loved it!!!

JELLICOE ROAD!

I LOVED this book!! It is my new favorite. A definite MUST READ!!!!

Beautiful

This book was a work of art. It took me on a journey through two riveting stories, one of which was sprinkled with mystery. As I read, I found that this single little piece of literature was one of the best. A fantastic must-read.

Hated it!!

I found this book to be very boring. The two separate stories were both incredibly way too easy to follow (really no mystery to them) and it was so easy to see what was coming up that I kept getting frustrated that the main character didn't see it too. Argh! The only reason I finished this book is because I can't stand to leave one unfinished. Steer clear.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A good story of friends, family, love, and loss.

This story is one that tells 2 stories into one. It slowly unravels the mystery of a group of 5 friends who come together after a terrible accident on Jellicoe Road.

It tells a tragic story of love and loss. I loved how strong Taylor was while she was trying to dig into her mother and fathers past. Even Griggs, who is the leader of the Cadet with his drill sergeant attitude, has a compassionate side that he shares with Taylor. That compassion is what helps Taylor as she goes in search to find her mother. Slowly you see how their love grows even at times when you think their relationship is over!

At times I felt very confused on which characters story I was reading about. I feel that if I were to read it a second time I would understand in better detail the past of the characters more.

Overall I thought that it was a good story. I don't think this would be a book I would buy from the book story though. I would have rather got it from the library or borrowed it from someone. I would still recommend this novel to anyone. It was a good story of friends, family, love, and loss.

Heart-wrenching Novel

Jellicoe Road was a young adult novel that managed to offer depth and entertainment. It was a very layered book, with a story within a story and lots of intersecting storylines. Marchetta pulled off this complex novel with ease. I loved it and I think anyone would.

Jellicoe Road is about Taylor Markham, a girl who's had trouble with commitment ever since her mother abandoned her when she was eleven years old. She was rescued by a a woman named Hannah who lives at the edge of the boarding school on the Jellicoe Road. Taylor is now a senior living at the boarding school with Hannah her closest thing to family. When Hannah leaves without warning one day it only deepens Taylor's conviction that she can't let people close.

Taylor is starting to be haunted by her past and memories of her long gone mother and a father she never knew are resurfacing. She begins reading a manuscript Hannah left behind that is about five children who lived on the Jellicoe Road and may have some bearing on her life. And the boy she ran away with when she was twelve years old is back in town, a Cadet in military school and fighting with her in a territory war. As the suspense builds the mystery deepens and I was eager to discover all the secrets. Just watching all the plotlines come together was fascinating.

Not only was the story excellent, the characters were so well developed they seemed to jump off the page. Taylor was a complex, very realistic protaganist and all the secondary characters were interesting too. I highly recommend Jellicoe Road. It's made me want to read more by Melina Marchetta.

Amazing!

this was a really good book. i would recomend this to anyone. :)

AWESOME!!! Its DEFINITELY worth it!!

I LOVED this book. It was one of those affairs where I couldnt put it down, and stayed up WAY too late to finish it, then went back the next night to reread my favorite parts. I thought Taylor was one of those characters that you could see yourself hanging out with in real life. The author did a beautiful job of making sure that her characters seemed 3-dimensional and real. They had vices, like stubborness, or pride, but you got to see how sweet they could be at times as well. For example
*Jonah Griggs seems like the biggest jerk at times, but then you see him stick up for his friends and be the sweetest boyfriend that ANY sane girl would want
*Raffy wont admit that she knows Santiago, but she believes in her friends until the end
*How can you NOT like Ben?? He's just the funniest little second in command I've ever seen.
The storyline is of Taylor Markham who's junkie mother abandoned her on Jellicoe road when she was 11, and she lives with Hannah and goes to the Jellicoe boarding school. Every year cadets come out by their school for training and they have Townies from the area near by and every year they hold turf wars where they simulate a war without all the violence. It also tells the story of the 5, who started the Turf wars and are connected to Taylor irrevocably, and who play a big part in shaping her outlook on a lot of important issues.
Overall a great book. great plot, great characters, and I feel like I'm using that word too much, but its true!! Marchetta's other novels dont come close to this one in my opinion, so if you're looking for an EPIC summer (or any other season will suffice) read, PICK THIS ONE!!!

i was skeptical at first but

this book turned out to be a fast favorite. at the beginning things might not make sense to you but i promise, keep reading! you won't be dissapointed. things will come together and it will be beautiful <3
this was a thoroughly enjoyable book that i did not want to put down. i read it in two days.