Oh, this is a hard book to review and I know that I won’t make it justice so I won’t even try that much.
One word: awesome! Why?
Because it is so complex and beautiful, and the characters are amazing and smart and funny, and the drama is not overwhelming (oh, well… it is, but in a good way), and the story makes you laugh and shudder (and some say that they even cried – later edit: the first time I didn’t, I guess I was in too much of a shock for that to happen), and you say ‘wow’ a lot of times, and when you think that you have it all figured out something changes drastically, and your head is spinning around from so much information but you just enjoy it more and keep reading until the end and then you say ‘wow’ again.
I was told that the beginning was hard and they were right about it. For many, many pages I didn’t know about the 3 perspective thing (dream/present/past) and there were so many characters and I felt so lost, but the writing was so good and kept me reading so I don’t regret even that part. Then I understood and there were things that I even knew before the character found about them, but there were plenty of other surprises too so it didn’t feel that predicable at all.
Some say that this book changed their world, I won’t lie, it didn’t – but it won my heart, slowly it became part of my being. I can’t imagine a world without this book – it was a really great book and it deserves a lot more than 5 stars.
There is drama on so many levels:
“My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted.”
But there is also love:
“If you weren’t driving, I’d kiss you senseless,” I tell him. He swerves to the side of the road and stops the car abruptly. “Not driving anymore.”
There are some funny moments:
“Great to know that I’m in love with a girl with a cool name.” “It’s Taylor’s middle name”
And there are some thoughtful ones:
“And life goes on, which seems kind of strange and cruel when you’re watching someone die.”[/cite]
Sometimes it’s all heartbreaking :
“Do you think I don’t want him to be gone more than you do? I do. Because I need to know that I can still breathe properly when he’s not around. If something happens to him, I have to know that I won’t fall apart […]”
And sometimes it all feels as casual as your own story:
“Girls under the age of fourteen are the most frightening creatures I have ever come across”
And at the end it makes you think about it all over again:
“Is a person worth more because they have someone to grieve for them?”
Rating: 5 full stars!
Wow… just wow..
Note: A Romanian version of the review can be found here.
Reread – May 2013:
UPDATE: I’ve decided to write a full review for this book and I featured it separately: Review: On The Jellicoe Road [re-read] as there was too much to say, too much love to spread.
. It feels like delivering heart on a silver platter, all I hope is that you could feel the same while reading the book, because this story is simply that awesome!
On The Jellicoe Road [re-read]
Reading (at least one of) Marchetta’s stories should be one of the “10 things to do in your lifetime”.
Seriously, this woman is one of the most creative people alive, one of the most amazing writers I came across and I wish I could put into words the actual awesomeness of this book, but I feel a bit at a loss for words – well, once again.
Visual quote:
The Jellicoe Road:
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