Jellicoe Road
2006 • 419 pages
Ratings5
Average rating4
15
Ratings5
Average rating4
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award * ALA Best Book for Young Adults * Kirkus Best Book Jellicoe Road is a dazzling tale that is part love story, part family drama, and part coming-of-age novel. Described by Kirkus as “a beautifully rendered mystery” and by VOYA as “a great choice for more sophisticated readers and those teens who like multifaceted stories and characters.” 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, the boy who might be the key to unlocking the secrets for Taylor’s past, 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; Hannah’s sudden departure; 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 just might be able to change her future.
Reviews with the most likes.
The first few chapters were quite confusing, having to piece together what's going on and trying to keep up with the events as well as the characters. It didn't make much sense until after Ch 16 for me, because it felt like I just had so many questions about the setting and these kids and how the heck they're living.
After getting through the first few chapters though, I was captivated. The writing style is engrossing and the more you read it, the more you don't want to put it down. The book got pretty heavy, which I didn't expect! I loved how all the characters were intertwined and how the pieces slowly unraveled. It felt so messy but it was somehow woven together so well that everything just made sense in the end.
This felt like a 3-star read in the beginning but after finishing it, this book deserves a 5. There were some parts that felt awkward but I loved it in its entirety. Definitely something that stays with you for a while after you finish reading it.
What a strange little book. I didn't know where this was going for a good while but I ended up invested in the characters by the end.
