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A review by blitheringidiolect
On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
2.0
I can see why people like this book, I really can.
But.... "you have to read half the book before it starts to make sense." Ugh. No. I feel like I made an investment that just didn't pay off. Maybe this would've been better in paper (almost undoubtedly). It took me far too long to realize that there were two narrators. Everything's jumbled in time to boot. I get why this was a thing, I just don't think it was at all worth the trouble.
Plus the whole "mystery" of the book wouldn't have existed if one goddamned adult had sat down with Taylor and told her things she had every right to know right from the start!! What the hell!! Tell the damn girl what's up with her life!
And the selective amnesia thing? What?
Taylor was a terrible character. She started off whiny and self-pitying but mostly ok and ended up a hellish, egocentric brat who somehow comes off as spoiled, of all things, despite having a rough childhood.
Everything is overly dramatic and syrupy. It was like reading a regular book put through a honey-gold filter. "There was wonder in x character's face" and everything is so fucking beautiful it "takes my breath away" or "makes me ache." Jesus fucking christ. It's like a poetic teenager wrote this. Everything is pretty but also, LYKE, THE BIGGEST DEAL EVAH.
It's actually written pretty well, though (structure notwithstanding). That's the only reason I made it through the first half and the only reason it's getting 2 stars. With 50 minutes left in the book, I was finally ready to DNF. And goddamnit, I'd come that far, I'd be damned if I didn't finish it (and I did). But I hated the story up to that point, I hated where the story was going, I hated the stupid things that the adults had done, I hated Taylor, I still didn't give a shit about any of the characters, and I'M STILL MAD ABOUT THE CAT.
Tl;dr: I regret finishing it. Hated the MC, didn't care about the characters or the story, still mad about the cat. Writing's pretty. But too pretty.
But.... "you have to read half the book before it starts to make sense." Ugh. No. I feel like I made an investment that just didn't pay off. Maybe this would've been better in paper (almost undoubtedly). It took me far too long to realize that there were two narrators. Everything's jumbled in time to boot. I get why this was a thing, I just don't think it was at all worth the trouble.
Plus the whole "mystery" of the book wouldn't have existed if one goddamned adult had sat down with Taylor and told her things she had every right to know right from the start!! What the hell!! Tell the damn girl what's up with her life!
And the selective amnesia thing? What?
Taylor was a terrible character. She started off whiny and self-pitying but mostly ok and ended up a hellish, egocentric brat who somehow comes off as spoiled, of all things, despite having a rough childhood.
Everything is overly dramatic and syrupy. It was like reading a regular book put through a honey-gold filter. "There was wonder in x character's face" and everything is so fucking beautiful it "takes my breath away" or "makes me ache." Jesus fucking christ. It's like a poetic teenager wrote this. Everything is pretty but also, LYKE, THE BIGGEST DEAL EVAH.
It's actually written pretty well, though (structure notwithstanding). That's the only reason I made it through the first half and the only reason it's getting 2 stars. With 50 minutes left in the book, I was finally ready to DNF. And goddamnit, I'd come that far, I'd be damned if I didn't finish it (and I did). But I hated the story up to that point, I hated where the story was going, I hated the stupid things that the adults had done, I hated Taylor, I still didn't give a shit about any of the characters, and I'M STILL MAD ABOUT THE CAT.
Spoiler
Of all the fucking ways to put an animal out of its misery, you decide to DROWN the fucking thing?? How is that humane or remotely ok?? It was fighting and terrified the whole fucking time.Tl;dr: I regret finishing it. Hated the MC, didn't care about the characters or the story, still mad about the cat. Writing's pretty. But too pretty.