A review by chalkletters
On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

On the Jellicoe Road was the first Melina Marchetta book I encountered, though not the first one I read. My Auntie Carol bought it for me on a trip to Australia before my first year of university, and I proceeded to leave it on a shelf until a different Australian friend bought me Saving Francesca and prompted me to revisit a book I hadn’t thought about in years. 

On a first read, On the Jellicoe Road’s double narrative sweeps the reader along in exactly the same way Hannah’s manuscript carries Taylor. That it’s not immediately easy to make head or tail of the story doesn’t make the ride any less enjoyable. Even on a second read, it’s fun for the reader to piece together what they remember of the links between the two stories. It’s particularly rewarding to see the adults those kids in the eighties have become; Melina Marchetta gets to show off friendships that have actually lasted for decades, as well as ones which feel like they will. 

Taylor Markham is as good an angsty teen girl protagonist as A Deadly Education’s Galadriel, and the cast of classmates and schoolmates that surround her are just as much of a found family, if not moreso. Like Galadriel, Taylor makes herself difficult to like at times, which only makes her character development more rewarding. Taylor’s relationship and love interest are a much more integral part of the story than Francesca’s were, which is why On the Jellicoe Road gets that extra half a star! 

On the Jellicoe Road has as much character development as any of Melina Marchetta’s other novels and, on top of that, it also has more plot than most of the other Young Adult titles. The ending is big and brilliant and memorable. Even reading the book for a third time drives the reader towards it with eager anticipation. It’s not quite fair to compare On the Jellicoe Roadwith Finnikin of the Rock, because both stories are doing very different things, while sharing many Melina Marchetta’s trademark positives.

As it turns out, my Auntie Carol has spot-on taste, because On the Jellicoe Road is my favourite of the Melina Marchetta books I’ve read.
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