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thebookvortex

The Book Vortex

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On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta

I promised myself I'm gonna start writing reviews for at least some of the books I've read - so here I am.
I gotta say I started reading this book with some reservations but it managed to pleasantly surprise me. Taylor Markham - the main protagonist - is just my kind of girl, she's strong, courageous, witty and at times funny. Her character was very well written. Like every orphan, she experiences intense abandonment fears and inappropriate anger - Taylor constantly lashed out at different characters throughout the whole book. Hannah is her rock, her constant, and when she disappears as well, without even saying goodbye, she feels disappointed and maybe a bit helpless.
So what goes on on the Jellicoe road? The territory wars. Each year in September the Cadets arrive in Jellicoe from Sydney for a 6 week training exercise, and it's in these 6 weeks they fight with the Townies (kids from Jellicoe) and the boarders. Taylor is one of the boarders and she's elected the leader of the Jellicoe boarding school and it so happens Jonah Griggs (the boy with whom she ran away in search of her mother) is the leader of the Cadets. 
I enjoyed their war and how everybody started fraternizing with the "enemy". I even grew fond of Jonah although I had mixed feelings about him at the beginning (being a "ten foot tank" and all).
I don't feel like writing about the events in the book, it would give away a bit too much. It was a different kind of story. Definitely one of the best young adult books I've ever read.