Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

4 stars
Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother on the Jellicoe Road when she was eleven. Taylor struggles with depression and is haunted by questions of her mother. Hannah was the person who found her and she’s the closest person she has to family. Then she goes missing and to top it all off, Jonah Griggs is back in town and he’s the last person she wants to see. I started this book in June and finished it at the beginning on July. It almost took me a month to read Jellicoe Road. I’m trying to be honest here, but it’s hard because I’m not a hundred percent sure how I feel about this book. I loved the writing, but I didn’t always love the story. I always felt confused and suffocated with questions, a lot like Taylor. If that was the feeling Marchetta was going for she nailed it, but I don’t particularly like feeling like I’m drowning so it made parts of this book unbearable and frustrating. I know that so many people praise this book, but I’m disappointed by it. I finished this book months ago and I’m just now reviewing. I still don’t know what to say or how to say it, but I’m tired of it staring at me every time I look at my to-review shelf.


The main female character is Taylor. I never really liked Taylor all that much. She was tough for me to like for a good portion of the novel. I did eventually like her, but looking back I still don’t think she was a remarkable character. She does have a few redeeming qualities and she is easier to like towards the middle of the novel, but I personally thought she was too selfish for a good part of the novel. Her selfishness can be justified, but I can’t be bothered to care.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 7
The main male character is Jonah. I liked Jonah quite a bit. I didn’t swoon completely over him, but there were moments when Jonah had me feeling like I was on character cloud-nine. He was what made the story enjoyable when it hit snags.




Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5

The Villain-
This cat did it. He’s evil. 


Villain Scale: 0
I did enjoy all the supporting characters. They were all funny and all had qualities that made me like reading about them. Not one character in this story was unnecessary. Santangelo and Raffy were my favorites.


Character Scale: 9

This novel can be frustrating. There’s a mystery and questions upon questions about the past and present. While this story had flaws, I did enjoy it. I just wish I would’ve enjoyed it more. The last 45% (around page 180) is where the story picks up and once you get to that point the book becomes much better and it is hard to put it down.




Cover Thoughts: I love the cover. It’s so pretty and different from most covers I usually pick up. It’s way better in person.