Jellicoe Road [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Melina Marchetta (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 26, 2008

"What do you want from me?" he asks. What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him. More.

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 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 then and her sudden departure now, 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 might just be able to change her future.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061431834
• ASIN: B002EQ9LDK
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—For years, three factions—Townies, Cadets (city kids doing a six-week outdoor education program), and Jellicoe School students—have engaged in teen war games in the Australian countryside, defending territorial borders, negotiating for assets, and even taking hostages. Taylor Markham, a 17-year-old who was abandoned years ago by her mother, takes on leadership of the boarding school's six Houses. Plagued with doubts about being boss, she's not sure she can handle her Cadet counterpart, Jonah Griggs, whom she met several years before while running away to find her mother. When Hannah, a sort of house mother who has taken Taylor under her wing, disappears, Taylor puzzles over the book manuscript the woman left behind. Hannah's tale involves a tragic car accident on the Jellicoe Road more than 20 years earlier. Only three children survived, and Taylor discovers that this trio, plus a Cadet and a Townie, developed an epic friendship that was the foundation of the many mysteries in her life and identity, as well as of the war games. While the novel might put off casual readers, patient, thoughtful teens will remain to extract clues from the interwoven scraps of Hannah's narrative, just as Taylor does, all the while seeing the collapse of the barriers erected among the three groups over the years. Elegiac passages and a complex structure create a somewhat dense, melancholic narrative with elements of romance, mystery, and realistic fiction.—Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Taylor Markham isn’t just one of the new student leaders of her boarding school, she’s also the heir to the Underground Community, one of three battling school factions in her small Australian community (the others being the Cadets and the Townies). For a generation, these three camps have fought “the territory wars,” a deadly serious negotiation of land and property rife with surprise attacks, diplomatic immunities, and physical violence. Only this year, it’s complicated: Taylor might just have a thing for Cadet leader Jonah, and Jonah might just be the key to unlocking the secret identity of Taylor’s mother, who abandoned her when she was 11. In fact, nearly every relationship in Taylor’s life has unexpected ties to her past, and the continual series of revelations is both the book’s strength and weakness; the melodrama can be trying, but when Marchetta isn’t forcing epiphanies, she has a knack for nuanced characterizations and punchy dialogue. The complexity of the backstory will be offputting to younger readers, but those who stick it out will find rewards in the heartbreaking twists of Marchetta’s saga. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061431834
• ASIN: B002EQ9LDK
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (128 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too August 26, 2008

By TeensReadToo

Format:Hardcover

Taylor Markam was abandoned by her mother at a 7-Eleven on Jellicoe Road when she was a mere eleven years old. Only moments later a woman by the name of Hannah picked her up and brought her to the Jellicoe School. Now she is seventeen and finds that Hannah is a rock in her inconsistent life. While she has Hannah, Taylor doesn't know much about her family except the horror stories she remembers of her mother.

She does find comfort, though, in a manuscript that Hannah has written about a group of five friends who met in the worst circumstances, but developed a remarkable friendship when they only had each other. When Hannah just up and leaves, Taylor doesn't understand what has happened and she becomes a wreck. Not only does she have to deal with Hannah's disappearance, but she has just been named the head of her House and the leader of the school kids in the annual territory wars against the "Townies" and "Cadets."

In the war, the three groups battle and negotiate, following an extensive set of rules that might as well be history. As the war wages on, Taylor learns to take an active role in her community, as well as develop relationships that she never thought possible. Especially with Jonah Griggs, the leader of the Cadets, whom she already has quite a history with.

This war will be like no other. It will not only be between the normal three parties, but among friends, hearts desires, and, most of all, Taylor herself.

From the title I was expecting a light and fun read. Wow, was I wrong! This book is filled with heartbreak, joy, laughter, and sorrow. It completely blew me away and surpassed every expectation I had, even though I was expecting something completely different....

Before I even get into the elements of the story I have to comment on how much talent the author has. Melina Marhetta's writing style is indescribable. It seemed that she was so comfortable writing the story and her words just flowed from page to page with great clarity. I loved how the author weaved many intricate details and mini-stories into one big story, making it like a puzzle that slowly comes together until those last couple of pieces just fall into place.

The only miff I had with this book is that it took me probably until the third chapter to actually understand what was going on. In the beginning, there were two stories and it was hard to wrap my head around everything that was happening. After that, though, it seemed the author settled into writing and the story took off.

Taylor, without a doubt, is one of the best characters that I think has ever been created. She has this true voice where you can hear and feel her emotions ring out. By the time the book had ended I felt like I knew Taylor like I know my best friends. While Taylor was the main character, the author did a fabulous job creating the other characters, too. Unlike many supporting characters in books, the characters in JELLICOE ROAD all had their own voices and became their own people, with real and likable personalities.

I highly recommend this book to readers everywhere. Whether you're a girl or a guy, you will treasure this novel and hold it near and dear to your heart for a long time to come. JELLICOE ROAD is a beautiful love story, a heart-wrenching story of loss, a poignant self-discovery, and, most of all, an unforgettable tale.

Pre-order this book NOW!! It hits stores August 26 and you don't want to miss out on this one-of-a-kind novel.

Reviewed by: Tasha Read more ›

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Jellicoe Road: Slow-Moving but Extraordinary October 11, 2009

By YA Book Queen VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I'll admit it, I amost gave up on this novel. I put it off for weeks, after reading only 30 pages, because it just wasn't grabbing me. Yet, I continued to hear how incredible it was, and after a few weeks I promised myself I'd just jump in and finish it before I moved onto another book.

I'm so glad I did continue and gave JELLICOE ROAD another chance. I've read so many YA books, and I've never been one for having favorite anythings, but this novel is seriously close to topping the charts of all books that I've read. The beginning is slow-moving and it does not make much sense, but as the story continues, the magic happens. I learned more about Taylor Markham's life, the mysteries wrapped around her, and the "wars" she participated in. I don't want to say much about the plot because I'd hate to ruin the magic of the story, but this book was extraordinary and so much more than I expected it to be. I'd highly recommend it.

HIGHLIGHTS: Weaving the stories from the past into Hannah's manuscript, I loved learning everything with Taylor. There was always more to keep me curious, keep me turning the pages. I also loved the "wars", because they were so entertaining at times. Jonah's backstory was a blow to me, and I wasn't expecting what he says to Taylor about the day at the train station. It was an interesting shock, and I'm rarely surprised when reading.

LOWLIGHTS: It was incredibly hard to get into at first, but as I got to chapter 3, or 4, I was was hooked. I didn't want it to end.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book January 7, 2009

By Book Eater

Format:Hardcover

I can honestly say, this is one of the best books i've ever read. It's my favourite, along with Saving Francesca. My sister got our first edition from her friend in Australia. While she was reading it I was not interested in it until she forced me to read it. I couldn't put it down.
Taylor Markham is an abandoned child in Jellicoe School. She lives in a boarding school. Her care taker is a girl called Hannah, whom Taylor is very close to. Taylor strives to find the truth about who she is. Along with her friends Ben Cassidy, Raffaela, and Santangelo she finds that friendship is the closest thing she can have to a family. Along the way she falls in love with the enemy, unearth secrets about her past, and is the leader in a war she does not want to happen.
This book made me laugh, and from a specific point onwards I cry non-stop, despite having read it over ten times. Easy read and catchy plot, Melina Marchetta does not fail you!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful December 23, 2011

By E. Kristin Anderson

Format:Hardcover

Taylor Markham was abandoned on the Jellicoe Road when she was eleven. At seventeen she attends the Jellicoe School, where 10% of the students are also wards of the state, like her. It's convenient for Taylor, whose caretaker, Hannah, lives right outside school property. At the beginning of her senior year, she finds herself elected not only leader of her dorm, but leader of all the Jellicoe dorms in the Territory Wars in which her school, the Townies and the Cadets (who camp in the local bushland every year) participate. The rules have been passed down year after year in a purple notebook, and Taylor is under pressure to make sure things go smoothly for Jellicoe. However, just as things are getting underway, Hannah leaves without notice, and Taylor's life is in turmoil. She discovers that the manuscript of Hannah's that she's been reading over the years might be more than just a story, and she discovers that the Cadet she claims to have no history with might be more than just a one-time acquaintance. As the leaders of the various groups get closer through the War, they find that there is more to their game than they ever thought, and Taylor discovers that her family history is more complicated and bittersweet than she'd ever imagined.

Marchetta's book is beautiful, but stricken with slow pacing that may not catch the attention of many readers. While the snippets of Hannah's manuscript and the peeks at romance certainly make things interesting, the plot doesn't pick up until at least half way through the book, and the Territory Wars are confusing at best until the very end. This is a book that I would certainly recommend to teen readers, but not without the caveat that they really need to stick with it to get to the good parts.