Customer Reviews

Leaving Jetty Road

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Leaving Jetty Road was a good read. I enjoyed the book and the different characters. Nat, the main narrator, is a calm B personality, Lise is the intense, very shy A personality, and Sofia just walks to another drummer.

In their twelfth grade year in Australia they make a New Year's resolution to become vegetarians. This leads the three of them on different life paths. Sofia finds her true love, Nat finds her first love, and, for Lise, being a vegetarian is the magic bullet for weight loss. Unfortunately, that same magic bullet also leads Lise to intense exercise and makes her panic attacks become wickedly more frequent.

I liked the way the author got into the heads of Lise and Nat and gave them a very realistic voice. The reasons that Lise has for becoming anorexic are valid and real. She feels inferior within her family, school, and tight social circle. Nat, going through the throes of first love, made me think of that time in my life as well. The way that the relationships changed throughout the course of the book was amazing and also very realistic. I had to laugh, though, because periodically throughout the book I had to remind myself that the setting is in Australia. Summer heat in December? School beginning in January? Being cold in June? Oh yeah, Australia!

All in all, LEAVING JETTY ROAD is a memorable book and one that I think most girls will identify with.

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

Three best friends experience the trials and tribulations of Year 12. Nat gets her first job and first serious boyfriend while Lise struggles with painful secrets and personal issues. The third buddy, Sofe, is more Nat's friend than Lise's, but Lise has learned to tolerate her for Nat's sake.

The story is told from two points of view, with Nat and Lise alternating chapters. Sofe's POV is never presented, and while her wild ways never quite force the other two girls apart, they do serve as a means to reveal their different personalities.

Though the girls' tribulations are vastly different, with one having boy troubles and the other having body issues, the core of the story relies on their friendship and tests of loyalty. Over the course of a year, Nat and Lise grow up and grow apart, but ultimately realize what has happened and try to come back together.

Leaving Jetty Road is one of the best books that I have ever read. I never wanted to put it down. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Three girls in their senior year at an all girl school could present a few problems. One of the girls gets really involved with bring a vegetarian and starts to develop an eating disorder. Another one of the girls gets a boyfriend and she swears that she is going to spend the rest of her life with him and the third girl is just a rebel. I give this book five stars. There are so many different things going on and it seemed to flow very nicely together. This book isn't necessarily a cliff-hangar but makes you think of so many possible endings to the story.