My Book Boyfriend: Jonah Griggs

Jonah Mother Effing Griggs. What can I say? He's arguably Melina Marchetta's most popular hero. A teenage army cadet and leader of one "gang" in On the Jellicoe Road, he's tough and at times brutal, but he's also incredibly brave, caring and passionate. I pictured him as Liam Hemsworth.

Swoon-worthy Quotes

“How does Jonah Griggs get to be a ten? He sits on a train with me when we’re fourteen and he weeps, tearing at his hair, bashing his head with the palm of his hand, self-hatred pouring from him like blood from a gut wound in a war movie, and for the first time in my whole life I have a purpose.I am the holder of the grief and pain and guilt and passion of Jonah Griggs and as we sit huddled on the floor of the carriage, he allows me to hold him, to say ‘Shh, Jonah, it wasn’t your fault.’ While his body still shakes from the convulsions, he takes hold of my hand and links my fingers with his and I feel someone else’s pain for the first time I can remember.”

“When I turn around, he cups my face in his hands and he kisses me so deeply that I don’t know who is breathing for who, but his mouth and tongue taste like warm honey. I don’t know how long it lasts, but when I let go of him, I miss it already."

“'If you weren’t driving, I’d kiss you senseless.' I tell him
He swerves to the side of the road and stops the car abruptly.
'Not driving anymore.'”

“I don't want to let go, because tonight I'm not looking for anything more than being part of him. Because being part of him isn't just anything. It's kind of everything.”

My Book Boyfriend is hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader.

Pash, Pick or Pass: Marchetta's Men

That's right, Pash, Pick or Pass is back! And it's a doozy...


The contenders

-Jonah Griggs from On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, a fiercesome army cadet with a damaged past and a tender heart (le sigh). Played in my head by Liam Hemsworth.

-Tom Mackee from Saving Francesca and The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta. He's a blokey boy who can proudly burp the alphabet, but he also has a sensitive side (hello, muso). Played in my head by Benedict Samuel.

-Jacob Coote from Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. Another rough-around-the-edges-but-deep-down-really-sweet guy (they seem to be a MM speciality!), he's a walking contradiction. A totally swoon-worthy one. Played by Kick Gurry in the movie.

My choices

Pash: Jonah. I love his passion. And his hotness. But he's one of those characters that is so obviously meant for another (Taylor) I just couldn't interfere. Much.


Pick: Tom. Maybe it was being in his head for half of The Piper's Son, but I feel more connected to him than the others. Once he gets his shit together I reckon he'd make a pretty decent pick.


Pass: Sorry, Jacob, you were my first MM love, and I'll always have a special place in my heart for you but... you've been eclipsed.

Come on MM fans, you know you want to play! Who would you pash, pick and pass?

Review: On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Oh boy. I’ve been putting off writing this review, partly because I just don’t think I’ll be able to do justice to this wonderful book. And also…

Seriously. So many emotions. To the point where every time I’ve tried to write this review in my head*, I’ve been unable to form coherent sentences. I just have all these FEELINGS. All I can think is… oh, the heartbreak! The pain! The love! The awesomeness! The flashbacks! The mystery! The beautiful, beautiful language! The characters! Raff! Taylor! WEBB! FITZ! JONAH MOTHER EFFING GRIGGS!

So, yeah, that’s what’s been going on with me. I’m going to try to be slightly more articulate, but please forgive me if every so often I resort to crying in the corner.

I didn’t know a helluva lot going into On the Jellicoe Road, other than the fact that it’s supposed to be freaking awesome and Jonah Griggs is amazeballs, if the blogosphere is anything to go by (which it totally is, natch). I knew it centred around a girl who’d been abandoned at a 7/11 by her mum, that it involved some kind of territory wars, and that it told two stories simultaneously – one in the past and one in the present. I have to say, not knowing any more than that was a really good thing. While it was initially a little disconcerting to have no idea what was going on, it made the mystery and the final revelations all the more powerful. One of the best parts of On the Jellicoe Road was the way the plot was slowly unraveled and everything began to click into place, as the events of the past and present converged. There are so many amazing twists in the plot, and the way they’re revealed in a non-linear manner is very effective – and totally heartbreaking.

Ahem. Yes, this book is incredibly sad. But – importantly - it’s not depressing. There's a big dose of tragedy in there, but it’s also filled with hope, healing and even a touch of humour. The very reason it’s so sad is also part of its warmth, as there's a strong sense of connection with the characters. Like all Marchetta’s novels, On the Jellicoe Road features chracters who are extremely strong, realistic, unique and, well, downright amazing. I loved them all – but I especially adored the five in Hannah’s story. It was so interesting to see the way they were intertwined with Taylor’s story. And did I mention it was heartbreaking?

This is one of those books that stays with you for days after finishing it (and possibly longer – I’ll keep you posted). Partly because of the characters. Partly because of all the twists and turns in the plot. But mostly because everything is so bloody perfect.

Rating: 5/5

*Random side note: Does anybody else write things out in their head before putting anything on the page/screen?

Spoilery talking points

•  I was shocked at what happened to Webb. SUCH a good twist. Poor Fitz! I really want to know how/when he figured out what actually happened. Sob.
• I’m so glad that, by pure coincidence, I read To Kill a Mockingbird immediately before On the Jellicoe Road. It’s not a prerequisite, but it did make the references to the Mrs Dubose situation all the more meaningful.
•  I loved the way everything was connected – even seemingly random things turn out to be deliberate and tie in perfectly, but not in a forced way. Like Taylor’s dream boy, the serial killer, the postman in Yass, the tunnel, the purple book… sigh.

Eye candy

Marchetta has written the film script for Jellicoe (squee!) and Cathy Randall is attached to direct, but there's no word yet on the cast. I pictured Marny Kennedy as Taylor and Liam Hemsworth as Jonah.

Related

I'll never hear 'Flame Trees' in the same way again. I know Webb would've been listening to the original by Cold Chisel, but I love Sarah Blasko's version.

Fine Print

Genre: Young Adult
Published: 2006, Penguin
Get It: Abe Books

Review: The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

This book was painful. Like, I-feel-like-my-heart-is-bleeding kinda painful. A good kinda painful, then. Naturally. 

The Piper’s Son is the sequel/companion to Melina Marchetta’s Saving Francesca, and it picks up the characters’ lives five years down the track. This time, Tom Mackee is our main character, along with his aunt Georgie, as the book alternates between their viewpoints via third person narration. They, along with the rest of their family and friends, are trying to recover from some devastating losses in the past (both recent and distant). 

With protagonists that are 22 and 42, The Piper’s Son feels a bit more grown up than Saving Francesca and Looking for Alibrandi, and the third person narrative also sets it apart. The writing is even more beautiful, if that’s at all possible. I liked being able to get into more than one character’s head, as well as seeing them from the outside. It gave the story a much wider scope than it perhaps would have had otherwise.

Now, I thought Saving Francesca was sad, but I have to say, it’s got nothing on The Piper’s Son. Tom and Georgie are both so lost in their grief and it’s such an emotional ride, made all the more potent by the extremely realistic characters, conversations, emotions and actions. As with Marchetta’s other books that I’ve read, I found myself nodding along to a character’s inner monologue more than once. I really felt their pain. And it was tough.

Thankfully, there are plenty of light moments to balance out the sadness. As Tom slowly reconnects with the old gang from St Sebastian’s, the friendly teasing comes back into play and you can’t help but smile. The interactions between the Mackee family are also tinged with humour, and there’s a lot of joy mixed in with their hurt. The best moments, though, come from Tara (who is in Timor) and Tom’s email exchanges. Though they're half a world apart (literally and emotionally), their spark is still there, waiting to be set alight. I just love all of these characters; they’re strong, unique, and well fleshed-out. I feel like I know them well… if only I had friends like these in real life!

Rating: 4/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• I was sad at the lack of Jimmy in this book. He was one of my favourite characters in Saving Francesca. I need to know that he's OK.
• On the other hand, the suggestion that Frankie's parents are doing great is heartening. 
• I also kinda missed Siobhan! She seemed to be doing well though. I was kinda glad they were all still friends. Well, except for the whole Tom kerfuffle - but he made good in the end.
• On an entirely superficial note, I really want to know what Will's tatt looks like.

Eye Candy

The same as Saving Francesca, plus...

Benedict Samuel as Tom

Claudia Karvan as Georgie

Emily Browning as Tara

Guy Pearce as Sam

Fine Print

Genre: Contemporary fiction

Published: March 2010, Viking

Get It: Fishpond

Revisit: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

So. Here's the thing. Melina Marchetta is one of my all-time favourite authors. She is my idol. But I've only ever read two of her books. I KNOW. But I have an excuse! Kind of. You see, for the majority of my teen years, Looking for Alibrandi was the only Marchetta available. I adored it. Obsessed over it. Reread it at least once a year (and often more frequently). I identified so strongly with Josie, and felt like this book just got me in so many ways. It was a cherished friend (and is still one of my favourite books, BTW). I longed for Marchetta to write more, so I could devour fresh words of wisdom and realism. Then Saving Francesca came out. I was 17 and... kinda disappointed.

I liked it, don't get me wrong. I liked it a lot. But I just didn't have the same connection to Frankie that I had with Josie. My subsequent wariness, and the fact that I grew out of Young Adult books for a little while (or thought I had, at least!), meant that I didn't rush to pick up the books Marchetta released in the following years. Then, thanks to a friend thrusting The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants on me, I rediscovered how awesome YA could be. I started blogging, and read countless reviews and comments on the amazingness of Marchetta's other works - some even said they were better than Alibrandi. Big. Call.

Needless to say, The Piper's Son, On The Jellicoe Road and Finnikin of the Rock quickly joined my ever-growing TBR pile. My plan was to reread Saving Francesca before tackling The Piper's Son, then on to Jellicoe Road before finally diving into Finnikin. The hitch in this plan was that every time I picked up Francesca, I couldn't bring myself to read it. Not because of my first experience with it (because I had actually really liked it), but because I knew it touched upon issues that had recently become a very sensitive subject for me. I was afraid of how it would make me feel.

Then last week, I did something that I am both incredibly excited and extremely nervous about: I signed up for a writing course taught by Marchetta. I am more excited than nervous, actually. I'm downright ecstatic. But the reason I mention it here is because it gave me the kick up the butt I needed to finally get over my fear of Francesca - or, at least, that fear was eclipsed by a frenzied desire to absorb every word Marchetta had ever written ASAP.

I'm so, so glad I reread it. Because Francesca, of course, is absolutely amazing. The very reason I was afraid to pick it up (recent personal experiences) meant that I was able to appreciate it - and yes, connect with it - in a new and powerful way that I couldn't as a teenager. It's not an easy read (though it's beautifully written); Francesca's sadness, and her mum's depression, permeate the book. But it deals with the issue in such a tender, realistic and ultimately hopeful way that, by the time I turned the last page, I actually felt a lot better than I had before I picked it up. Like Alibrandi before her, Francesca touched upon so many aspects that were completely relevant to my life, and made me feel good about them. As though I wasn't alone. My feelings for Francesca might just be on par with my love of Alibrandi. Which is really saying something.

The Piper's Son, here I come.

Rating: 5/5

Eye Candy
I pictured...

Caitlin Stasey as Francesca

James Sorensen as Will

Xenia Goodwin as Justine

Alicia Banit as Siobhan

Khan Chittenden as Jimmy

Fine Print
Genre: Young Adult
Published: 2003, Viking
Get It: Better World Books

My Book Boyfriend: Jacob Coote

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie at The Unread Reader, all about fictional boys who make us swoon. This week I'm going back to a book boyfriend who dominated much of my teens: Jacob Coote from Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta. As the only Marchetta book available for most of my teen years, I read it approximately 174 times (Saving Francesca came out when I was 17, but On the Jellicoe Road wasn't released til I was 20 - to my shame, I haven't had a chance to read it or any that followed yet, though they're all on my TBR list... but I digress). Now, Jacob is by no means perfect; in fact, sometime he's downright douchey, but other times he's gorgeously caring, and I rooted for him and Josie - and swooned over him - all the same. Call it hormones. The pull of the bad boy. The amazingness of Marchetta's writing. Whatever it is, I love me some Jacob Coote. Because I've seen the movie almost as many times as I've read the book, I always picture him as Kick Gurry.


Swoon-worthy Quotes

"To give you a run-down on Jacob is very hard. Sometimes he speaks really stupidly and doesn't know what I'm talking about, and other times he speaks really well, and I don't understand what he's talking about.
Sometimes he's a tough guy and I can imagine him bashing someone's head in and other times he's this real nice sensitive guy who smiles at babies and helps old women across the street. He smokes dope, drinks and I think he sleeps with a lot of girls, but on the other hand he really loves his family and has respect for people." 

"I sat up on the bed and put my arms around him, kissing him slowly. I felt his hand come up across my cheek and I realised that was what I loved about him. He was a loving person. His need to touch my face or hair made me feel closer to him than if we were making love."

"'We don't even love each other, Jacob.' We lay there in silence until he nudged me. 
'I do a bit, you know,' he said gruffly.
'You do what a bit?'
'You know. Like you... whatever... love you a bit..'
He seemed a bit flustered and I hugged him.
'I think I kind of love you too, Jacob.'
'I really missed you when you were in Adelaide that time and sometimes when I don't see you for a couple of days I think I'll go crazy,' he said honestly, looking at me as if he needed for me to understand."