Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I have some mixed feelings about this novel. I spent the first half of it struggling to keep my eyes open and the second half of it fairly impressed with how everything was coming together. When it comes down to it, I think that I enjoy the mechanics of this book, and maybe even the story itself, but its not something I would normally read.


Jellicoe Road is a hard book to summarize without giving away what truly makes it interesting. What I can tell you is that it is about a girl who was orphaned very young, trying to find her mother. The beginning was a bit confusing to me because I was a uncertain where the main character was staying and if the “territory wars” they continued to talk about was something to pass the time at the camp like environment she seemed to be inhabiting, or if they were actual territory wars. Although, that could all be on me because like I said, I didn't actually get into this novel until I was half way through.  Half the novel felt more like a chore or one of those books that teachers make you read in high school because it's supposed to be amazing but you struggle to see why from the moment you open it.

The most enjoyable part of Marchetta's storytelling is held within the story itself. Yes, there is a story within the story in this novel and every time we moved into the more linear storyline, I found myself wanting to go back to the stories about boys in trees and teens who loved each other in loyal and honest ways. In fact, I think that the story of those souls, overshadowed the rest of the tale. When bit parts are more interesting than your main character, you have a problem as an author. I fell in love with the characters that the girl was learning about and I too wanted to know more about them. The main character of Taylor though was one that I was bored with from page one. Again, this is more of a personal preference than a critique on the book but the substance that Taylor had was nothing compared to some of the other characters in this book. Not to mention that Taylor fell flat on the page and was more akin to that carbon copy type of character that we see through most teen novels.


As a whole, Jellicoe Road is worth a read. I plan on keeping my copy and giving it another go sometime in the future because I do believe that this book is a decent distraction from our reality. While it is not the best that I've read, the author intertwines the past and the present in very neat twists that make me appreciate what she was trying to do with this novel. Marchetta had a very definite goal in her storytelling and she was able to convey it in a clear manor. That's not something that I see often with teen novels. Lately, a lot of teen novels have been taking notes from Hollywood and are trying to distract you from the gaping holes within the plot with pretty faces and witty dialogue.



Overall, Jellicoe Road is a solid three star book. If you are looking for a mystery novel then this is the one that I would point to. It is reminiscent of a good summer read and this is definitely a novel to sit on the beach or around a campfire at night and indulge in. 

Make sure to follow me on facebook and Google + and for more reviews of what I'm reading this month (and the last since I haven't been able to read much lately) go here

http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-book-reads.html

and here

http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/08/august-book-reads.html

August Book Reads

Last months choice of books have left me not really enjoying reading that much. Granted, I've been busier than usual so I haven't had a lot of time but the stories that I am working through currently aren't ones that you can sink into. I'm having one of those sensations where I am aware of what I am doing. That's usually how I set apart good books from the truly amazing. If you are aware that you are reading about a character and that you are sitting in your living room or bed, reading something someone else has written, something is wrong. The same with movies. These are vessels of escape. They are emotional time bombs. I want to be taken away when I read. Unfortunately, the stories that I am wading through at the moment, don't have that quality and have left me not wanting to read. I haven't picked up any other books either because I didn't want to get distracted.

Today I decided that was stupid.

This months book choices aren't very long but they hopefully will allow some progress and get me back into reading once more.

Elric of Melinbone by Michael Moorcock

One of my nerd friends gave this to me to read. It's a short little read and, according to him, is one of those books that is just meant to get someone into reading if they aren't a book person. The concept though is supposed to be good. From what I can gather from it, the main character doesn't really seem like a decent guy either so I'm a bit intrigued over that fact. My only fear of this novel is that it was printed in the 70's. I have this thing about science fiction that is older than the past decade. There's something about the way those authors wrote that bothers me. They do it in such a way that is not exactly over the top, but it is not natural. There's a distinct lack of flow from them. This doesn't make them bad writers, or even make the story bad, but it doesn't feel like it's a world that is secretly lurking in the shadows, which is how I prefer my fiction.

Review Now Up: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/08/elric-of-melinbone-by-michael-moorcock.html

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

A love story between a kidnapped girl and her kidnapper? Uh.... alright.

This is another novel that was given to me by a friend. But, unlike the previous one, this one was given to me by someone who does not like to read. She is a girl who enjoys tales, but it takes a lot for her to get into a book. Stolen, however, she finished within a week. That to me says there was something about it that was special in order to captivate her and that has got me curious. I like this girls taste in most things so I'm curious to see what this book contains. I don't think I would have picked it up otherwise.

Like I said, this month is a short read list mostly because I would like to continue trudging away on my previous months list. I'm half way through John Dies at the End (which, I would like to add, is a complete WTF novel) and Jellicoe Road. They just take a bit more time than most novels do.

Review Now Up: http://papertales4u.blogspot.com/2013/09/stolen.html

If you have any book suggestions, leave a comment. Also, remember to like me on Facebook and Google +