Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Title: Jellicoe Road
Author: Melina Marchetta
Publisher: Penguin Australia
Ages: Young Adults
Length: 412
Genera: Fiction
Subjects: Boarding School, Mystery, Two Stories
This book is NOT suitable for all ages. Sex (not explicit), cussing, and drugs (not used directly).

Summary:
When Taylor Markham was eleven, her mother abandoned her at a Seven Eleven, hundreds of miles from home. Now, she is seventeen and the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, Jellicoe School.
The Townies, from the town (duh), The Cadets, city kids doing a six-week outdoor education program, and the Jellicoe School students have engaged in war in the Australian countryside, defending territorial borders, negotiating for assets, and even taking hostages.
Meanwhile, Taylor's confidant and only parental figure goes missing and someone from her past comes back. Taylor must find the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her (and her mysterious disappearance); the boy from her dreams, the five kids who lived here long ago, and Jonah Griggs.

Review:
Rating: A+
My mother once told me that there are three main types of books, and that they can be classified like meats. Hamburger, Sirloin steak, and then Fillet Mignon. Jellicoe Road is fillet Mignon.
About 3/4 through the book, I was going to give this book 4 or 4 ½ (because of the beginning). After finishing it, I knew that I couldn't give it that low of a score.
Jellicoe Road is a beautiful book, but I don't know how I am going to do this review. I cannot express it.
The first 100 pages are extremely slow. I didn't think I would be able to finish it. What took me a while figure out is that there are two interlocking stories. Once the stories start to relate, that's when the story takes off.
Jellicoe Road has some romance (just enough to be delectable). The characters are just amazingly created. The mystery is so good. I did guess some of it though, but a lot of it blew me away. The "war" was a big aspect of the story, but I am glad to say it was not the entire book. The book is not really a mystery either. It is a book about love, loss, death, and acceptance. There word I need to use to describe is: favorite.

In all, I can't recommend it to everyone. Some people just can't appreciate this because it does need a lot of patience to read it. I recommend reading it at least twice.

- Rogue

8th book review