When I first started to read this weeks Second Chance Sunday book I almost gave up. I had no idea what the make of the story and I was already 50 pages in. But at the urging from a friend I continued on and learned to get used to being lost when reading a Marchetta book and was pleasantly surprised to find just how much I loved this book and the characters involved. Without further ado I give you today’s Second Chance Sunday, Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta.
Title: Saving Francesca [Amazon]
Author: Melina Marchetta [website]
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary
Source/Type: Borrowed/ Hardcover
Stars: 5 out of 5
Publisher’s Description:
Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian’s, a boys’ school that pretends it’s coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas, who specializes in musical burping, to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can’t seem to stop thinking about.
Then there’s Francesca’s mother, who always thinks she knows what’s best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling of who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, hersocial life and—hardest of all—herself.
My Thoughts:
In all honesty I was about 50 pages into this book and I was hating it. I kept asking myself why there was so much hype for this writer and this story. And then Francesca, Will, Justine, Siobhan, Tara, Jimmy and Thomas got their acts together and I fell in love. I seriously love the way the friendships and relationships were developed as the book went one. I loved it so much in fact I ended up reading the whole book in one day.
Melina Marchetta truly has a gift with words. She had me feeling every single thing Frankie was feeling. From her confusion to her heartache to her loneliness to her eventual acceptance. I laughed and a cried and I enjoyed the journey wholeheartedly. I loved that each character had their own personality and their own flaws but they all worked as a whole together. Without Thomas Justine wouldn’t make sense, and without Justine Will wouldn’t work, and so on. They all needed each other because they were all a part of one another. Truly inspiring.
You have made a believer in me Ms. Marchetta of the power of you words and the way you tell a story and i apologize for thinking anything else when i began this story. I mean with lines like: “Oh God, Frankie, I breathe in rhythm with that man. You think that’s not my flesh and blood after all these years?” and “I notice when you’re not. Does that count?” how can you go wrong! Brava
This is probably my favorite Marchetta book. Though the companion The Piper’s Son is also delightful.