Book Review - Saving Francesca - Melina Marchetta

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - Francesca has entered a supposedly co-ed high school in Sydney that hasn't quite learned how to offer a fair play to its female students. She experiences the awkwardness of a new social group and learns what real friendship means. All the while, her strong-willed, opinionated mother is battling acute depression, and all of Francesca's family suffers. This is a fantastic book about transformation, growth, family, friends, mental illness, and finding your own voice. I found myself caring about the characters...all of them...and interested in their lives and wanting the best for them.

This was written in 2003, so keeping that in mind, it was fun to see that the kids didn't seem to all have mobile phones yet, and one of the characters is always listening to his "discman".  

Highly recommend it...I'd give it an A-

I enjoyed it so much, I immediately followed up by reading The Piper's Son, where the author takes a look at the same social group five years later through another's eyes.  I'm enjoying that one even more.  I haven't finished it yet, but I'd guess I'd give it an A+.  

I read this book for two different challenges:

Check it out!

 

 

1. Not Without My Sister by Kristina Jones, Celeste Jones, and Juliana Buhring
2. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
3. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi
4. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom - READ 18 March 2015
5. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
7. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
8. Veronika Decides to Die by Paolo Coehlo - READ 5 February 2015
9. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - READ 11 April 2015
10. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
11.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
12.  I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Alternates:

1. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
2. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

I'm diving in to this challenge with the hopes of reaching "Kangaroo" status.  I'm really liking my list, so I'm happy to find yet another the challenge.

KANGAROO
– Read and review 12 titles written by Australian Authors of which at least 4 of those authors are female, at least 4 of those authors are male, and at least 4 of those authors are new to you;
– At least 6 fiction and at least 2 non-fiction, and at least 2 titles first published in 2014 or 2015.

Female authors:
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - Completed 11 April 2015
Frantic by Katherine Howell - Completed 06 April 2015
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (published 2014)
Girl, Defective by Simonne Howell

Male authors:
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion (published 2014)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan
A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley (non-fiction) - Completed 10 Feb 2015

Authors new to me:
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley - Completed 3 April 2015
Strange Places by Will Elliott (non-fiction) - Completed 2 April 2015
All That I Am by Anna Funder  - Completed 29 March 2015
Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher - Completed 11 March 2015