Friday, September 26, 2014

Review: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Saving Francesca
By Melina Marchetta
Publisher:
Alfred A. Knopf
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Francesca Spinelli wishes that she didn’t have to attend St. Sebastian’s, a former all-boys school where Francesca is completely without her friends from her old school. Life becomes even more tumultuous for Francesca when her mother falls into a severe depression and is unable to even get out of bed. It’s school that becomes Francesca’s unlikely haven, as friendships gradually develop between her and some of her St. Sebastian’s classmates.

Review: Add Saving Francesca to the ever-growing list of books I should have read much, much sooner. Melina Marchetta is only one of my favorite authors, and here I allowed one of her works to languish on my bookshelf for nigh on two years. How did that even happen?!

With every Melina Marchetta novel I read, the more awestruck I am by her writing. Contemporary can be a tough genre for me sometimes, but not with Marchetta’s books. I think it’s a combination of her realistic characters and expertly crafted storytelling. Marchetta’s dialogue is also razor sharp, both in terms of wit and sounding natural, not labored. There’s a magic to her prose that I just adore, and I can’t articulate my love for it any better than that.

How could I not love a book that references Colin Firth’s Mr. Darcy, Les Misérables the musical, and Macbeth? But I also loved Saving Francesca because it’s funny, sad, sweet, and resonant. My heart broke for Francesca as her outspoken mother, Mia, fell into a deep depression that left the rest of the family at a loss to help her. At the same time, my heart warmed to see Francesca find friendship among a group of individuals who, at the beginning of the book, you don’t quite picture ever hanging out together. There’s the Marchetta magic at work yet again: not only does she bring these characters together, but she does it effortlessly and makes you fall in love with them and their little quirks, too.

At a bit less than 250 pages, Saving Francesca is quick read, but that’s also because it’s such an engrossing one. Don’t let its size mislead you, either; there’s a substantial story, as well as substantial characters, packed into those pages. It’s not often that I find myself wholeheartedly recommending contemporary novels, but there’s so much to love about this one. Like . . . everything.

All in All: I savored every page of this book, and it still ended way too quickly!

6 comments:

  1. I love the book/story references that you mentioned and I can tell that this was well written and sounds very clever. You know we're book sisters, I too love intelligent fiction, I feel smarter after reading ones like this LOL

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    1. I do, too, lol. I think you'd also enjoy Marchetta's YA fantasy series, The Lumatere Chronicles (1st book is Finnikin of the Rock). It's the series that I push all of my bloggy buddies to read, after The Raven Boys. Marchetta's series is a trilogy, and it's so, so, so good.

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  2. I NEED TO READ MARCHETTA!! And despite contemporaries not being my genre, the praise hers get makes me want to read ALL HER BOOKS regardless of genre. I think I could really get into this one, I love that it's witty, emotional and the short page count sweetens the deal - sometimes you just need a quick read! Thanks for the lovely review Lee, glad you loved this one so much :D

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    1. All of the praise her contemporaries get is very, very well-deserved. I know how much you love fantasy like I do, and I'm also recommending her Lumatere Chronicles to you as well. That series will definitely give you all the feels, and then some!
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  3. I loved this one so much too! Contemporary can be iffy for me too, but this one is one of the best I've read I think. The characters really appealed to me. And I agree the references made are huge pluses! :D

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    1. I'm so glad to hear that you loved this, too! :D I also consider it one of the best contemporaries I've read. Francesca's narration was so engaging, and the character development was simply amazing.

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