Two years after his favorite uncle was blown to bits in a London Tube station, Tom has hit rock bottom. He’s quit school and turned his back on his music and everyone that once mattered to him, including the girl he can’t forget. Living with his single, pregnant aunt, working at the Union pub with his former friends, and reckoning with his grieving, alcoholic father, Tom’s in no shape to mend what’s broken. But what if no one else is, either?
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"Loved this glimpse into the Finch Mackee family trying to knit themselves back together. I'm still in awe of Marchetta's ability to show us her characters, warts and all, and let us reach our own conclusions about them. Of course, now I'd like to know more about Jimmy Hailler as well." — sabriel (5 out of 5 stars)
"Loved this glimpse into the Finch Mackee family trying to knit themselves back together. I'm still in awe of Marchetta's ability to show us her characters, warts and all, and let us reach our own conclusions about them. Of course, now I'd like to know more about Jimmy Hailler as well."
“Powerful and tragic, revealing a wonderful and realistically flawed family working hard to fix its deep damage.”
“A memorable portrait of first love, surviving grief, and the messy contradictions and fierce bonds that hold friends and family together.”
“Marchetta’s handle on family stories is masterful, and she brilliantly navigates the rough terrain of grief and healing…Highly recommended.”
“The family dynamics are realistic, and the sincerity of the ache and joy of the characters as they come together will draw older teens to them rather than just the fictional plot.”
" would have given it a 3 since it took so long to read and books go fast for me but the ending was just so darn cute "
" I was disappointed. I loved Saving Francesca. I wanted to love this one just as much. "
" Don't bother with this one. :) "
" Probably a 4.8! I really liked this one! "
" Okay I attempted to read this twice and on the second time it took me almost a month! I've read lots of other novels by Melina Marchetta and loved Saving Francesa but it was so long ago that I didn't notice the connection until I read about Francesca herself (the name got me) but I couldn't remember anything else about the story. I couldn't tell half the time what was going on and it felt like I'd stared reading somewhere in the middle. "
" One of those books that makes you sad when you realize it ended. I want more Tom, more Tara, more, more, more! "
" Marchetta just seems to top herself every time with a work of art... such a great book!!! I cant even describe in words how much I love this book "
" Too many feelings!!! This is a placeholder for now, I will update this when I figured out my emotions. "
" My least favorite Marchetta book so far -- which is good company to be least in, anyway, but still somewhat disappointing. "
" This is the first Marchetta novel that I wasn't gaga over. "
" This was such a great story, I spent most of it crying. I loved that it followed on from Saving Francesca. "
" Melina Marchetta is such an amazingly consistent writer. I don't know how she does it but she just makes you feel everything. Everytime I read one of her novels, I find myself wishing I could write like her. "
" it's ok nothing like saving francsca "
" Maybe if I had stuck with it longer it would have gotten better, but this thing was just SATURATED with teenage angst. Having made it through the teenage years relatively unscathed, I just could not relate to all the anger. "
" The story of a young man in a tangled life, at first too deep in it to face detangling, but life and friends keep insisting. Great characters, highly realistic, tough, and yet charming. "
" My heart hurts, and I can't tell if I'm crying because I'm happy or sad or both. Review pending! "
" Depressing, yet hopeful. So much like real life. Melina Marchetta books always seem to make it onto my favorites, and with damn good reason. "
" + a million more stars. I love this book A THOUSAND TIMES YES! "
" I can see why the Australian audience for YA books includes real young adults. This a book for them, and it is heart-wrenching and emotional. Definitely is one of those "boys have feeling, too' kind of books. I might have liked it better had I been in a different mood. "
" Shortlisted 2011 CBC awards. Read in 2010. Linked through the characters to Saving Francesca, but not really a sequel as it can easily be read independently. "
" By the end, I was in love with this book. It was a slow build for me, but eventually you get to know the characters so well and their transformation is so believable and wonderful that you don't want to let them go. "
" That 3 star isnt accurate. I'm not sure what I thought of this. It was jumpy but it had some good parts where you are pulled in. Don't know if the language was confusing or what but I mostly felt like I was on the outside looking in. "
Melina Marchetta is the acclaimed and multi-award–winning author of several books, including Finnikin of the Rock, an Aurealis Award winner; Jellicoe Road, a Michael L. Printz Award winner; Saving Francesca; and Looking for Alibrandi. Her novels have been published in seventeen languages and eighteen countries.
Michael Finney is a voice artist and audiobook narrator.
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