Retro Friday (1) - Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

I just saw this meme in Sandy's Blog (Pirate Penguin's Reads) and I loved the idea of it, so I decided to join. 

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time!

Isn't the cover super cute?

For my first book I chose Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta, which I re-read recently, and even though I already reviewed it (you can read it HERE), I decided to write a new mini-review of it.

At First Sight: There are many things that are currently making Francesca Spinelli's life difficult. She's attending St. Sebastian's - an all boys school that just opened it's doors to girls - instead of the same school as her old friends; she's hanging out with the Psycho Girls (Dorky Justine, Slutty Shioban and Ultra-Feminist Tara), and even with them she isn't sure she fits in; the very boys of St. Sebastian (the surprisingly insightful Tom and Jimmy, and Will Trombal); and the fact that her Mom, the driving force of her family, currently can't get out of bed and is depressed out of her mind. 

In a year when nothing makes much sense, Francesca might just have to find the strength to save herself. 

Second Glance: Saving Francesca is such an awesome book, with characters that feel so real that you ache for them and cheer for them and just plain love. And I did love all of them. Also, I had forgotten just how funny this book is, I was surprised at how many times I snorted and giggled. I cried a bit too, but they were good cries. 

Bottom Line: This book is one of those that you simply cannot miss. It's like a rite of passage to read it, I swear. One of my all-time favorite reads.

Favorite Quote:  "It's a weird smile, but it reaches his eyes and I bottle it. And I put it in my ammo pack that's kept right next to my soul. The one that holds Mia's scent and Justine's spirit and Siobhan's hope and Tara's passions. Because if I'm going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed, I'm going to need everything I've got to fight this bastard of a disease that could be sleeping inside of me."  - Francesca.