And One Last Thing... (Marchetta Madness)

So... I know that I have gone overboard with the Melina Marchetta themed posts this week, so I'm going to be quick when talking about this last thing. 

One of the things I love the most about Melina's writing is kind of completely indirect: The fact that she introduced me to stuff being written in places other than the US.

English is my second language and I admit I learned to master it in great part because I wanted to read, and read contemporary stuff aimed toward my age group - well, the age my heart feels anyway - so I got my books of Amazon and called it good. But I didn't know a lot of authors and it took me forever to take a chance on a new author. 

Before reading Melina's books, I wasn't even aware of Australia as a source of novels. But since then I've learned that Australian authors are made of AWESOME. 

Basically This:

Helped me to get to this:

In a very indirect way, sure, and over a long time, but I got there. And I HIGHLY recommend these books. Good Oil made me ache, Starfish Sisters reminded me of the true awesome of female friendships, and Graffiti Moon has the spirit true contemporary-urban awesome sauce.

So there. 

I bid farewell to the Marchetta Madness week! 

Thanks to Chachic for putting it together and be sure to check ou the Guest Post from Melina herself, that wrapped up this event in Chachic's Book Nook!

Love, 

Alex.

Book Review: Ocean Pearl by J. C. Burke

At First Sight: It has been 5 months since surfing camp and Micki, Ace, Georgie and Kia are ready to become the Starfish Sisters once more, before Micki, Kia and Georgie leave for camp again, without Ace who didn't qualify for the try outs for the Junior Female Team. 

But that's easier said than done, as each of the girls struggle with their own problems. Kia is learning to deal with her self destructive tendencies; Micki is conflicted about leaving her drug addict dad by himself and moving in with Kia and her family; Ace is so stressed and depressed that her hair is falling out and she's freaking about losing her sponsorship; and Georgie is tired of keeping secrets. 

Then, Ace does something that puts the sisterhood in jeopardy, and things start to spiral out of control. And it only gets worse when Ace is called up to camp again, and the four friends are stuck together in the same cabin.

Second Glance: Ocean Pearl is the sequel to Starfish Sisters and in many ways I really liked getting the chance to hang out with these girls again, but I can't say I loved them so much this time around. 

Micki and her insecurities and her struggle to rise above bitterness; and Kia and her struggle with self harm, her fight to keep level headed and get herself to the next minute - I loved both of them. I got to see different aspects of them in this book and I loved them all the more for what I learned about them.

Ace and Georgie were a bit of the problem this time around. Ace is so wrapped up in her image and her hair and, as Micki would say "if your biggest problem is your hair then you got it good". But she's so self absorbed and immature, which is weird because she is the oldest; and she willfully disregards other people's boundaries and problems. Georgie, well, I liked her at the beginning and in general I don't have anything against her, but she did break one of the cardinal rules of girlhood, and as a girl that's not something I can easily overlook.

Which brings us to Jules, Ace's boyfriend. I also can't make up my mind about him. I'm not sure if he's a player or a good guy who didn't handle things right. Much as Ace was a douche, and much as I saw Jules point, I'm still a bit iffy about what happens and how he handles things with Ace and Georgie.

Though, in the end, the girls pull it together, I wanted to smack them in the head more than once. 

Bottom Line: Ocean Pearl wasn't my favorite, and in some ways I wish J.C. Burke would have stopped at Starfish Sisters; but there is another part of me that it's glad to be with these girls again. And I do appreciate the fact that this book shows how saying you're friends is easy, but that being friends is not.

Still recommend this book a lot, but Starfish Sisters is first in my heart.

2/3

Book Review: Starfish Sisters by J. C. Burke

At First Sight: Three weeks at surfing camp are about the change the lives of four very different girls. 

First there is Georgie, a natural surfer who's starting to feel the pressure of being great at something. Georgie's best friend Kia most of the time hears only the bad and lets it get to her. Micki is another natural talent who can't wait to see if she's good enough to break away from the things that are tying her down. And lastly, there is Ace, the girl who seems to have everything together but really doesn't.

They get stuck together in the Starfish Cabin and form an uneasy bond as they get to know each other and start to show the cracks in the lives, the ones that let you see what's really going on inside. 

As the days go by, they start to connect and let the preconceptions of each other fall away, they laugh and they bicker and are there for each other and fight like sisters do, because that's what the become, in the end.

Second Glance: I loved Starfish Sisters. There is some seriously real heart and soul to this story because for me Georgie, Ace, Micki and Kia felt so real from the moment I started to read their story. What's more, I felt like I had been each one of the girls at one point or another and it felt so powerful to me. 

The story is told by the four girls in alternating chapters - going from Georgie to Kia to Micki to Ace, over and over - and I think that was genius as I really got to know each of them and I could see how everything intertwined. I loved Georgie and Micki right off the bat, but Ace and Kia took a little more warming to. 

Also, I loved how the camp - those three weeks- became such a pivotal moment in these four girls' lives. The camp wasn't the catalyst, they didn't get there and everything changed, it was more of a meeting point where the four of them collided in such a way that made all the problems they were carrying around come to head at that particular time, both because of each other and because it just was time - J.C. Burke did a great job of summarizing what had taken the girls to where they were at the beginning of camp in just the first chapter (or two) that each of the girls narrated.

Another thing I love, is that I so got the story even though I know nothing about surfing - other than what I've picked up watching Blue Crush and Baywatch - because it was written in such a way that it could have been any sport or competitive situation, though I admit I loved the descriptions of the waves and the sea and surf, even if half the time I had no clue what the surf moves were.

Bottom Line: Starfish Sisters is a book that left me aching but happy, it's another of those books that linger and I can't wait to read the sequel, Ocean Pearl. Can't recommend it enough, and it's definitely going into my favorite reads of the year list.

Favorite Quote: "I loved the ocean. I loved how every day it was different. And in a strange way, I loved the fact you couldn't control it, that made it seem like real magic." - Georgie