eBook Review: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

         Title: Saving Francesca
         Author: Melina Marchetta
         Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
         Edition: II/eBook English Version
         Published: May 2006
         Page: 243
         ISBN: 9780375829833
         Genre: Teenage Life, Fiction, Family, Romance

Synopsis: Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastian's boys' school that pretends it's coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas, who specializes in musical burping, to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can't seem to stop thinking about.
Then there's Francesca's mother, who always thinks she knows what's best for Francesca-until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling of who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life, and-hardest of all-herself.

***

Francesca Spinelli was a girl who was forcefully sent into a boys' school by her parents, especially her mother. It was hard for her to suit herself with boys' school environment. She was rather go to St. Pius, where most of her friends from St. Stella School were going to. Under this condition, she tried to make friends with other female students at St. Sebastian. Even they made a group of female students to obtain their rights as female students inside boys' school.

Her struggle was not only about school life, but also about her family. Everything seemed to be fine until one day, something strange happened to her mother. No one ever told her what was going on about her mother and why she hardly spoke and got out from her bed. As a teenager, it was very hard for Francesca to live a life like that.

Her teenage blood kept insisting her to become rebel towards her family. She began questioning her father the way he face her mother's depression and the way he kept his family undamaged. Day by day, everything seemed to be getting worse. No solution and no escape. Moreover, everything happening at school is also similar to what happened at home.

Francesca was lost. She was trying to find herself back. By help of friends, her teachers, and her crush, she was trying to cope everything. Despite of trying to find herself back without hurting others, Francesca also had to bring back her mother's spirit and life. Their bond was tested. They must help each other to survive the days. Besides, they should keep their faith in people around them.

~o~

Saving Francesca is the second book written by Melina Marchetta. This book contains a story based on a fictional character's daily basis. It is like a diary thus the story seems to be real.

The main characters found in this book are Francesca Spinelli, Mia Spinelli (Francesca's Mother), Robert Spinelli (Francesca's Father), and some St. Sebastian's Boys' School students. Francesca Spinelli is described as a girl, a rebel one, who is seeking for herself as a teenager. She has stubborn yet full of sympathy personality. She has few best friends and some fake ones. She is not famous. Some of her old friends even make fun of her and they way her mother controls her.

The setting of the story is somewhere in Australia, especially in Sidney. Meanwhile, the setting of time is around modern days, perhaps early 2000s.

The main conflicts arising in this book are about intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts. The intra-personal ones are about how Francesca deals with herself, seek for herself, and how she puts faith in herself alone. Otherwise, the interpersonal conflicts are typical teenager conflicts with parents, friends, teachers, and surroundings. Moreover, Francesca also has conflicts about the way she restores her faith in her family to save herself, her mother, and her family.

The plot used in this story is basically easy to follow. However, somehow I got lost in some parts because I found lack connection of one paragraph to another. Just pardon me, perhaps I have lack concentration. Aside from that, there is something I miss from this book. It is the climax of the story. I think the whole story is somehow flat.

After finishing the book, I can say that Saving Francesca is not really my cup of tea. I don't really get the point of the story. However, some people may say that this book is awesome and it gets well seasoned with feminism. I am quite feminist my self, but still, this book is not really my cup of tea. Despite my shallow understanding (sorry), I found there are some interesting parts in this book. I love the way the author create the conflicts and the characters. 

My rating: 2 out of 5 crowns

~Happy Reading~

xoxo