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Text type: Novel/ audiobook Name: Saving Francesca Author: Melina Marchetta I found this book incredibly enjoyable because I found Francesca to be the most relatable character that I have ever encountered. Her relationship with her mother is so similar to mine; the fights she describes, rich with yelling and empty threats, loving and hating the other at the same time. The way she views her life is so similar to me and this made me feel almost comforted, like I had an identical twin and that I am not alone in my struggles. It is a very rare and precious thing; when you find a character that could have been based on you, I have read and listened to this book probably 30 times in the last two years, comparing and contrasting the way she deals with the situations in contrast to how I deal with the same things in my life. This book has helped me through many hard times with it’s magically worded sentences, both so hilarious they make you cry with laughter and so hard hitting that it made me cry again with sadness and empathy. A perfect oxymoron. This book, more than any other, captures so vividly what it’s like to be a 16 year old teenager. The author uses many techniques to bring this experience to her audiences. The one I most enjoyed occurred at the end of most chapters. Francesca continuously passionately proclaims what she wants to be when she grows up, whether it be a teacher ;after she has experiences her teacher, Ms Quinn’s kind, caring side; or a policewoman, after the police brought her back home. She gets inspired and wants to be whatever she has been influenced with in her life so easily.The last sentence in the book reads ‘“When I grow up, I want to be my mother”. This is so beautiful and true and it also applies to me, after she has battled with her mother her whole life, when her mother suddenly isn’t around she realises how much she looks up to her and how much she wants to be like her. This is so like a typical teanager, heavily influenced by anythng they exoerience or see, defying their parents, though at the end of it all I always realise that “when I grow up, I want to be my mother’. Because Francesca is so like me in many ways, she also inspired me to grow to be more like her, to have more confidence, and to confront people. If Francesca ever has a disagreement with someone, or there is an elephant in the room which remains invisible, she will confront the other individual head on. This was quite inspirational to me, showing me how much easier life can be if you make it more apparent what you want and the things you don’t like. This is such an important lesson that this book taught me, when something was done to Francesca that just really wasn’t okay, she would shout about it, make a fuss, and her life was so much better for it. Similarly if she wants something with all her heart she will not be afraid to tell people, to try and get it, as I think i sometimes am. This was really inspirational and a good ‘happy life formulae”. This once in a lifetime book has both consoled me, made me laugh, taught me things and inspired me, though my favourite quote of the many memorable ones from Francesca remains “Comfort

zones are overrated. They make you lazy.”

― Melina Marchetta, Saving Francesca...