5 Stars! (Young Adult)
Amazing! Wonderful! heartbreaking, heartwarming another superb read by Melina Marchetta.
There was something so thoughtful and provoking about this read. I felt all the same emotions I felt while reading Sving Francesca, but there was something infinitlley more compelling and heartwrenching about the pain and grief Thomas Mackee was facing through out The Piper's Son
This story was more than just a story about Thomas, however, the book is told from two perspectives, Thomas's, 5 years after the ending of Savign Francesca and his aunt Georgie's, 41 and pregant for the first time by the man she's loved for years but can't reconcile with after he broke her heart. Thsi story is full of emotion and it had me turning the pages eager for more of Marchett'as beautifully poetic narrative.
Thomas is shattered at the beginning of this story, He's hit rock bottom after losing his beloved uncle, seeing his father fall deeply into alcoholism and watching the reminents of his broken family fall slowly apart. He's looking for oblivion and has found a certain numbness he hoped would be comforting. Instead, Tom has only suceeded in alienating everyone he cared about including the friends readers and Tom alike came to love dearly in the previous book. One of Tom's biggest regrets, however, is his broken relaitonship with the eternaly frustraing, guttsy, uber-feminist - "psycho Tara Finke". She is quite frankly the perfect companion to Tom's sad, despondent and often darkly introspective nature. Tara brings the light into Tom's life not matter her sometimes harsh words and huge ideals. They fit together perfectly and my heart ached for both of them and the pain they've each suffered over the two years they've spent apart. They met a bitter end after only one and a half days of a perfect beginning and Tom is struggling to get Tara back in his life. It's a long and arduous process, but these two are meant to be it seems.
I fell for Tom. His witt, his sorrow, his confusion at life and all the ache in it. I wanted to give him a big hug and at the same time wanted to be like Tara who was desperate to shake some sense into him. Despite his outward attitude and the fact that he's pretty brutal in the first few chapters, Tom is a sweet guy beneath it all. He wants love. He wants to give love, get love and make people in his life happy. That's Tom's hope and gift and he excells at it by the end. His friendships with Francesca and Justine were beautifully written and I loved that Marchetta continued their heartfelt and sincere love for one another evident in the first book, into her second companion novel. These friends are the forever kind and it was again, such a treat to watch them re-connect with one another.
Georgie's story is equally compelling. At times I found her a little too unforgiving seeing as how he heartbreak with Sam had happened years previous to the events she was facing in the book and since then, it would appear Georgie and Sam continued to have a sexual relationship - albeit a very complicated one. You can tell that Sam screwed up, but it was the type of screw up reminicent of Ross and Rachel's "We were on a break" fiasco. Woman calls a time out, man stupidly drowns his sorrows in another bed, woman decides she wants man back and then finds out man strayed and is Pissed - with a capital P. These two have some bitter history to deal with and it is only made that much more conplicated by Georgie's pregnancy and he fact that like Tom she has been greatly affected by her beloved brother's death. She isn't one to let her emotions out easily and keeps a tight reign on her love and desire for Sam as a result. It was very interesting and heart wreching to see these two come to terms with one another. It's the sign of an amazing writter when you can love a character, be annoyed by them and then wish them the best. Georgie was one of these characters for me and she seemed so real through out the entire novel. Her emotions, fears and sorrows were all perfectly executed and represented.
Overall this was another beautiful story by Melina Marchetta who has proven twice now that her talent lies in creating deep and thought provoking stories about families dealing with grief, hurt, betrayal and all the pretty F*ck ups we humans tend to make in life.
A total winner. And in the words of Miss Tara Finke and Jane Bennet -"Yes, Yes, A Thousand Times Yes!"
There was something so thoughtful and provoking about this read. I felt all the same emotions I felt while reading Sving Francesca, but there was something infinitlley more compelling and heartwrenching about the pain and grief Thomas Mackee was facing through out The Piper's Son
This story was more than just a story about Thomas, however, the book is told from two perspectives, Thomas's, 5 years after the ending of Savign Francesca and his aunt Georgie's, 41 and pregant for the first time by the man she's loved for years but can't reconcile with after he broke her heart. Thsi story is full of emotion and it had me turning the pages eager for more of Marchett'as beautifully poetic narrative.
Thomas is shattered at the beginning of this story, He's hit rock bottom after losing his beloved uncle, seeing his father fall deeply into alcoholism and watching the reminents of his broken family fall slowly apart. He's looking for oblivion and has found a certain numbness he hoped would be comforting. Instead, Tom has only suceeded in alienating everyone he cared about including the friends readers and Tom alike came to love dearly in the previous book. One of Tom's biggest regrets, however, is his broken relaitonship with the eternaly frustraing, guttsy, uber-feminist - "psycho Tara Finke". She is quite frankly the perfect companion to Tom's sad, despondent and often darkly introspective nature. Tara brings the light into Tom's life not matter her sometimes harsh words and huge ideals. They fit together perfectly and my heart ached for both of them and the pain they've each suffered over the two years they've spent apart. They met a bitter end after only one and a half days of a perfect beginning and Tom is struggling to get Tara back in his life. It's a long and arduous process, but these two are meant to be it seems.
I fell for Tom. His witt, his sorrow, his confusion at life and all the ache in it. I wanted to give him a big hug and at the same time wanted to be like Tara who was desperate to shake some sense into him. Despite his outward attitude and the fact that he's pretty brutal in the first few chapters, Tom is a sweet guy beneath it all. He wants love. He wants to give love, get love and make people in his life happy. That's Tom's hope and gift and he excells at it by the end. His friendships with Francesca and Justine were beautifully written and I loved that Marchetta continued their heartfelt and sincere love for one another evident in the first book, into her second companion novel. These friends are the forever kind and it was again, such a treat to watch them re-connect with one another.
Georgie's story is equally compelling. At times I found her a little too unforgiving seeing as how he heartbreak with Sam had happened years previous to the events she was facing in the book and since then, it would appear Georgie and Sam continued to have a sexual relationship - albeit a very complicated one. You can tell that Sam screwed up, but it was the type of screw up reminicent of Ross and Rachel's "We were on a break" fiasco. Woman calls a time out, man stupidly drowns his sorrows in another bed, woman decides she wants man back and then finds out man strayed and is Pissed - with a capital P. These two have some bitter history to deal with and it is only made that much more conplicated by Georgie's pregnancy and he fact that like Tom she has been greatly affected by her beloved brother's death. She isn't one to let her emotions out easily and keeps a tight reign on her love and desire for Sam as a result. It was very interesting and heart wreching to see these two come to terms with one another. It's the sign of an amazing writter when you can love a character, be annoyed by them and then wish them the best. Georgie was one of these characters for me and she seemed so real through out the entire novel. Her emotions, fears and sorrows were all perfectly executed and represented.
Overall this was another beautiful story by Melina Marchetta who has proven twice now that her talent lies in creating deep and thought provoking stories about families dealing with grief, hurt, betrayal and all the pretty F*ck ups we humans tend to make in life.
A total winner. And in the words of Miss Tara Finke and Jane Bennet -"Yes, Yes, A Thousand Times Yes!"
Great review! I've been debating reading this book for a while now, but I think I am going to read it! Thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteKristina