hummingbird77's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
michromeu's review against another edition
4.0
True story: I asked an Australian friend if HER friend could buy me this book and bring it to Hawaii since it's not yet published in the U.S....and she DID. Anyways - my favorite Aussies!!! I think what I love most about this series of novels is how fluidly she moves from YA to New Adult with the same characters you already know and love. Everything about them seems so natural and obvious - like OF COURSE this would be happening, OF COURSE they would be this way. I feel like these characters keep living their lives outside of these pages, and any new characters that are introduced feel like they were always there. I really loved the conclusion to the story of this unlikely found family. <3
alyskarstark's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure if I cried over this one? At least, I definitely didn't as much. This one was a bit harder because I sometimes found Rosie a bit too unlikable; but as she grew on me, so did this book.
trisairatops's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Damn. Melina. Gets. Me. EVERY. TIME!
freesien's review against another edition
5.0
Melina Marchetta has done it again. Her book has blown me away by its sheer awesomeness. Marchetta is just a fantastic writer, I couldn't put this book down. Her dialogues especially are insanely good.
This time around Jimmy Hailler is one of the protagonists, along with Rosie and Martha. The book revolves around how tricky it can be to build a family if you've never really had one, how to deal with seemingly evil stepmothers and a beautiful house on Dalhousie.
It also felt so good to be reconnected again with this fantastic group of friends and to read about what they've been up to since The Piper's Son. The love they have for each other just heals my soul. I never want to stop reding about them. There definitely need to be books about Justine and Siobhan, that would be just fair.
This time around Jimmy Hailler is one of the protagonists, along with Rosie and Martha. The book revolves around how tricky it can be to build a family if you've never really had one, how to deal with seemingly evil stepmothers and a beautiful house on Dalhousie.
It also felt so good to be reconnected again with this fantastic group of friends and to read about what they've been up to since The Piper's Son. The love they have for each other just heals my soul. I never want to stop reding about them. There definitely need to be books about Justine and Siobhan, that would be just fair.
kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
Nice to visit with characters from Saving Francesca and The Piper's Son, all "grown up."
sammy234's review against another edition
5.0
I don't often read sweet, family oriented novels, but Melina Marchetta is an exception. This book may not be on my favorites list, but I'm still a gooey emotional mess after finishing it, so it gets five stars from me. Why I put this book off for so long, I don't know.
I do recommend reading Saving Francesca before you read The Place on Dalhousie, just so you can see where one of the most beautiful friend groups of all time began their story when they were just teenagers. Then I recommend reading The Piper's Son. After that, you'll appreciate this novel so much more.
I'm a little embarrassed I enjoy Melina's wholesome stories so much. They are so not my thing. But she's a brilliant writer, and she takes me out of my comfort zone.
I do recommend reading Saving Francesca before you read The Place on Dalhousie, just so you can see where one of the most beautiful friend groups of all time began their story when they were just teenagers. Then I recommend reading The Piper's Son. After that, you'll appreciate this novel so much more.
I'm a little embarrassed I enjoy Melina's wholesome stories so much. They are so not my thing. But she's a brilliant writer, and she takes me out of my comfort zone.
starness's review against another edition
3.0
A light easy read that wasn’t too demanding. Growing up in and around inner Western Sydney as a child I was instantly familiar with the workings of being part of a tight knit community, there were always lots of surrogate Nonnas and Yiayias around to make up for the lack of real family here in Australia and it was easy to relate to so much in this book as many of the places and locations mentioned are places I’ve hung around, I even have family that live a street away from the street mentioned in this book! It really added a realistic aspect. The writing was simple probably geared a little more to a younger audience but there is something for everyone as Melina Marchetta’s writing is very accessible, the only problem I encountered was that there were quite a few characters to keep track of. But ultimately this book is about friendship and community so it was a necessary part of the story.