tiffyofthemonts's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars because it wasn't the perfection that is On the Jellicoe Road but goddamn I love Melina Marchetta endlessly. She has a way of building out complex relationships and creating a sense of eternity, and she makes me believe that friendship can last for a lifetime.
michromeu's review against another edition
5.0
What I love about Melina Marchetta's books, is that no matter what they're about - high school, friendships, music, depression, birth, death, romance, kingdoms, curses, you name it - they're all really about family. Blood family, found family, friends that become family. Families that fall together, apart, then back together again. Families that are full of joy and families that will always be a little bit broken. But more so than ever, families who show up, who are there for each other when it really counts.
blakehalsey's review against another edition
5.0
Oh Melina Marchetta. Can you pen anything but sheer emotional brilliance? Probably not. Painfully sharp characterization, familial complexities, wit, romance, new life, death. I really liked the two perspectives of Thomas and his aunt Georgie. Usually a YA author, this book sort of crossed into new adult and adult, which I really enjoyed. Georgie was probably my favorite and I connected with her in the way she dealt with her grief. And Thomas...well. There's just something about a bad boy who's really just hurting big time and ends up in the exact place you hoped he'd be.
kikkrareads's review against another edition
5.0
The gang from "Saving Francesca" are back, but this time the spotlight is on Thomas Mackee. This book can easily work as a stand-alone but I adore that we can go back and revisit some beloved characters from a favourite book of mine.
It's been a few years since the last book, and Thomas Mackee has no idea where his life is going. His family is drowning in loss and grief. They are disconnected and he feels hopeless. Tom isn't the same person he was back in high school, and while he wants nothing to do with those friends from his past, they just seem to keep popping up.
The Piper's Son is a magnificent story. I adore how Marchetta is able to really get into the nitty gritty of a character. The way she communicates loss, mental health, love and the power of relationships is incredible. I have so much respect for her and her writing, it is no wonder that as a teenager she was a favourite author of mine and yet still, to this day, she is still a favourite of mine.
The Piper's Son is an incredible tale, this is a story I would recommend over and over again!
It's been a few years since the last book, and Thomas Mackee has no idea where his life is going. His family is drowning in loss and grief. They are disconnected and he feels hopeless. Tom isn't the same person he was back in high school, and while he wants nothing to do with those friends from his past, they just seem to keep popping up.
The Piper's Son is a magnificent story. I adore how Marchetta is able to really get into the nitty gritty of a character. The way she communicates loss, mental health, love and the power of relationships is incredible. I have so much respect for her and her writing, it is no wonder that as a teenager she was a favourite author of mine and yet still, to this day, she is still a favourite of mine.
The Piper's Son is an incredible tale, this is a story I would recommend over and over again!
alyskarstark's review against another edition
4.5
Man, if I thought Saving Francesca was a tear-jerker. Truly, I sobbed. But it was so good! The way Melina Marchetta writes relationships is just *chef's kiss* beautiful.
lexieb's review against another edition
5.0
this took forever to read--partially due to the book itself, partially due to my ridiculous life--but it was so, so worth it.
lianamathias's review against another edition
3.0
3.75. I loved Tom and his family. Didn’t realize this was a follow up to another book though so I felt like I was missing something.
ruthlessly's review against another edition
5.0
I will be forcing this book on everyone so, in the immortal words of Scar, be prepared.
freesien's review against another edition
5.0
Update August 2019:
I love reading this book. It always makes me feel so good.
(Also, as I read my original review I realized I somehow totally forgot that I was craving a book about Jimmy Hailler and now here we are! It's finally here and I am ready to read it.)
Original review:
Seriously, how does Melina Marchetta do that? Every time I read a book of hers, it becomes my new favourite. I have loved Saving Francesca, I fell in love with all of the characters and I was very curious and excited to read Tom's story. And hell, it did not disappoint at all. To be honest: I love The Piper's Son even more than Saving Francesca.
This book is full of raw and honest emotion. It can get very sad and gutting and it pains you while reading. But the pain is truly worth it. This book, this story is beautiful and is also told very beautifully. Like always, Marchetta's writing is great. Especially her dialogues, they can be funny and sassy as hell, I've laughed out loud several times.
We met Tom in Saving Francesca; I liked him. While reading TPS I came to love him. He's a dick at times. He deliberately says hurtful things to people and it's not okay or nice. But you also experience the pain and him feeling lost, his many layers and his change. I got teary-eyed near the end. It was AWESOME!
There is also the story of Tom's aunt Georgie told who is experiencing her first pregnancy and who has her own set of problems. At first, I was surprised to see that the book is also told from Georgie's view as it didn't seem to be right in a YA book but soon after it became clear that it absolutely fit. The relationship between Georgie and Sam is portrayed very realistically and honestly, it's truly great.
This novel takes place five years after SF and it was so good to see what all the characters have been up to. I've really missed them, even though I've read SF just a month ago. What am I going to do now?! I need another book. One about Jimmy Hailler, I'm curious to see what he's been up to after reading TPS.
I love reading this book. It always makes me feel so good.
(Also, as I read my original review I realized I somehow totally forgot that I was craving a book about Jimmy Hailler and now here we are! It's finally here and I am ready to read it.)
Original review:
Seriously, how does Melina Marchetta do that? Every time I read a book of hers, it becomes my new favourite. I have loved Saving Francesca, I fell in love with all of the characters and I was very curious and excited to read Tom's story. And hell, it did not disappoint at all. To be honest: I love The Piper's Son even more than Saving Francesca.
This book is full of raw and honest emotion. It can get very sad and gutting and it pains you while reading. But the pain is truly worth it. This book, this story is beautiful and is also told very beautifully. Like always, Marchetta's writing is great. Especially her dialogues, they can be funny and sassy as hell, I've laughed out loud several times.
We met Tom in Saving Francesca; I liked him. While reading TPS I came to love him. He's a dick at times. He deliberately says hurtful things to people and it's not okay or nice. But you also experience the pain and him feeling lost, his many layers and his change. I got teary-eyed near the end. It was AWESOME!
There is also the story of Tom's aunt Georgie told who is experiencing her first pregnancy and who has her own set of problems. At first, I was surprised to see that the book is also told from Georgie's view as it didn't seem to be right in a YA book but soon after it became clear that it absolutely fit. The relationship between Georgie and Sam is portrayed very realistically and honestly, it's truly great.
This novel takes place five years after SF and it was so good to see what all the characters have been up to. I've really missed them, even though I've read SF just a month ago. What am I going to do now?! I need another book. One about Jimmy Hailler, I'm curious to see what he's been up to after reading TPS.
kricketa's review against another edition
5.0
a gift for marchetta's fans in which she revisits the character thomas mackee (not really the most likable character from 'saving francesca') several years later, when he's dropped out of university. truly, at the beginning of 'the piper's son' tom is not that likable either. his whole family is mourning the loss of his uncle joe, who died in a bombing incident in london. the book switches from his story to his aunt georgia's, who is having a baby with the man who broke her heart.
this is just the loveliest story of family and healing. it's a tearjerker, but not sappy, and genuinely funny at times. i love all the stories the characters tell each other, recalling silly things that happened in the past, and they're so ridiculous yet believable i have to wonder if they happened to marchetta herself.
this is a must-read for fans of "saving francesca." the writing and content are probably best suited to older teens or college students.
this is just the loveliest story of family and healing. it's a tearjerker, but not sappy, and genuinely funny at times. i love all the stories the characters tell each other, recalling silly things that happened in the past, and they're so ridiculous yet believable i have to wonder if they happened to marchetta herself.
this is a must-read for fans of "saving francesca." the writing and content are probably best suited to older teens or college students.