Saving Francesca Audiobook By Melina Marchetta cover art

Saving Francesca

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Saving Francesca

By: Melina Marchetta
Narrated by: Rebecca Macauley
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Francesca is at the beginning of her second term in Year 11 at an all boy's school that has just started accepting girls. She still misses her old friends, and, to make things worse, her mother has had a breakdown and can barely move from her bed.

But Francesca had not counted on the fierce loyalty of her new friends, or falling in love, or finding that it's within her power to bring her family back together.

©2003 Melina Marchetta (P)2003 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd. Coming of Age Depression Depression & Mental Health Difficult Situations Family Family & Relationships Literature & Fiction Peer Pressure Romance

Editorial reviews

Teenage Francesca is having a tough time at her new high school, which has only recently started accepting girls, and things only get worse when her normally high-spirited mother has a depressive breakdown. Performer Rebecca Macauley does an excellent job capturing Francesca's struggles with just the right mix of plaintiveness and sass, and acclaimed Australian author Rebecca Macauley resists the temptation to tie everything up in a perfect bow. This is a well-written and immersive tale that provides a thoughtful meditation on themes of belonging, family, and identity.

Critic reviews

"A rich exploration of maturation, identity, family, and friendship." (The Bulletin)

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Where does Saving Francesca rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorites. Great narrator, and a story that I thought I would like, but ended up loving.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really liked a lot of the secondary characters. Tara, Justine, Jimmy, Tom.

Great listen!

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Any additional comments?

The emotional and authentic story of a teen girl dealing with her mother's depression - and her own issues - with lovely narration by Macauley.

Perfect

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I've probably listened to this book once a year every year for the last 15 years.

An obsessive favorite

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Loved it! couldn't put it down. really relatible characters. I adored Francesca and her group of friends.

Saving Francesca

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The only book that competes with this one is its sequel, The Piper's Son. A true masterpiece, as with all Marchetta's works.

An all-time favorite story, writer, and narrator.

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I've been meaning to read this book since I read one of my all-time favorites by this author, Jellicoe Road, 5+ years ago. This was somewhat lighter than JR, but it was realistic YA/family fiction at it's best. The parents aren't caricatures and the teens aren't written as too mature or craftier than their elders. There was a bit of romance, but the story focused more on a family dealing with the depression of a parent through the eyes of the teen daughter and her blossoming friendships that helped carry the story to its optimistic ending.

The audio presentation was fabulous, as well.

4.5 Stars!

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