316; do something that scares you every day
Saving Francesca
My Dream Cast
Emmanuelle Chriqui as Francesca Spinelli
'Thomas Mackee looks at me as if I've lost it. Jimmy Hailler turns around and grins his little evil grin. Mr Brolin gives us a week of detentions. I've turned into a delinquent.'
'He looks at me, almost reprimandingly. "The guys think you need a personality."'
His face softens. "In a good year, you kind of look as if you'd be fearless."'
'Don't look at him. Don't look at him. Don't look at him.
I look at him. We don't make eye contact, because he's looking at my cleavage.'
Gabriel Sunday as William 'Will' Trombal
'We're almost exactly the same height so eye contact is inevitable. I find a scar between his eyes to concentrate on. He has a strange face. It's all sharpness and angles and incredibly fair skin. But then he's got this thatch of black hair that's such a contrast. It's like two cultures had a massive fight over his face and neither won.'
'His voice is deep and gravelly. I once heard one of the girls say that he had the voice of a sex god, but because I've never really heard what a sex god sounds like, I can't verify that.'
Adrianne Palicki as Siobhan Sullivan
'Siobhan gets blotto at parties. It was always the thing you heard about her in Year Ten. She's the type who constantly imagines herself in love with some dropkick and then ends up getting shit-faced and crying in the toilet.'
'... couldn't-give-a-shit Siobhan...'
'"Siobhan, you're the whole spice rack as far as some people are concerned," Tara informas her.'
'Siobhan is sitting on a bed, half-naked, crying hysterically, mascara running down her face.'
'"Up against a wall?" Siobhan whispers during class.'
Sarah Drew as Justine Kalinsky
'A warning bell is rung by Justine Kalinsky who is in her element, because she has a role to play for once in this school.'
'It takes Justine Kalinsky ten minutes to decipher it. She's like this musical genius.'
'Justine Kalinsky is a wallflower all night. I can tell she's itching to dance, but she just stands there and there's a worried, pinched look on her face.'
'... romantic Justine.'
Zena Gray as Tara Finke
'She was the resident Stella psycho, full of feminist, communist, anythingist rhetoric.'
'I don't dare mention Tara Finke. Sluts and losers are tolerable to my friends. But a person with a social conscience is from Pluto.'
'...Cynical Tara,'
A note to avid readers: Yes, I do realise that Justine is indeed supposed to be the red-head, but I find that a) Sarah Drew IMO could be the most adorable Justine in the world and b) Tara is FIERCE. And this girl is FIERCE. And I always imagined her as the red-head -shrugs-
Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Thomas Mackee
'He's the poster boy for Slobs Inc.: shirt out, pants around the thighs, and brightly coloured boxer shorts that are completely obvious every time he bends down, which is quite often.'
'"You know what we call you? Bitch Spice, Butch Spice, Slut Spice and Stupid Spice."'
Kevin Zegers as Jimmy Hailler
'His name is Jimmy Hailler and he's in trouble for calling Brother Louis, our English teacher, Bro. He said, 'Hey Bro, how's it hanging?' Bro actually didn't mind, but Mr Brolin overheard and went ballistic.'
'"No. The world doesn't revolve around Francesca being felt up by Will Tromble against a wall outside a toilet."'
'I offered him a cigarette and said, "Let's talk women, Will. How does one sustain two at the same time?"'
--
Why this book means so much to me:
In a word: life. This book just, gets to you. Get's under your skin. Doesn't let you get away. It has everything. The quirky narrator, the awesome sense of humour, and some of the most moving relationships I've ever read about. Example 1: Will Tromble & Francesca Spinelli.
'Will Tromble sees me from the other side of the room and he grins and he makes a beeline for me and my mind is buzzing with the best opening.
Hi.
Hey.
How's it going?
Great party.
Love your shirt.
Great music.
Crap music.
And he's coming closer and closer and the way he's looking at me makes me think that I'm going to have the most romantic night in the history of my life. I open my mouth to say something and he sticks his tongue down my throat.
We're in a corner, pashing, and I don't even know whats got me to this point. A look in the corridor? A flirt outside my nonna's house? All I know is that no one exists around us. I don't know whether we're kissing for five minutes or five hours and my mouth feels bruised, but I can't let go. Because it feels so good to be held by someone other than Luca. Will's arms tremble as they hold me and his heart beats hard against me and I know that whatever I'm feeling is mutual. For a moment I taste the alcohol on his breath and it brings me back to reality.
"Do that sober and I'll be impressed." I say, before walking away.'
'He bends forward and kisses me and I let him. I love the rough feel of his suit against my bare arms and the smell of him and the bristle of his chin.
He presses me against a wall and I feel every part of him imprint itself on me, but after a moment I feel myself pushing away.'
- Yes, I am hardcore with my examples of moving relationships am I not? But to share more would be to ruin the ending. And thus, I am leaving you with this tantalizing sample of how intense this relationship is; and how it partially dictates the entire novel.
My second example is that of the friendships. To grasp their entirely would be to quote the entire book, but when Francesca says she's a bit in love with these girls (and while she doesn't say guys, its implied in placed in the book!) she's not the only one. Every single time I read Saving Francesca I fall a little in love with her friends. I want to be there, to be a part of this group that becomes so strong.
'No one says anything. Because there's nothing really to say.
But then I feel Justine Kalinsky take my hand and I feel Siobhan's shock and Tara Finke's empathy.'
'I think I'm a bit in love with these girls. They make me feel giddy. Like I haven't a care in the world. Like I'm fearless. Like I used to be.'
'I look past them to where Will and his friends are sitting and he catches my eye and for a moment he smiles. It's a weird smile, but it reached his eyes and I bottle it. And I put it in my ammo pack that's kept right next to my soul. The one that holds Mia's scent and Justine's spirit and Siobhan's hope and Tara's passions. Because if I'm going to wake up one morning and not be able to get out of bed, I'm going to need everything I've got to fight this bastard of a disease that could be sleeping inside of me.'
You need to read this book. Or they need to make it into a movie. Although I tried, I honestly don't believe words can do this book justice. The love needs to be shared.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All credit for these beautiful words goes to Melina Marchetta. I just wish they'd put some faces to this book.