Guitar Highway Rose by Brigid LowryPublisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: January 24, 2006
Popular and smart, fifteen-year-old Rosie Moon is the quintessential good girl. She also wishes she could be someone else for a while, someone more interesting. Asher Fielding is the mysterious new boy at school who has dreadlocks and a love of Jim Morrison. On the first day of tenth grade, Rosie develops a crush on Asher, and when the two pair up for a poetry assignment they quickly form a bond. When Asher is falsely accused of stealing a wallet at school, he and Rosie decide to escape it all--their families, their school, their ordinary town--and hitchhike up the Australian coast. They know they shouldn't, and that is exactly why they do. Part road story, part love story, Guitar Highway Rose is a thrilling ride for anyone who has ever dreamed about escaping everyday life, even just for a little while.
Quote: "Some ideas are not born of logic and good sense. They are made of clouds and cobwebs. They sprout from nowhere and feed on excitement, sprinkled with adventure-juice and the sweet flavor of the forbidden. The psyche moves from the realms of the ordinary and takes a delicate step towards the territory of the unknown. We know that we shouldn’t and that is exactly why we do."
Wow! How beautiful is that?
My Thoughts:
Guitar Highway Rose is filled with amazing thoughtful passages, enlightening Aussie lingo, and precise descriptions of the landscape in Australia that makes you feel part of the setting and the story. The writing style is light and very much unique as it allows glimpses into the lives of Rosie, Asher and their families during a time a transition and adjustment.
In this story, Asher comes to a new town and school in the aftermath of his parents’ separation. He’s had to leave his friends and father to try and make a new life in Perth with his mom. There he meets Rosie who not only develops a crush on him, but stands by him when he’s falsely accused of stealing a wallet at school. Rosie’s life isn’t much better. Her parents are fighting quite a bit and her relationship with her mom is strained and full of tension. Together, Rosie and Ash form a plan to take a small “time-out” from their lives and go on a road trip that ultimately leads to a lasting friendship.
Guitar Highway Rose was nothing short of what I expected from this genre of Australian YA Contemporary. I fell for the characters immediately as they shared their raw feelings with no remorse. There were moments in the story where my emotions jolted and that just proved how much I came to care for the characters in this story. From beginning to end, I was vested in this wonderful story.
Another beautiful example of the brilliance Australia has to offer . Brigid Lowry holds a firm spot among her talent pool. Loved it!
4 Snowflakes
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