So Much to Tell You

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Summary: A review of John Marsden's "So Much To Tell You".
Review: A fascinating journal of a teenager's troubling life. Marina's father and mother had a fight resolving in an accident. Now Marina is traumatised, her father was sentensed to jail, she rarely see's her parents and is in a strange new world at Warrington Boarding School. Learning to cope with the changes, new life and surroundings is upsetting and strange, but eventually Marina beging to open up and adjust to the people around her. Read this book-and exciting and heart touching tale of a girl as she learns to cope with life.

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Summary: strangly powerful
Review: I personally did not enjoy So Much To Tell You as much as Marsden's previous works, because it lacked that descriptive quality one loved about him. However, unlike 'Letters from the Inside,' (which was also in written form), I found the book somewhat... evolved.
To a certain extent, the emotions and the curiosity about her father and their estranged relationship was quite powerful, though one may not notice at the time, yet certainly not to the extent that I could not put the book down.

Because the book was small, it was a fairly light read and left one with a feeling of, I guess, contentment, and even though So Much To Tell You ended as so many books have in the past, (rather cliché), the relationship with Marina's mother was still sour and unresolved, and one got the feeling that just Marina and her father completed a family, and it made the reader feel it's alright to live like that. This is an important issue for an author, more so one as respected and loved as children's author John Marsden, to address. There are many families, especially in this day and age, with similar problems, with children who feel incomplete because one member of their family, specifically a care-giver, does not live with them.

So, I guess, to sum it up, So Much To Tell You was a light-hearted, yet still quite deep in some aspects, novel about a young teenage girl resorting to the only thing she felt comfortable with; silence. But as the tale began to unfold, and she began to realize how much she needed to communicate and care for those around her, she began to realize that silence was not such a comfortable thing anymore, and though the process was long, it was the familiarity and day-to-day aspects that she had taken for granted that brought her back, and onto the road of self-discovery.

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Summary: *Such* a great book!
Review: This is the only book by John Marsden that I've read yet, and I think that this book will be hard to beat. It's a really touching story about a 14-year-old girl named Marina who, as you find out later in the book, got her face scarred with acid. She stopped talking completely after the incident, not even communicating with nods or shaking her head (signifiying 'yes' or 'no'), and since she wasn't making any progress at the hospital, she got sent to a boarding school. Although she is distant and unresponsive at first, she finds herself reaching out to people in her dorm, teachers, and other people. This book made me cry in some parts, but not in a bad way. It ends in a good way too. I'm not even in high school yet, but I was able to understand all of it, so it's not confusing like some people say (or maybe I'm just different). Although it's a bit short, it's better than a lot of books two or three times its length. I think it's a really good buy and a great book.

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Summary: A great first novel
Review: This book was John Marsden's first novel, and it's a great read. The story is entirely from the point of view of Marina through her diary entries. She doesn't speak anymore and in boarding school her only outlet is the journal that she has to keep for English.

As the story progresses, Marsden gives us tantalising hints of what is going on in her life, what happened to make her this way, which is nicely resolved by the end of the story.

If the story ends too soon for you, the sequel "Take my word for it," does the same sort of thing with another girl living in the same dorm. She sees the events of "So Much to Tell You" from a different viewpoint, and the story goes on past the ending of the first book.

This is a great read for teens. John Marsden was a teacher for many years, and really understands how young people think. It is mainly a girls book, however, unlike the Tomorrow series which has a more general appeal due to its action orientation.

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Summary: Not Marsden's Best, but a good read...
Review: I was very excited to read this book having already read John's "Tomorrow" series, and some of his single books like "Checkers". But, this book was VERY hard to follow. I'm in 9th grade, and I really couldn't figure out some of the key points until I reread the book again and looked up a summary on the internet. But, once you can figure out what is going on, this book really is good. The main character, Marina, had her face scarred by acidic fluid (read the book to find out why), and now she doesn't speak, anymore or to anyone. There Marina is shoved to a boarding school where she keeps a journal about her silent life. The book leads you to believe that Marina hates her father and this is not true, she is really just upset. Overall I gave it 3 stars, but I would recommend that you are at least a teen before you try to attack this one, or read some of John's single books like 'Letters from the Inside' or 'Checkers'.

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Summary: Wonderful
Review: John Marsden is amazing. I can't give him enough praise for his books. I am yet to find one that I don't like...So Much To Tell You was the first of his books that I ever read (I'm almost certain...or perhaps it was the second...I think I might have read Dear Miffy first) and I can't put into words how wonderful it is. The sequel, told from Lisa's point of view is also amazing. I'm 18, nearly 19, and I am really regretting not going to the writing workshops offered by John when he came around to my high school. All of his books should be read by all teenagers...they are something you don't want to miss out on.

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Summary: Worth the trouble
Review: "So Much to Tell You" is a downer. It's also a superbly conceived, psychologically complex, and deeply affecting and disturbing story. I seem to side with those adults who are simply transfixed by the symbolism and anguish that seep through Marina's journal entries, rather than siding with the majority of adolescent readers who often seem bored and unmoved, or at the very least confused, by this book.

"So Much To Tell You," although short, is not an easy read. It is told, I believe entirely, through the journal entries of a girl who has been so badly scarred, both emotionally and physically, that she has become catatonic. It takes a while to puzzle out what's going on. But that's the genius of the narrative structure -- the reader's reward comes from guessing about what happened to Marina, and about what she's truly feeling, from the pages of a journal that becomes more and more intimate as she goes along.

For teachers, this is just great (I read the book while working toward a teaching certificate). Not only is the journal entry format novel and challenging for young readers -- it also invites them to identify with Marina and share her hopes and fears. I read it as being symbolic: the horror and pain of Marina's situation is really a metaphor for the general anguish we all feel going through adolescence. As with Robert Cormier's books, it seems Marsden is deliberately choosing a truly horrific, possibly exaggerrated situation to provoke kids and to drive home a point.

And that point, clearly, is empathy. Marina's story illustrates how young people feel when they believe they are different -- how they magnify small injuries and give great weight to small acts of kindness and friendship. In Marina's final decision to speak to her father, she shows the way to healing and wholeness for readers who may be struggling with their own, hopefully lesser, demons.

Unfortunately, it seems from other reviews here that many adolescents (especially boys) don't react to the book this way. To this, I can only say that I'd still recommend it be taught -- but that teachers go slowly, do a lot of class discussions, and ask a lot of leading questions to encourage kids to identify and sympathize with Marina's situation and apply it to their own lives. It's not a "fun" book -- there is little humor, and going where it invites is a lot of emotional work. But it's worth it -- the book was so good I cried, and I never cry because of books.

One idea for teachers -- have kids identify a theme or themes from the book, and make newspaper clipping collages to illustrate. Write or explain why they chose those images. F 'rinstance: "Feeling left out": Clown, bum, overweight; "Alone": Iceberg, fetal positon; etc. Cut-out phrases work well, too.

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Summary: Great
Review: Told from a different view, it shows everything in a different way. Could it be you feel it too? Read this book to find out how you relate. Or un-relate to the girl in the story.

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Summary: unforgettable story by John Marsden
Review: During 8th grade, the most impressive book that I read this year is probably eWaiting for the Rainh by Sheila Gordon that we read as a novel in our class room, and gSo Much to Tell Youh by John Marsden. John Marsden has written lots of great novels, and if you read one of them, the plot of this story is unforgettable and the book that I have read of him s all really good stories. The title gSo Much to Tell Youh it gives the reader the theme how important it is to tell the others how you think about your opinion before itfs too late. This title of the book really has a connection to whatfs going on in the actual story.
The book that I read by John Marsden gSo Much to Tell Youh is about a girl who forgot how to talk because of her family problem. Her mom put her in a boarding school after she had attend some psychology classes, but it didnft make any different to her. But when she moved to boarding school, she had fear of being with normal kids, they can talk, they can laugh, and they enjoy their school time. But as later on, she started to make friends that care about her and whofs always there for her when she needs help, she makes day by day a bit of progress that she didnft make in a hospital.
This story, after I have done reading it, it is really unforgettable story that I have read. It made me sad, when she was, it mad me feel happy and also excited when she made new friends and made a provement to her talking. This book is a really impressive, and makes the readers really think about how she is feeling about moving to the school, all changed friends, and living in a boarding school without her family. I really recommend this book because this is a really interesting book; this is a really good book.

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Summary: An intrigating story
Review: Did you ever wonder about the importance of knowing how to communicate is? Well, language is a powerful symbol of emotions flowing between people. John Marsden wrote this book in order to help people progress and communicate as much as you can.
All began that day when Marina realized she couldn't speak anymore, and was sent to a hospital because of a horrible accident she had. Since she was not showing any progression she was sent to this strange boarding school, but at least it was better than being in the hospital all day surrounded by four scary walls. She didn't want to think or talk about it until the day she was forced by her English teacher to write on a plain notebook every day. At first she didn't want to, but as she felt more confident on herself she began writing about what she saw, what she felt and what she had gone through. Slowly she was able to call her notebook her personal best friend. It was the only place were she could let go her anger and fears. She was afraid someone would someday open it and get to know all about her. By writing in her journal, Marina was able to unfold all her life and let the trauma out. She felt miserable, but something strange was going on, even though she was timid, mute and had a big ugly scar on her face, most of the girls were being nice with her. Marina had to share her room with other eight girls. Cathy, was the thin one, tall a great writer of poems, and kind. She helped her to start incorporating with the others, but not bye speaking. As Marina got to know everybody well her face started to show expressions: Happiness, sadness and gratitude. Sophie was the boyish, pretty girl who found Marina very irritating. Lisa was the strong and silent one, and Kate was the loudest one and who's sort of crude. All of these girls may seem perfect, but they also had problems going on through their lives, which they didn't show. Girls were not judging her on what she looked, but on who she was. Will Marina ever speak again? Will she have more confidence on herself? Will she be able to unite her family?
This book is fast paced and actually is a page-turner because you want to know what's going to happen next. I recommend it mostly for girls all ages who are mature enough and don't know themselves, but are seeking to, and want to know about the importance of communication. Throughout this book you learn to cherish yourself and that by writing you can get your feelings, fears and problems. Without having to think it twice, I can easily say I loved the book. You may be wondering why. I liked the book, because through the way I was reading it, I got understand not every person in the world is happy, everypody has his or her pains and shames. A great deal of communication got opened in my heart. What would it be like, if people wouldn't communicate? This tremendous book written by John Marsden deserves five stars. It was the winner of the 1990 Christopher award.