Taryn

“Because being part of him isn't just anything. It's kind of everything.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road

“Oh, you're one of those,' the princess said.

'One of what?'

'One of those who needs to be told their worth over and over by others. Do you know who tells me my worth, Phaedra of Alonso?'

The princess pointed a hard finger at her own chest.

'Me. I determine my own worth. If I had to rely on others I'd have lain down and died waiting.”
― Melina Marchetta , Quintana of Charyn

“So we get a karaoke machine.
On the first night, the year tens stage a competition, insisting that every member of the House has to be involved, so we clear the year-seven and -eight dorms and wait for our turn. Raffy is on second and does an impressive job of "I Can''t Live, If Living Means Without You" but then one of the seniors points out to her that she's chosen a dependency song and Raffy spends the whole night neuroticising about it.

"I just worked out that I don't have ambition," she says while one of the year eights sings tearfully, "Am I Not Pretty Enough?" I start compiling a list of all the kids I should be recommending to the school counsellor, based on their song choices.

"I think she's reading a little to much into it, Raf."

"No she isn't. Because do you know what my second and third choices were? 'Don't Leave Me This Way' and 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself.'"

"Mary Grace chose 'Brown-eyed Girl' and she's got blue eyes and Serina sang 'It's Raining Men' and she's a lesbian. You're taking this way too seriously. Let it go.”
― Melina Marchetta, On the Jellicoe Road