Looking for Alibrandi

by Melina Marchetta

For as long as Josephine Alibrandi can remember, it’s just been her, her mom, and her grandmother. Now it’s her final year at a wealthy Catholic high school. The nuns couldn’t be any stricter—but that doesn’t seem to stop all kinds of men from coming into her life.

Caught between the old-world values of her Italian grandmother, the nononsense wisdom of her mom, and the boys who continue to mystify her, Josephine is on the ride of her life. This will be the year she falls in love, the year she discovers the secrets of her family’s past—and the year she sets herself free.

Told with unmatched depth and humor, this novel—which swept the pool of Australian literary awards and became a major motion picture—is one to laugh through and cry with, to cherish and remember.

• ISBN10: 0531331423
• ISBN13: 9780531331422
• Publish Date: 1 April 1999 (first published 17 November 1998)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Orchard Books (NY)
• Edition: American ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[ladygrey]

Ah Melina Marchetta. She has yet to let me down and I knew that enough to get through the first part of this book. Her early books need time and this one needed 127 pages.

At first I didn't like Josie much at all. She's kind of a brat and angry all the time. There were conversations that erupted into yelling matches and the words weren't mean or cruel so they didn't support the anger and there was no context around the dialog to explain why everyone was so angry and I didn't enjoy the irrational fighting all the time.

Then, page 127, I don't even remember what happened except I felt the story change and looked down at the page number. Josie was less and the story was more. There were still fights and she was sometimes irrational but they made sense. The anger, the frustration, there was more talking and explaining why and most of all listening to each other. It's a powerful story which is no surprise at all because it's Melina Marchetta. There's this delicate parallel between Josie and her mom and the choices her mom did make and Josie didn't make. There's this beautiful, earned, freedom in living apart from what other people say and think about you. And there's honest pain about ambition and settling and the disconnect between privledge and happiness. There's so much it's easy to see why it's such an acclaimed book. And it's honest in a way that resonates and says the things you wished more people said.  Some of it culturally is removed from my American understanding but humanly it all makes perfect sense.

And once again, Melina Marchetta proves why she's worth sticking through the first hundred pages or so when she asks it of you.

[Bianca]

You know something, I’d hate to be as smart as him. I mean he was really, really smart and to be that smart means you know all the answers and when you know all the answers there’s no room for dreaming.

— How could [a:Melina Marchetta|47104|Melina Marchetta|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277655889p2/47104.jpg]'s "weakest" book be so beautiful? She just blows me away with her writing every single time.

[bumblingbookworm]

This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Bookworm

Fair warning: this is one of my absolute favourite books of all time and there will be gushing in this review. If this scares you, turn away now!

For those of you who have discovered Marchetta's writing in the last couple of years, you're very lucky and spoilt for choice with all her books to choose from and read. When I first discovered Alibrandi, it was the ONLY book by Marchetta at the time and I remember wishing for more to read. I actually can't remember the first time I read this book, it was so long ago. The movie adaptation was released in 2000 and I reckon it was probably shortly before then, but I've re-read it so many times that I've lost count. However, last month I read it for the first time in at least eight years. Why so long, you may ask? In 2006, my Nonna died suddenly and I found it too hard to read this, because it reminded me too much of her and it hurt too much at the time. Over time, I've been too scared to read it again because I was scared the book would be ruined for me. I'm so glad that wasn't the case!

Check out the rest of my review here!

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/04/looking-for-alibrandi-by-melina.html
Looking for Alibrandi is an Australian rite of passage, and I'm embarrassed that it has taken me so long to discover another Melina Marchetta masterpiece. I live in Melbourne, which has almost half of the Italian Australian population. Growing up, I had friends of Italian heritage and now having family members that have married into large Italian families, I loved the European representation, it added a dramatic and source of fun towards the contemporary storyline.

Italian's are a passionate people, and no one can create a more realistic scenario than Melina Marchetta. In the eighties and nineties especially, those of Italian and Greek decent in Australia were widely called Wogs. It wasn't used as a derogatory term, but in the wrong hands it could have been. But throughout Jose's teenage years, sadly she experiences a similar naivety between both the Italian community who are very stuck in their ways and Australian's who's narrow minded views are the reason that some immigrants had decided not to assimilate.

In the midst of it all is Jacob Coote, Australian, public school student and proof that you don't need to be Italian to be overly dramatic. His character although infuriating, played a pivotal role in Jose's life. He represents the typical Australian teen boy that isn't all that different from the old values that Jose's community expects. He attempts to prove that he's more than a stereotype, but fails miserably.

I absolutely loved Looking for Alibrandi, it's such a realistic representation of Australia in the nineties and along with Looking for Francesca, Melina Marchetta has only further cemented her place in Aussie literature folk law.

[notajammiedodger]

Looking for Alibrandi is the second book by Melina Marchetta that I have read. My first was On the Jellicoe Road, which is one of my favourite books. I was really looking forward to reading more of Marchetta's books and am glad that this one lived up to my expectations :) I loved it, but not as much as I love On the Jellicoe Road.

Josephine Alibrandi is in her last year of high school. A lot of things happen in Josie's life this year, she meets her father for the first time in her life, falls in love and learns the secrets of her family's past. As always Marchetta creates a beautifully realistic world with characters that have realistic flaws and ambitions.

I love the characters in this stories. Jacob Coote reminded me a lot of Judd Nelson from The Breakfast Club :P If you haven't seen, I recommend you do. Fantastic movie. I personally think that Marchetta writes very crush worthy guys in her books, of the two that I have read do far anyway :P I love Jacob, he's sweet and wonderful and he has that whole bad boy thing going on. Love it. Sera annoyed me a little, but I guess that was kind of the idea. Once we got to know her more, I loved Nonna.

I can foresee myself becoming a big Melina Marchetta fan :P I loved this book. I am really glad that I read it. I look forward to reading Saving Francesca, and other books by her. If you haven't read this book or On the Jellicoe Road I would highly recommend you give them a go. I love them both.

This review is also on my blog The Confessions of a Book Nerd :)

In theory this book is alright. I know plenty of people that loved it - my sister (who is renowned for her ability to read signs - and sometimes branching out to menus) is one of those, but something about this book really irritated me. Perhaps it was the plight of the main character being so damn obvious or perhaps I'm being too harsh but I hated it. Conversely I am in love with Saving Francesca by said author. Take that as you will.