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A review by janina_reads
Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
4.0
Looking for Alibrandi is [a:Melina Marchetta|47104|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1277655889p2/47104.jpg]’s debut – and after the emotional rollercoaster that were [b:Saving Francesca|82434|Saving Francesca|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171021699s/82434.jpg|1369647], [b:Jellicoe Road|1162022|On the Jellicoe Road|Melina Marchetta|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1212708945s/1162022.jpg|6479100] and [b:The Piper’s Son|9520360|The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus, #2)|Rick Riordan|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|14406312], I have to admit that I am a little underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, compared to a lot of other debuts, this one is still excellent, but on the Melina-Marchetta scale it is probably my least favourite (This sounds bad here, but except Finnikin, all her other novels are among my absolute all-time favourites).
Why? Simply because it didn’t tug on my heartstrings and it lacked this all-consuming, how-is-it-possible-that-books-like-these-even-exist-and-why-aren’t-there-more-of-them feeling that her other novels gave me. Maybe the reason for this is that while parts of Looking for Alibrandi were fantastic, there were simply some aspects I didn’t really care for. First of all, that was the friendship between the four girls. I admire the way Marchetta is able to bring unlikely friendships alive, but here, it played an almost subordinate role. We don’t get to know that much about Josephine’s friends and their relationship just didn't feel special to me. Also, I didn’t like the romance between Josie and Jacob. I have to admit that I have a little crush on both Jonah Griggs and Thomas Mackee, but on Jacob? Never. He just didn't feel developed enough for me to really care for him or even understand his motives. I fear I have to say that I strongly disliked him at times. There I was, rooting for John Barton the whole time.
On the other side, I loved Josie as a character – a little overdramatic and more than a little spoiled, but in a charming and refreshing way – and the love-hate relationship she had with her grandmother. The three women in the Alibrandi family definitely have it in them and I thought that both Christina’s and Nonna Katia’s story had so much more potential; I would have loved to hear more on that level. It was interesting to read about a different period in Australia’s history and how hard it sometimes was for immigrants to adjust – and how difficult it was to balance a culture you wanted to maintain and a culture you wanted to adapt to.
The relationship between Josie and Michael, her getting to know her father after he’d been absent for seventeen years was probably the most fun part of the story – even though I didn’t expect that at all. At the beginning, the atmosphere is very hostile between the two of them – understandable, as Michael tells Josie right away that he isn’t interested in being a father and she on the other side is furious that he left her mother back then – but soon they started warming up to each other and their conversations often were simply laugh-out-loud funny.
So in the end, even if this novel didn’t fully meet my expectations, I remain a glowing fan of Marchetta’s writing. If you haven’t read anything by her yet, you should definitely give her a try. In my opinion, she certainly deserves all the praise she’s been getting, and it makes me sad that her novels seem to be more of an ‘insider tip’ – Goodreads was the first place I ever saw people talking about them. So: go out there and read more Marchetta! I would even recommend starting with this book and working your way up – it probably makes for the better reading experience.
#2 Aussie YA Challenge 2011
Why? Simply because it didn’t tug on my heartstrings and it lacked this all-consuming, how-is-it-possible-that-books-like-these-even-exist-and-why-aren’t-there-more-of-them feeling that her other novels gave me. Maybe the reason for this is that while parts of Looking for Alibrandi were fantastic, there were simply some aspects I didn’t really care for. First of all, that was the friendship between the four girls. I admire the way Marchetta is able to bring unlikely friendships alive, but here, it played an almost subordinate role. We don’t get to know that much about Josephine’s friends and their relationship just didn't feel special to me. Also, I didn’t like the romance between Josie and Jacob. I have to admit that I have a little crush on both Jonah Griggs and Thomas Mackee, but on Jacob? Never. He just didn't feel developed enough for me to really care for him or even understand his motives. I fear I have to say that I strongly disliked him at times. There I was, rooting for John Barton the whole time
Spoiler
and although I felt it coming up, his suicide still shook me deeply. It was probably one of my most emotional moments in this novelOn the other side, I loved Josie as a character – a little overdramatic and more than a little spoiled, but in a charming and refreshing way – and the love-hate relationship she had with her grandmother. The three women in the Alibrandi family definitely have it in them and I thought that both Christina’s and Nonna Katia’s story had so much more potential; I would have loved to hear more on that level. It was interesting to read about a different period in Australia’s history and how hard it sometimes was for immigrants to adjust – and how difficult it was to balance a culture you wanted to maintain and a culture you wanted to adapt to.
The relationship between Josie and Michael, her getting to know her father after he’d been absent for seventeen years was probably the most fun part of the story – even though I didn’t expect that at all. At the beginning, the atmosphere is very hostile between the two of them – understandable, as Michael tells Josie right away that he isn’t interested in being a father and she on the other side is furious that he left her mother back then – but soon they started warming up to each other and their conversations often were simply laugh-out-loud funny.
So in the end, even if this novel didn’t fully meet my expectations, I remain a glowing fan of Marchetta’s writing. If you haven’t read anything by her yet, you should definitely give her a try. In my opinion, she certainly deserves all the praise she’s been getting, and it makes me sad that her novels seem to be more of an ‘insider tip’ – Goodreads was the first place I ever saw people talking about them. So: go out there and read more Marchetta! I would even recommend starting with this book and working your way up – it probably makes for the better reading experience.
#2 Aussie YA Challenge 2011