Essay

Looking for Alibrandi is a sensational novel written by Melina Marchetta. It is a story full of love and passion, hatred of foe, and tragic sadness. Seventeen-year-old Josephine Alibrandi is in her last year at St. Martha's, a wealthy Catholic secondary school for girls whose fathers treat them like princesses. Josephine feels that she doesn't fit in anywhere for the following reasons. She is an Italian whose grandmother moved out to Sydney when she got married. She is on a scholarship at St Martha's and is surrounded by rich snobbish girls who already have modeling careers. Josie has been called a bastard all her life due to the fact that she has never met her father. But for Josie this year, everything changes for the better, and for worse as she goes on a journey to experience many things she never knew. This is the year that she will meet her father (Michael Andretti) for the first time in her life, but not in the way she had imagined. The year she finds out about her Nonna Katia's affair with an Australian man called Marcus Sandford. He is Josie's mum's real father, because Nonna Katia's husband Francesco couldn't have children of his own. It also the year that Josie tries to make the man of her dreams fall in love with her. He goes to St Anthony's and is the son of a Member of Parliament, his name is John Barton, and in Josie's opinion he is the greatest debater who ever lived, popular and good looking. Josie and John are very good friends and hang out a lot. Josie thinks that John is perfect and wants to be part of his world, but when John suicides she realises that not even he belonged in his world. It takes Josie a long time to get over John, but soon starts going out with a boy called Jacob Coote. Jacob is school captain of Cook High, and Josie and Jacob are always on and off together throughout the novel. Not only does Josie have all of this happening but she also has her HSC (the Higher School Certificate) to worry about, because she wants to study law at University. However, once HSC is over, Josephine realises that everything is going to be fine when she looks back on the year and knows who she is. Josephine is Nonna Katia's Granddaughter, and Michael and Christina's daughter. She is not an Italian and not an Australian, but an individual. Looking for Alibrandi is a terrific novel which can be consider as a life guide for teenagers. It also teach us how to love, how to understand and how to forgive.