Full Answer
See more
What year is Looking for Alibrandi set in?
1990sThe film is set in 1990s Sydney, New South Wales and features a cast of Australian actors, including Pia Miranda as Josephine Alibrandi, the film's main character; Anthony LaPaglia as her father, Michael Andretti, who left her and her mother before her birth; and Kick Gurry as Josie's love interest, Jacob Coote.
Where does Looking for Alibrandi take place?
west SydneyLooking for Alibrandi is set in inner-west Sydney, especially Glebe. Josie's Catholic school is in Darlinghurst, and she works at a McDonalds on Parramatta Rd, near Sydney University.
What is Looking for Alibrandi book about?
Josephine Alibrandi is seventeen and in her final year at a wealthy girls' school. This is the year she meets her father, the year she falls in love, the year she finds the real truth about her family – and the identity she has been searching for. The year she sets herself free.
Why is Looking for Alibrandi a good book?
Looking for Alibrandi is a coming-of-age novel that deals with difficulties of racial difference and what it means to be a teenage girl. It reminded me of the power of a supportive family and how family can provide young people with the opportunity to grow into strong and independent individuals.
How old is alibrandi?
17-year-oldJosephine “Josie” Alibrandi The protagonist of the novel, Josie is a 17-year-old Italian Australian girl living in Sydney.
What school does Josie Alibrandi go to?
Looking for Alibrandi is the story of Josie Alibrandi's experiences at school, and her relationships with friends and family during her last year at St Martha's girls' school. This is the year her father comes back into her life, the year she falls in love and discovers the secrets of her family's past.
What is the curse in Looking for Alibrandi?
Josie is struggling to understand who she is and where she belongs and Nona continues to title Josie as the 'curse' of the family and aims to make Josie feel guilty about being alive. Reputation and the 'family name' is a top priority for Nona and her actions reflect upon this but Josie does not understand.
What happens to John in Looking for Alibrandi?
Josie is enraged and distraught that John killed himself; by this point, she sees him as a close friend and felt comfortable facing her future in college in part because she believed John would be there with her.
What does Josie want in alibrandi?
Josie frames the events of Looking for Alibrandi as the story of her “emancipation.” She tells readers that when she turns 18, she desperately wants to escape her tight-knit Italian family and community and become a barrister (lawyer).
What does Josie discover about Nonna?
Nonna seems to confirm that she slept with Marcus Sandford when she goes pale at Josie's accusation. With this confirmed, Josie realizes that Nonna has essentially lived her life as a lie.
Is Looking for Alibrandi on Netflix?
A teenage girl from a strict family struggles to find her place in high school, navigate a new relationship and accept the truth about her father. Watch all you want.
Why is Tessa McWatt important?
Professor of Creative Writing at The School of Literature, Drama & Creative Writing. Professor Tessa McWatt is deeply committed to creative work and interdisciplinary approaches. She is the author of seven novels, two books for young people and one non-fiction book.
What school did John Barton go to?
John arrived in Cambridge in 1948, after an education at Eton college, where he made friends with Douglas Hurd and staged Henry IV Part One, playing Hotspur.
What are the themes in Looking for Alibrandi?
Looking for Alibrandi ThemesFamily. ... Identity, Freedom, and Coming of Age. ... The Immigrant Experience. ... Gossip and Appearances. ... Social Status and Wealth. ... Love and Relationships.
How does Josie feel about her Italian background?
Josie's relationship to her Italian heritage is complicated: though she loves some of the Italian traditions and knows that she has a huge, supportive community to call on, she also hates that her classmates use racist slurs and discriminate against her because she's Italian.
What does Josie feel about the rituals which are associated with her Italian background?
Answers 1. Josie is very conscious of her ethnicity and the rituals that go along with it.
When was Looking for Alibrandi published?
Looking for Alibrandi is the debut novel of Australian author Melina Marchetta, published in 1992. A film adaptation was made in 2000 .
Who played Josephine Alibrandi's father?
Film adaptation. Looking for Alibrandi (2000) starred Pia Miranda as Josephine Alibrandi, Anthony LaPaglia as her father, Michael Andretti, and Kick Gurry as her boyfriend, Jacob Coote. Melina Marchetta wrote the screenplay.
Why does Nonno Francesco lie about Christina?
Nonno Francesco lies about Christina being his biological daughter to prevent being shunned by the Italian community. Also, when Christina gives birth to Josie illegitimately, Nonno and Nonna are highly disappointed; Nonno even disowns her. Nonna Katia also lies to Josie about her being born illegitimately.
Why did the Australian government imprison Italians?
Furthermore, after World War II, the Australian government began to imprison Italian men because they thought that the Italians would conspire with the Japanese against Australia. This is referenced in Looking for Alibrandi as Nonno was captured by the Australian government.
How old is Josie from HSC?
Josie is a 17-year-old Australian girl from an Italian immigrant family, completing her HSC exams. She’s loud, sarcastic, and dramatic. However, she is also very self-conscious of her classmate’s opinions of her, especially when it comes to her Italian heritage. She thinks that her classmates are snobbish because they are white and richer than her. She also wishes to become a barrister because she believes that money will bring happiness.
What is looking for Alibrandi about?
Looking for Alibrandi explores how being an immigrant or descendant of immigrant families can place someone in a position of prejudice and discrimination.
What does Josie learn from Nonna?
Through listening to Nonna’s stories, Josie learns that prejudice and discrimination is experienced by all generations of immigrant families. There is a lack of knowledge and understanding and desire to connect with the immigrants.
Why does Josie befriend John?
John shares that he has depression because his family is pressuring him to do law. This is a shocking discovery for Josie because John comes from a wealthy family.
Where did Melina's grandmother come from?
Her grandmother immigrated from Italy to Australia around the 1930s, before the start of WWII. This is similar to Nonna Katia and Nonno Francesco who also immigrated to Australia around this time. Melina said in an interview with Buzzfeed that the stories about Nonna and Josie’s mother were inspired by the stories that Melina’s great Aunts shared with her.
Where was Melina Marchetta born?
Melina Marchetta was born into a family of Australian immigrants, like the character Josie in Looking for Alibrandi —the story of Marchetta’s grandmother immigrating to Australia from Italy in the 1930s loosely inspired novel.
What is the historical context of looking for Alibrandi?
Looking for Alibrandi draws heavily on the history of Italian immigration to Australia, which first began in earnest in the mid-19th century. However, prior to the completion and opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the journey from Italy to Australia took a full two months, ...
What is the setting of the novel Bildungsroman?
Genre: Young Adult Novel, Bildungsroman. Setting: The suburbs of Sydney, Australia, in the early 1990s. Climax: John Barton commits suicide. Antagonist: Though Josie thinks Ivy is an antagonist for much of the novel, she eventually realizes that gossip and the pressure to conform are the real antagonists.
When was Looking for Alibrandi published?
Looking for Alibrandi was her first novel; published in 1992, it became an instant hit and sold out its first print run in only two months. It earned a number of prestigious awards, both in Australia and worldwide.
Is looking for Alibrandi the same as Gladiator?
The film adaptation of Looking for Alibrandi was released in theaters the same weekend as Gladiator —and when it came to the Australian awards season, it was up against the Eric Bana film Chopper in a number of categories.
What happens to Josie after the first debate?
But when they talk after their first debate, John reveals that he’s feeling depressed and possibly suicidal. His father wants him to go into law, but John doesn’t want to. A week or so later, Josie goes with her friends Sera, Anna, and Lee to the first regional dance. She hopes John will ask her to dance but ends up dancing with Jacob all night. Jacob takes Josie home on his motorcycle afterwards.
Where does Josie live in the book?
Josie introduces herself to the reader: she’s 17, lives in Sydney, Australia, and is in her final year of school at a prestigious Catholic girls’ school called St. Martha’s. She’ll take the tests for her High School Certificate (HSC) at the end of the year and then plans to study law and become a barrister. She’s her school’s vice captain and believes herself to be unpopular, in part because she’s Italian, illegitimate, and attends St. Martha’s on a scholarship. Though Josie vows to be a “saint” for her final year of school, this flies out the window on the first day when Sister Gregory catches Josie reading a Hot Pants magazine during religion class. Later that evening, as Josie and her single mother, Mama, have dinner, Mama reveals that Josie’s long-lost father, Michael Andretti, is back in Sydney for the year; he’s been in Adelaide since just after Mama became pregnant with Josie at age 17. He doesn’t know Mama went through with her pregnancy.
Does Jacob break up with Josie?
Not long after, Jacob breaks up with Josie. She sobs for days. But in the aftermath, Josie realizes that she’s become “emancipated” in the last year. Now, she feels at peace with her family history and her Italian identity. She’s ready for the future
Synopsis
Synopsis Josephine Alibrandi is seventeen and in her final year at a wealthy girls’ school. This is the year she meets her father, the year she falls in love, the year she searches for Alibrandi and finds the real truth about her family – and the identity she has been searching for.
Characters
The protagonist of the novel, Josie is a 17-year-old Italian Australian girl living in Sydney. Over the course of the novel, she prepares for her High School Certificate (HSC) exams; reconnects with her long-lost father, Michael; and develops a strong relationship with her maternal grandmother, Nonna.
Essay
When I first read Melina Marchetta’s much-loved book, Looking for Alibrandi, I was around the same age as Josephine Alibrandi. It was the first Australian book I discovered that did not ‘try hard’ to depict youth, class or ethnicity...continue reading...
The Ultimate ‘Looking For Alibrandi’ Cheat Sheet
Plot Summary – What Happens in Looking For Alibrandi?
The novel follows its protagonist, Josephine Alibrandi, the Italian-Australian daughter of Italian immigrant parents. Josie lives in Sydney and attends a Catholic high school–where she is disillusioned with the cliques and social politics of her snobby peers. Her usually sophisticated, sassy demeanour is challenged when she is overcome with the pressures of her senior year of high school: the suicide of a male friend, and meeting her estranged father who is in Sydney on …
Key Contextual Points
Themes