I don’t think I’ve ever met a main character as annoying as Josephine Alibrandi in Melina Marchetta’s Looking for Alibrandi. Okay, well I probably have, but no one comes to mind right now.
Josephine Alibrandi is whiny, prone to theatrics and, in general, an “obnoxious creation.” Though you’ll find later in the book, a lot of your original inklings about her life are colored by her perspective. How she perceives herself, her role at school and her life in general is not necessarily as bad as she paints it. Though it could have been her never-ending “woe is me” attitude that fooled me into thinking there was actually validity to her constant bemoaning.
Not that I didn’t like the book (hehe…I’m so contradictory). While I found Jose really annoying, the relationships she builds within the story was fun to watch unfold. She is the product of an Italian single family home and doesn’t know her father. That is until he appears unexpectedly into her life. I liked the honesty and upfront nature of the beginning of their relationship. Neither of them wants to give any false impressions to the other. Neither of them expects to bond and love like father and daughter.
The fact that their relationship could have been all angst-ridden and melodramatic, but was more playful kept with the light heartedness of the novel. She doesn’t go all clingy and consumed with abandonment issues. Instead, she constantly tries to annoy him with her smart mouth antics, like reciting poetry she knows he hates and making sarcastic comments (“Of course I like pizza, are you going to ask me if I like pasta next?”). Likewise, her father doesn’t let her walk all over him because he’s consumed with guilt. Instead, he listens to her problems without offering unsolicited advice and rides her rescue on several occasions. I enjoyed the slow build up of the relationship and loved their witty banter.
Then there’s Jacob Coote. Despite the terrible last name (cooties?), he is your typical hottie bad boy. He’s got violent tendencies, jealousy issues, a “devil may care” attitude and enough moodiness to give Jonah Griggs a run for his money. But he’s also deeply protective of Jose. They’re interactions are hilarious. Spoiler alert: there’s a scene much like when Logan Echolls rescues Veronica Mars from the evil clutches of JTT. Totally squeal worthy. Despite the Logan Echolls likeness, Jacob doesn’t seem…evolved enough to take on the lead man role. It was almost as if he’s an early model of Jonah Griggs (Jellicoe Road was written after this book).
But ultimately, the book is about growing up and finding herself, not so much a romantic love story. It covered some deep issues and did have bittersweet moments, though, it didn’t leave me feeling emotional eviscerated like other books I’ve read. Even if Jose is quite possibly the most annoying bint in the literary world, Looking for Alibrandi was a pretty good read.
~J~
Josephine Alibrandi is whiny, prone to theatrics and, in general, an “obnoxious creation.” Though you’ll find later in the book, a lot of your original inklings about her life are colored by her perspective. How she perceives herself, her role at school and her life in general is not necessarily as bad as she paints it. Though it could have been her never-ending “woe is me” attitude that fooled me into thinking there was actually validity to her constant bemoaning.
Not that I didn’t like the book (hehe…I’m so contradictory). While I found Jose really annoying, the relationships she builds within the story was fun to watch unfold. She is the product of an Italian single family home and doesn’t know her father. That is until he appears unexpectedly into her life. I liked the honesty and upfront nature of the beginning of their relationship. Neither of them wants to give any false impressions to the other. Neither of them expects to bond and love like father and daughter.
The fact that their relationship could have been all angst-ridden and melodramatic, but was more playful kept with the light heartedness of the novel. She doesn’t go all clingy and consumed with abandonment issues. Instead, she constantly tries to annoy him with her smart mouth antics, like reciting poetry she knows he hates and making sarcastic comments (“Of course I like pizza, are you going to ask me if I like pasta next?”). Likewise, her father doesn’t let her walk all over him because he’s consumed with guilt. Instead, he listens to her problems without offering unsolicited advice and rides her rescue on several occasions. I enjoyed the slow build up of the relationship and loved their witty banter.
Then there’s Jacob Coote. Despite the terrible last name (cooties?), he is your typical hottie bad boy. He’s got violent tendencies, jealousy issues, a “devil may care” attitude and enough moodiness to give Jonah Griggs a run for his money. But he’s also deeply protective of Jose. They’re interactions are hilarious. Spoiler alert: there’s a scene much like when Logan Echolls rescues Veronica Mars from the evil clutches of JTT. Totally squeal worthy. Despite the Logan Echolls likeness, Jacob doesn’t seem…evolved enough to take on the lead man role. It was almost as if he’s an early model of Jonah Griggs (Jellicoe Road was written after this book).
But ultimately, the book is about growing up and finding herself, not so much a romantic love story. It covered some deep issues and did have bittersweet moments, though, it didn’t leave me feeling emotional eviscerated like other books I’ve read. Even if Jose is quite possibly the most annoying bint in the literary world, Looking for Alibrandi was a pretty good read.
~J~
Haha, while we share a brain on some things, this apparently was not one of them. Funny that you found her annoying. I just found her funny! Groovy! We still have a bit of our own personalities to ourselves! hehe!!
ReplyDelete