.jpg) First edition | |
| Author | Melina Marchetta |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Marina Messiha |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult novel,bildungsroman |
| Publisher | Penguin Australia/Orchard Books |
Publication date | October1992 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 260 pp |
| ISBN | 0-531-30142-7 |
| OCLC | 39508243 |
| LC Class | PZ7.M32855 Lo 1999 |
| Followed by | Saving Francesca, 2003 |
Looking for Alibrandi is thedebut novel of Australian authorMelina Marchetta, published in 1992. Afilm adaptation of thesame name was made in2000, and a stage adaptation was commissioned and performed in 2022.
Josephine (nicknamed "Josie") Alibrandi, is anItalian-Australian teenager living inGlebe, an inner-west suburb inSydney, with her mother, Christina Alibrandi. Josie attends a Catholic girls high school where she is disillusioned with the cliques and social politics of her snobby peers. Her usually sophisticated, outspoken demeanour is challenged when she is overcome with the pressures of her final year of high school: thesuicide of her friend, John Barton, and meeting her estranged father, Michael Andretti, who is in Sydney on a business trip. She confides in a young man with a bad reputation, Jacob Coote, and they slowly develop a romantic relationship. This relationship, mirrored by the tumultuous relationship with her father, forms the centre complications of the novel as Josie tries to navigate through the complexities and hurdles she faces as a young adult.
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The world premiere of the playLooking for Alibrandi, based on the novel, was created and performed by thePACT Youth Theatre inSydney in 1995.[1] It sold out for three seasons, leading to the making of a film adaptation.[2]
The filmLooking for Alibrandi (2000) starredPia Miranda as Josephine Alibrandi,Anthony LaPaglia as her father, Michael Andretti, andKick Gurry as her boyfriend, Jacob Coote. Melina Marchetta wrote the screenplay.[3]
Playwright and comedianVidya Rajan created another stage adaptation of the novel, which was commissioned and directed by Stephen Nicolazzo in a production that played at theMalthouse Theatre inMelbourne in July 2022 and then at theBelvoir in Sydney in October.[4] In 2025, Nicolazzo, as director ofBrink Productions, re-staged the play for a 12-venue national tour, opening at theAdelaide Festival Centre on 22 May.[5]