osephine Alibrandi, a Catholic girl, narrates the novel in her final year of High school. She attends St Martha's, a wealthy catholic school in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Her academic scholarship ensures her place at the school as she is not as well off as the population of largely wealthy Anglo-Celtic girls that attend the school. Her Italian origin has been the reason for much persecution toward her in her life. Her background against the monied …showed first 75 words of 1539 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1539 total…would like to be in love with John and to have people look at her with envy, however it is Jacob that she is attracted to. Her discovery helps her to realise who her true friends are. Josie does learn later in the novel that she is the most popular girl in the school after she is votes school captain. This comes as a shock as her social standing was something that she worried about.