Angela

The Gracey Trilogy #3

by James Moloney

Angela and Gracey were going to be "best friends forever" and make it into the same university as carefree first year students. But for Gracey, her Aboriginal heritage takes on a new significance. While Angela falls in love for the first time, Gracey is drawn into black politics and their friendship drifts apart.

Genres: Young Adult, School, Australia

221 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

My full name is James Francis Moloney and I was born in Sydney, Australia on 20 September, 1954. When I was seven years old, my family moved to Brisbane and except for the odd year or two, I have lived in Brisbane ever since. At school, I was into every sport going - cricket, footy, swimming - you name it. It's hard to believe now but in High School, I was a champion Long Jumper! After University I became a teacher and then a Teacher Librarian. I moved around from school to school and in 1977-8 found myself in Cunnamulla, a little "outback" town where many Indigenous Australians live. These turned out to be important years for my writing.

In 1980, I look a year's leave, stuffed a backpack full of clothes and went off to see the world. Got to do it, guys! There's so much out there, from things to uplift your spirit to things that make you question the humanity of your fellow man. I stepped over rotting dog carcasses in Mexico city, got all weepy in a roomful of Impressionist paintings and met some fascinating people. Hope you'll do the same one day.

1983 was another big year. I got married and started work at Marist College Ashgrove, an all-boys school in Brisbane, where I stayed for fifteen years. During this time, I became interested in writing for young people, at first using the ideas and experiences gained from my time in Cunnamulla, mixed in with the thinking and wondering I'd done overseas. After my early attempts were rejected, the first of my novels, Crossfire , was published in 1992.
In 1997, my fifth novel for young adults, A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove won the Australian Children's Book of the Year Award. At the end of that year, I decided to leave teaching and become a full time writer.

In the mean time, my wife and I have produced three great children, two of whom are currently studying at University. Photos of them to the right, along with my lovely wife, Kate, who has encouraged me along every step of the way.

Now that I have turned my hobby into my job, I have had to develop some other interests. For exercise, I go cycling along the bike paths around Brisbane. I'm also into great books, great food, movies, travelling, learning to speak French and I dabble in a little painting. In recent years Kate and I have spent an extended period in France, cycled through Vietnam and soon we will be off to the USA.

Reviews

[g33 · Rating 2 out of 5]

had to read for school but didnt even bother to buy the book after just reading a brief part of one of the chapters.
unnecessarily sexualized depictions of more or less both main characters.
the book somewhat has a plot tho i struggled to find any explanations to half the things that happened. kinda seems as if he wrote the book but didnt have a plot rewritten so he just wrote what he felt like and went along with what he came up on the go.
it at least was a very easy read so idk 2 Stars

[Shahed · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book has no plot and is exceedingly annoying and boring. Not to recommend.

[Bruce Wadd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third book of the Moloney trilogy is a little older than my normal interest level, but I needed to complete the series. From a unique perspective, Moloney explores ‘white privilege’, misunderstandings, broken relationship, racial tension, teenage angst, personal transformation and truth reveals in ways that only well written stories can. At times I found myself in tears, at other times offended or angry but pretty much all the time engaged. The conclusion was very fitting and for me opens up the pandoras box of complexity between ‘old times’ and new perspectives on Aboriginality. We as a nation have so much more to understand, to ask better questions and to listen much more broadly and deeply to times past. This book opens the door for plenty of self-reflection. Well written and a fitting conclusion to the trilogy.

[spider-man · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read this for skl but bro literally kissed her bsf and they got back tg like that wasn't a big deal?? Could see it was coming cuz they got SO CLOSE. Such a weird book but ig it was short and easy to read and understand? Now wish me luck on the essay I needa write on this 😭

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this trilogy and this finished it well. The ages of the characters reflected the ages of the readers I think. More adult themes and style than the other two. Worth the read.

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Moloney continues to wreck me with yet another fluid and distressing work.

[lilou⸆⸉ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t even finish it but it was just ass

[Mariele · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. Sorry, but no. I'm on page 50, and the book hasn't taken off for me, so I'm going to quit. I am currently looking for Australia-themed books with a strong socio-cultural aspect which are suitable for my 10th grade ESL class (English as a second language). This one seemed promising because it's a schoolbook edition... However, it's the third unsuited book that I've been reading lately, and I'm getting impatient. On page 50, there has been no noteworthy plot point. It's about two girls and their first few days at university. Yawn. Not exactly what I'm looking for. The Aboriginal theme takes too long to unfold. Also, the fact that it is told from a white girl's POV is not adding to the story. Perhaps it gets better later, but so far, it seems very construed and detailed in all the wrong places. It's just too boring to continue the read. I'm probably being terribly unfair and should give this book another try when I have more time to read for leisure, but I have not been very impressed, so this is not likely to happen.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this much more than Gracey. After Angela and Gracey graduate, they both find themselves at university in Brisbane. While Angela loves the uni lifestyle and finds herself falling in love with the sporty and lovely Jarred, Gracey battles to find her place, moving in with a group of Aboriginal students, struggling for money and attending rallies and public meetings. As Gracey becomes more aware of her aboriginality, this becomes a wedge between she and Angela, who cannot understand why it matters. Intertwined with stories of the stolen generation, this is very powerful and challenged how I see things too.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talented Gracey has graduated from boarding school, and with her best-friend Angela, begins life as a university student. She is encouraged by an older Aboriginal woman to read more about the struggle and re-establish her Murri links, but Angela, from whose viewpoint the story is told, feels Gracey risks losing all she has gained. This is a sequel to Dougy and Gracey.

[Mothwing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this with various ESL groups for their finals preparation. It's a nice and easy read, appropriate more for a middle grade audience rather than an A-Level one. It's still a vividly written novel that easily sparks conversation and gets people thinking and talking about such issues as minority stress, reconciliation, and racism.

[Marie-Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it for school, not the worst book I’ve ever read, but also not the best