The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain (Gracie Faltrain, #1)

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The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain (Gracie Faltrain #1)

by Cath Crowley (Goodreads Author)

3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 · rating details · 124 ratings · 14 reviews

Gracie Faltrain is doing fine. Her soccer team is off to the national championships, she's just about to capture the boy of her dreams and she's well on the way to being 'in' at school. But Gracie is about to learn that life is not always fair.

First her best friend Jane leaves the country. Then there's an unfortunate event involving her tongue and her dream-boy's ear, whic...more

Paperback, 233 pages

Published March 1st 2004 by Pan MacMillan Australia

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Jun 25, 2012 Shirley Marr rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shirley by: oliviasbooks

Shelves: aussie-ya

So here we have it – Cath Crowley’s first novel, The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain, published in 2004. This is where the magic began! This is what started the almost decade-long journey to the penultimate (at this point in time, anyway) Graffiti Moon! So what is this book like? Is it something to be gaped at, celebrated and preserved for all time like Shakespeare’s House? Or is it a piece of dirty laundry that Cath Crowley wished she could hide in the back of her drawer of smalls and rather...more

16 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Janina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: athletes, from-down-under, young-adult-fiction, contemporary, on-my-kindle, alternating-pov, mean-girls, read-in-2012, best-friends-falling-in-love, series-finished

Read in one night. Gracie is a heroine hard to love at the beginning, but she definitely grows and matures throughout the book. This is not only her story, but also her parents', her friends' and sometimes her enemies' ... Cath Crowley shows her talent with words in her debut - maybe not as colourfully as in Graffiti Moon - and there were lots of quotes I wanted to write down and remember. As I didn't have a pen on me, I'll now try to hunt them down here. I can't deny I expected a bit more from...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 03, 2012 oliviasbooks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to oliviasbooks by: I did.

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, author-from-down-under, favorites, cry-a-little, debut, favorites-of-2012, high-expectations, laugh-a-little, beautiful-writing, problem-focused, stays-with-me, multiple-povs-letters, hug-them-lick-them-favorites

“ALYCE: 'Gracie's got brown hair, like me. She's about the same height, too. People notice her. I think it's her voice. It's always louder than you expect and covered with laughter.
I was surprised when she said she didn't want to work with me. I don't know Gracie very well, but I remember once in Year 3 she gave me an invitation to her party. She spelt my name right. Everyone always spells it with an 'i', even the teachers. Ever since then I thought she would be nice. I never thought she'd look...more

13 likes · like · see review

Jan 31, 2012 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aussie-aussie-aussie-oi-oi-oi, debut-novels, 2012, i-ve-just-read-you-and-i-love-you, aussie-2012, a-z-book-2012, crushworthy-guys

I love reading debut novels. They're like the origins story of my superheroes -- authors. Cath Crowley wrote two of my favorite reads last year: A Little Wanting Song and Graffiti Moon. In her debut novel, The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain, you see the beginning of her style with multiple, alternating points of view of irresistible characters.

First, you have Gracie. Kickass soccer superstar on an all boys team. The problem isn't that she knows this, the problem is she knows it and lords her...more

8 likes · like · see review

Nov 15, 2011 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review of all three books: 'The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain', 'Gracie Faltrain Takes Control' and 'Gracie Faltrain Gets it Right'.

World, meet Gracie Faltrain. She’s in year 10, is her school’s soccer superstar and the renegade girl who plays on the boy’s team. Gracie is a phenomenal player, because when she’s on the field she grows wings and never misses a goal. But she plays for herself. She doesn’t pass or share the glory – when Gracie Faltrain plays, she plays to win, and nobody better...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 23, 2012 Sally rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: school, ya, australian, sports, friendship, place-melbourne

Oh dude, I enjoyed this SO much! :D It was just so wonderfully Australian, and had the feel of so many wonderful kids' TV shows I grew up watching... I really think the ABC should jump on the Gracie Faltrain wagon asap! I'd watch that!!

The style was fun as well, with loads of different narrators - sometimes they'd be back and forth-ing with just one line each, like a conversation. (Which was odd when you think about it, like some parts were written privately and some were shared around? But it w...more Oh dude, I enjoyed this SO much! :D It was just so wonderfully Australian, and had the feel of so many wonderful kids' TV shows I grew up watching... I really think the ABC should jump on the Gracie Faltrain wagon asap! I'd watch that!!

The style was fun as well, with loads of different narrators - sometimes they'd be back and forth-ing with just one line each, like a conversation. (Which was odd when you think about it, like some parts were written privately and some were shared around? But it was fun, so whatever.) At first I felt like there were perhaps too many narrators, but then I guess I became used to it. At first I felt I'd have preferred it if the only voices had been from the kids, without Gracie's parents thrown into the mix as well - it was a bit odd to have an adult POV or two jumping into a teen book like that, but then thinking about it, it's a pretty unique idea to actually bring the adults into things so much... Usually, parents are just left as cardboard cut-outs that you only see from the outside. Bringing them in too gives the novel a slightly more mature feel, like trusting the readers to not just be little kids but to be more sensible and appreciative that things are deeper than just what you see on the surface.

Gracie's a fun character, too. She's not perfect and sometimes you want to shake her, but she's very real and engaging. (view spoiler) All of the cast were fun to read, although gee Nick is a bit of a douche, and Annabelle just plain made me mad - the bit where Gracie relates about a time when Annabelle fell off the swing and blamed Gracie, and then on the next page you have Annabelle - who is now ten or eleven years older than when the swing incident occurred! - mentioning about the time Gracie pushed her off the swing and then lied about it... oh my god, all the hate in the world for that girl! I have a deep loathing for people who tell lies, and then try and make out that the other person is in fact the liar.

Okay, getting away from horrible Annabelle... loved this book, want the rest of the series NOW. Cath Crowley is my new hero. I feel like I'm in year 10 again myself or something and reading about a regular Melbourne chick and I love it :D

ALSO! I like how there was a bit of romance, but not terribly much. This isn't a romance novel. (view spoiler)(less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Zenia rated it 4 of 5 stars

My mum gave me this book at least a year ago. She and my sister had both read it some time before and they thought, since I am now a teenager, that I would be interested. At the time I had just finished reading The Hunger Games triliogy, and looking at the cover - a girl playing soccer - I thought, 'I'm never going to read this...ever.'. But I forgot: Don't judge a book by it's cover...ever.

So I was suprised, after the first couple of pages (yes, I did start reading it...as a break from my para...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Carla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Carla by: Maggie

Shelves: aussie-ya, queen-of-ya, forever-love, goin-to-the-chapel, lolarious

There is something pretty special about reading the debut novel of one of your favourite authors, it's almost like you're getting a glimpse at the roots of their talent; you can see where everything that come after has stemmed from and how much they've grown as a writer. And Gracie Faltrain is no exception. I was almost giddy with infatuation, just getting to read Cath's first published novel with the knowledge of what her writing style and execution has evolved into.

Gracie is the only girl on a...more There is something pretty special about reading the debut novel of one of your favourite authors, it's almost like you're getting a glimpse at the roots of their talent; you can see where everything that come after has stemmed from and how much they've grown as a writer. And Gracie Faltrain is no exception. I was almost giddy with infatuation, just getting to read Cath's first published novel with the knowledge of what her writing style and execution has evolved into.

Gracie is the only girl on an all boys (duh) soccer team and she rocks it. She is a badass super talented player and the team would be nothing without her. And she knows it. To put it bluntly, she is an insufferable hot head who likes to flaunt her talent and undeniable skill over every player on the field. Let the BFF charms rain down on her inflated head because I LOVE YOU GRACIE. Even when I wanted to give you a sharp kick in the shins because girl makes some really questionable decisions. She is pushy and doesn't know what the back the hell off but she is quite possibly my favourite Crowley girl, and not just because she could introduce me to Martin Knight, but because she is authentic and annoying and all kinds of amazing.

Martin Knight. 'Stick with me, Faltrain' MARTIN KNIGHT.

I know what you're thinking 'a book about soccer? lolololol what is this, Bend it like Beckham?' I am going to sound really cliche here and say, this isn't a book about soccer. Sure, soccer has a really major part in the plot and is instrumental to the story line BUT this is a Cath Crowley book. She can make a soccer flying through the air sound like poetry. She has a way with words that with bamboozle your mind and boggle your senses. Told through multiple narratives, we switch from Gracie to members of her soccer team to her parents. YES, her parents and let me tell you, I gulped them down like they was water and I was dying of thirst in the desert.

To say this is a debut novel is mind bending. Crowley crafts a story about soccer that isn't really about soccer at all. The intricacies of her character development and a fast paced plot line full of hilarious incidents and the FUNNIEST date in the history of all the books ever, make this a debut that I hope everyone has a chance to experience. (less)

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Mar 14, 2012 Tara Calaby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sport, ya-fiction, australian-ya, friendships, family, romance, absent-parents, mental-illness, divorce, the-quest-for-popularity

After feeling a little disappointed by Graffiti Moon, I was pleased to spot The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain in my local library, because I had enjoyed Cath Crowley's style while not really appreciating the subject matter of Graffiti Moon as much as I could. Luckily, The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain is far more my sort of book, combining as it does my favoured realistic YA subjects of friendship, family and a smidge of romance with a sport-based plot.

The Life and Times of Gracie Faltr...more After feeling a little disappointed by Graffiti Moon, I was pleased to spot The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain in my local library, because I had enjoyed Cath Crowley's style while not really appreciating the subject matter of Graffiti Moon as much as I could. Luckily, The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain is far more my sort of book, combining as it does my favoured realistic YA subjects of friendship, family and a smidge of romance with a sport-based plot.

The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain is a lot shorter than it looks, due to Crowley's interesting use of extremely short chapters at time. The novel is told from the first person perspectives of most of the characters mentioned in it, including Gracie's parents. Usually, this is a fun way of exploring the plot from multiple viewpoints, but it does feel a little jarring when the characters respond to what other characters have written as this only happens a couple of times with the characters mostly remaining unaware of what other people are thinking about a situation.

Crowley's use of so many perspectives allows her to include my favourite aspect of this novel – Gracie's parents' thoughts on her and their relationship with each other and as a family. It's an insight that is so rarely found in books for younger readers and while there's a possibility that a section of Crowley's audience will be uninterested in what it reveals, I actually thought that it was great for a book to talk about the feelings behind family break-ups, rather than just the feelings experienced by children once they occur. We're still shown Gracie's intense pain at what's going on in her family (and her denial of it and how these feelings influence her on-field performance), but the book goes beyond that, making it better. Similarly, conflicting accounts of events through Gracie's and Annabelle's eyes show that Gracie isn't always an infallible narrator when it comes to her behaviour.

Because Gracie is flawed – very much so. The way she plays soccer for the majority of the book will grate for any player or lover of team sports. She's completely caught up in her own struggles and her own feelings and due to this she sometimes ends up treating the people around her very poorly. At no sense do you feel like she's not a good person, but at some points she is very frustrating! She grows as the book continues, however, which is just what a protagonist should do.

I very much enjoyed The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain and was glad I gave Cath Crowley's work another chance. I'll definitely look up more of her books.

You can find more of my reviews at taracalaby.com(less)

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Aug 12, 2010 Keely rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love the series. The last one was the best. I just keep reading them becasue i love soccer and would love to play for the matlidas :)

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Jul 22, 2009 Ella rated it 5 of 5 stars

i thought the whole series was really good, it kept me reading. I also liked them because they were based on soccer

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Feb 01, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: australia, geo-restrictions-suck, fun-reads, read-in-feb-2012

Tell me again why this isn't published in the US? Seems like it would do well. A funny, charming novel that is actually about sports and family. Good stuff.

(Also, this is the sort of book I'd hoped Catching Jordan would be.)

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Oct 21, 2010 Lily rated it 4 of 5 stars

loved it

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Jun 09, 2008 Tilli rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good book, its got a good meaning on top of embarassing situations

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About Cath Crowley

Author of A Little Wanting Song (Chasing Charlie Duskin), Graffiti Moon and the Gracie series. Am living in Melbourne and writing my next book. You can also find me at cathcrowley.com.au

More about Cath Crowley...

Books by Cath Crowley

Gracie Faltrain Gets It Right (Finally) (Gracie Faltrain, #3)

Gracie Faltrain Takes Control (Gracie Faltrain, #2)

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Quotes from The Life and Times of ...

“I'm always looking for what will make me whole. What will make me happy? Somewhere along the way I started to think it wasn't Helen anymore. She hasn't changed. Her laugh is still the one I remember. Her finger is still the one I put the ring on all those years ago. I can't understand why I don't want to curve next to her, keep her back warm anymore. Surely you don't lose love like keys?” — 9 people liked it

“How can I explain to her that I just can't come home? It's too soon, it's too late; I do want to be with Helen every second of the day but at the same time I don't want to be with her at all. I want to have back what I felt at the beginning. I could no more leave her then than leave my arms or legs.
How do you find the beginning, though? There are no roads or signs. You start to doubt it even exists. The hardest thing isn't deciding that I want to go back to when Helen and Gracie and I were us. The most difficult thing is finding the map to get there.” — 3 people liked it

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The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain (Gracie Faltrain #1)

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