Review: Gracie Faltrain Takes Control by Cath Crowley

Gracie Faltrain Takes Control by Cath Crowley
(Gracie Faltrain #2)
Reviewed by Noelle and Maggie: March 15, 2012
Published March 1, 2006 by Pan Macmillan Australia
Goodreads • Buy at Fishpond 


Gracie is back and...going through some growing pains.  She is facing new bruising competition on the soccer field, Jane has gone radio silent, Alyce needs a serious social intervention and then there's that problem of Martin's mom staying MIA....Gracie won't be sitting on the sidelines for this one.  She's got the solutions to everyone's problems, whether they know it or not!

Noelle: Thank goodness for the final book in this series' title or else I would have completely bit off all of my fingernails reading this installment! Gracie is the same lovable, exasperating, headstrong, force to be reckoned with she was in The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain but cranked up to a million.  I loved how Cath Crowley made Gracie such a TEENAGER with the selfishness and self-centeredness of adolescence and the good intentions of someone who thinks they have it all figured out.  The way Gracie's problems and solutions took precedent over any other viewpoints was perfect teenage tunnel-vision. Doesn't everyone know it all at age 16?  But boy, did Gracie run that fine line of the end justifying the means (at full-speed dribbling a soccer ball)!

Maggie: She was a total steamroller, but with the best intentions! That's the part I really related to. Like, she adores Alyce, who is now her best friend, and wants other people to love her too. AT ALL COSTS. Even Alyce's. I totally saw Gracie and Alyce as the Grade 11 version of Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins from Parks and Recreation. Alyce likes a boy?

Gracie has been playing with and against the boys since she was in Grade 7, so I understood how her me-against-the-world mentality seeped into all aspects of her life. I loved the dynamic between Gracie and her nemesis, Annabelle.

Noelle: Exactly! You still root for Gracie because even when you're reading from behind your fingers out of second-hand embarrassment, you know her domineering decision making is coming from a good place.  You can't look away even though you know it might get ugly.  I love how Gracie's misguided meddling just multiplied until you just knew that when the other shoe dropped it would register on the Richter scale.  And did it ever.  Once I saw that Gracie wouldn't be able to escape the aftermath unscathed I was so excited to see her character growth.

Maggie: I think if you went through the status updates of everyone who read this book, you'd see the exact moment (32%) where everyone goes, "Noooooooooo!" It's like the part in Knife of Never Letting Go -- you know which part.

Noelle:  I honestly never expected Ness-like stress levels in a Gracie Faltrain book! I was so unprepared.

Maggie: I think that's also the make or break moment for people reading this book. The ratings are all over the place, and even with us, you gave it 3.5 stars whereas I gave it 5.

Noelle: I went back and forth between 3.5 stars and 4 stars for almost a week after reading it.   I think I was almost overly invested in Gracie as a character because I took some of her decisions so personally that I had trouble forgiving her even though I understood why she did it. 

Maggie: I love that Cath Crowley took Gracie there, to the point of nearly being unforgivable because it felt real and true to Gracie's character. She needs to touch the hot stove to know not to touch it.

Noelle: After reading the final book and loooooving it, I value what happened in this installment so much more. The effect is so worth the cause in this case.  In the end, I decided to round up and give Gracie Faltrain Takes Control 4 stars.  I'm really interested in seeing what you think of the final book of the series, Maggie.

Maggie: I can't wait. I'm trying to hold off -- okay, hold off a little at least -- because after this, I'll have read every book Crowley has written. And there isn't a release date set for Howling Boy yet. I love Gracie's world though. We haven't even discussed Martin yet! Martin is seriously in my Top 5 crushes. What made this book 5 stars for me was that all the actions, however unlikable, felt true to the characters. I can't wait to see where the story goes in Book 3. ....................................... Okay, held off enough. Starting now.

Rating: 
Noelle gave it 4/5 stars
Maggie gave it 5/5 stars

Review: The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain by Cath Crowley

The Life and Times of Gracie Faltrain by Cath Crowley
(Gracie Faltrain #1)
Reviewed by Maggie: January 31, 2012
Published March 1, 2004 by Pan Macmillan Australia
Goodreads • Buy at Fishpond


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 supremacy on the field over her teammates. This is usually where the standard "No I in team" speech comes, but Cath Crowley gives us something better: Martin Knight. 

Martin Knight is the captain and Gracie's sole supporter on the team. The first time a timid, young Gracie approaches the team, he tells her, "Stick with me, Faltrain." This is where I turned into a puddle of goo. Every time Martin says something I turn into goo, but Gracie, of course, just rolls her eyes and then averts them to another guy who may be a jerk. 

Nick. As if. 

It wouldn't be a Crowley book without kooky, slight-to-moderately dysfunctional parents. Gracie's parents have the most awesome meet-cute ever, but Gracie's dad has been away on business for awhile, longer than necessary now that she thinks about it, and things don't seem so cute anymore. 

Then, in addition to team and family tension, Gracie's BFF is moving to London. She's without her support system as she has the most hilariously horrible date ever.

It involves a tongue in the ear.

I loved Gracie & co. and I really liked this book. I wouldn't say it's on the same level as Graffiti Moon, but overall, it was a solid, enjoyable, funny read, let alone a debut! I just adore the way Cath Crowley writes. Some of my favorite quotes:

He looks like he wants to stuff what he's just said back in his mouth and swallow. I catch a tiny glimpse of his home life, scattered around us like little crumbs of sadness.

I've got a fist in my stomach; whenever I open my mouth it punches out at anyone who gets in my way.

The two best quotes are at the end, but they're a little spoilery so I didn't include them. It may involve a tongue in the ear. 

Verdict: 4/5 stars and a hundred SQUEES!