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Rating: 
Summary: good book
Review: "Camilla" is one of the best novels I've ever read. I'm a fan of Madeleine L'Engle, who never seems to fail in capturing the essence of the teenage girl. This is a beautiful book about young Camilla Dickinson who is faced with problems in her family life. Escaping from the torment of her home, Camilla spends a lot of time with her best friend's brother, Frank. With him she is opened to a whole new world of experiences. It's amazing to see how Camilla transforms from an insecure teenage girl to a strong, intelligent young woman. Ms. L'Engle wrote this story wonderfully, and also advertises a lot of culture in it (Holst's 'Planets', Prokofiev). "Camilla" is a beautiful!
Rating:
Summary: Intricate and Intriguing
Review: Camilla Dickinson has never really had to worry about anything in her life. Everything has always been pretty perfect for her. That is, until her parents, whom had always been loving and trusting of each other, begin treating each other like complete strangers, and begin trying to buy her love. Camilla is confused and upset by their sudden change in personality, and feels helpless about what she can do. That is, until she meets Frank, her best friend's older brother. Frank helps Camilla to realize that she is not alone, and that she is an independent young woman, who needs to accept her parents, and their disagreements, for what they are.Being an avid fan of Madeline L'Engle, I just knew that I had to have this book. I couldn't be happier with making that purchase. I was amazed with this book from page 1. Camilla Dickinson is one of my favorite characters ever in a book. L'Engle has created a teenage girl whom everyone can love, and identify with. Someone who is going through something that many teenagers have to deal with everyday. Camilla is an empowering, and intelligent young woman, who will change the lives of every young woman who reads this book. You can't miss CAMILLA. A must-have for everyone. Young or old, male or female. Erika Sorocco
Rating:
Summary: Not only for children
Review: I am not a big fan of saying this is a "child's book" because I was not a child when I read this book. It is a timeless and ageless book, one for the entire family. If you haven't read it, you should, no matter how old you are. It has issues that everyone faces, whatever age you are.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Bildungsroman
Review: I've read "Camilla" during different stages in my life and have found new meaning in the novel each time. I have always loved the book for its rich imagery and descriptions of everything from New York's Central Park to a piano concerto by Prokofiev. I also love it for its strong protagonist, Camilla Dickinson, who can seem unbelievably perfect for a teenage girl. After all, she isn't just intelligent and sensitive, but she also has a sense of the cosmic and the beautiful. For instance, she reads the classics not because she is forced to at school but because she likes reading them. Another thing fascinating about the book is that each character has his or her own take on what Life is. These philosophies are great to take apart when analyzing each character's motivations. Madeleine L'Engle is good at writing books with many different characters because she can give each one a different take on Life (as she does here), on Death ("A Ring of Endless Light"), on Love ("A House Like a Lotus"), and on Existence and the Universe (any book in the Time Quartet). The plot is basically about how a young girl, in the course of a few weeks, becomes a young woman. The story is deeper and richer than that description, however. What makes "Camilla" stand out among other bildungsroman stories for young people is the fact that its protagonist's "growing pains" are less troubling and awful than usual, not because the author gave her a break, but because she had learned to cushion her fall into adulthood with a strong faith in the beauty and goodness in the Universe. If I could compare Camilla Dickinson to any other person, real-life or fictional, I would pick Anne Frank.
Rating: 
Summary: A Common Subject with Uncommon Attraction
Review: Just recently I finished the book, Camilla, by Madeleine L'Engle and although the topic of the story is a rather common one, I do have to admit that I simply could not put the book down at night-time, my usual reading hour. I remember it being two or three in the morning and I still had my eyes glued to each page. I know that, excepting a few others, I read most books quite slowly, trying to keep up with the story and making sure that I know what's going on, but with this one, I felt much different. I read faster than I thought that I ever could, so embraced in the story. I felt that if I put it down too soon, I would miss some of the best parts, but I soon found myself thinking, "Well, something new and exciting happens on every page, so if I put the book down too soon, I'm always guaranteed to miss something extraordinarily interesting." I soon found myself missing valuable hours of sleep simply to read this wonderful tale. I would highly recommend this story to any teenage girl or boy, mother, father, child, or others. I give this story 3 stars because of its unoriginal subject, but I can sure make an exception to read this exhilerating novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Being alive is to be happy
Review: This was one of the few books I had not read by Madeleine L'Engle. As usual, it was excellent. Camilla is the story of Camilla Dickinson, a 15 year old living in New York City, right before the Vietnam War. It was written in 1965, and it was probably one of the first "coming of age" books. In the story, Camilla learns her parents are not the infallible beings she thought they were. She learns of their mistakes, their infidelities, their coldness, and she must learn to love them because of that. Camilla begins to see Frank, her best friend's older brother. She must learn to deal with her friend's jealousy and she must learn to understand these new feelings she has for Frank. Ms. L'engle approaches the topics of suicide, life, love, and religion with her usual sensitivity. Camilla is a character the reader will grow to care about and admire as she finds a more adult footing in the world.
Rating:
Summary: Being alive is to be happy
Review: This was one of the few books I had not read by Madeleine L'Engle. As usual, it was excellent. Camilla is the story of Camilla Dickinson, a 15 year old living in New York City, right before the Vietnam War. It was written in 1965, and it was probably one of the first "coming of age" books. In the story, Camilla learns her parents are not the infallible beings she thought they were. She learns of their mistakes, their infidelities, their coldness, and she must learn to love them because of that. Camilla begins to see Frank, her best friend's older brother. She must learn to deal with her friend's jealousy and she must learn to understand these new feelings she has for Frank. Ms. L'engle approaches the topics of suicide, life, love, and religion with her usual sensitivity. Camilla is a character the reader will grow to care about and admire as she finds a more adult footing in the world.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully done...
Review: When I first picked up Camilla, I thought it would be just another teen romance with a happy ending and lots of fluffiness without much of a problem. I was very wrong. The book turned out to be much better than I had expected. Camilla, a fifteen year-old girl, is dealing with many problems. Her mother and father are having problems with their marraige. She becomes very good friends with her best friend, Luisa, brother. This makes Camilla and Luisa get in numerous fights. And she has trouble accepting herself as an adult. The characters are well devoloped, and there is never any unecessary dialogue. The dialogue is in itself very beautiful if you look at the meanings. Camilla, indeed, is a book not to be missed by anyone.
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