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Feeling Sorry for Celia : A Novel

Feeling Sorry for Celia : A Novel

List Price: $12.95
Your Price: $9.71
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Feeling Sorry for...Elizabeth
Review: Feeling Sorry For Celia; a Novel, written by Jaclyn Moriarty, was SUCH a good book! I wish that there was more to read! Every event in this book made me excited. For example, letters between Christine and Elizabeth (which was a main reason why I kept reading the book), her crush on Saxon which turned out to be Saxon in love with Celia, the letters between her mother and her, basically, everything! Elizabeth's relationships with each character was unique. When I started to read about her "best-friend" relationship with Celia, I was wondering how they ever were friends to begin with? They are so different. I was so happy when they went their separate ways because Celia, personally, was driving me nuts! When Celia went out with Saxon after all the trouble Elizabth went through to find her, made me so mad! Isn't a best friend supposed to be there for you and know when you are troubled? And after all the times Elizabeth went to her house to make sure she was okay! It just aggravates me. Anyway, I was so glad that that relationship, somewhat, ended. I really liked Christine. Although, during the beginning of the book, I wasn't sure if it would all work out. But I was happy it did. It was as if Christine should have been her best friend all along. They totally understood each other and treated each other with love and compassion. I mean, Christina was more appreciative of Elizabeth rescuing Celia than Celia was! I was happy when they met and became such good friends!
I really loved this book! And I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Re Read Favorite!
Review: I get this book out of the library about once a month and re-read it. That's how much I love it! I never tire of it, and I get something new out of it in each of the retelling. I want a guy like the one Elizabeth gets in the end. He says she looked like an elvin princess, I mean...how sweet!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A worthwhile teen novel....
Review: There are a lot of novels for Teens(especially teen girls), but few of them are actually worth reading, like any genre of books, or anything in life. However, Feel Sorry for Celia, is one of those few books actually worth picking up. Its cynical, its witty, its funny, its heart warming, real yet fantastical in a way, either way it stays totally true to its teenage characters, and they seem like real people. Something I've only seen truely sucessfully pulled off in one other series "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and I've read many teen novels, though Vampire Kisses is pretty good, and so are the Princess Diaries. This is one of those books that shows all the sides of the character and makes them likeable, even when they are mopey and complaining. Haha :D

Surprizingly enough, when I first saw "Feeling Sorry for Celia" is was an exceprt in "17 magazine", and I went to the library to get the book. And the funny thing is, I had know idea what was going on when I read the excerpt, I thought it was someone real talking!!! haha! But then I got the book, and needless to say I didn't like it. That was about 2yrs ago. The thing that got me to this book a go again, oddly enough, was that the second installment just came out. And I put it on hold at my library, so I HAD to read this one. Odlly enough, I don't know WHY I put it on hold either... Hmmm Secret Desire? Who knows...

Anyways, so I started reading it, it was a little depressing at first. I mean this girl Elizabeth Clarry, her friend Celia's run away for the ZILLIONTH time, but this time she hasn't even bothered to right Elizabeth or call her. She's doing bad in school, she went skiing with her dad and has THE WORST sun burn!! And the book starts out with a letter from the "Association of Teenagers" that tells her to go hid in the fridgerator because she is a discrace to teenagerdom.

The thing that turned me off from this book was the way it is written. It is written ENTIRELY in letters, notes, postcard, faxes, ect. It really confused me when I first tried to read it(I was 17yrs at the time). But now, I pick it up and I was able to understand it, and I COULDN'T put it down.! Its just really exciting. It reminds me a lot of a friendship I've had for the last 8yrs. Its been a little like Elizabeth's and Celia's, only she's NOT a flighty flake like Celia. hehe

Basically, this book is one of the best portraits of a teeneager and her feelings that I have read in a while. It is really honest, it really feels like its coming from a REAL person, and NOT trying to be all funny(ie. Princess Diairies and the Georgia Nicholson books), it just is funny. I have felt basically all the things Elizabeth feels in this book, I know exactly how she's feeling, I've been through those teenage years, haha they can suck majorly sometimes, but I think in a way, I'll miss them. :)

Anyways, if you're looking for something to lift you up and maybe make you feel a bit better or more at ease with your own awkward teenage years, or you have a fond rememberance of teenage years, or forgotten what its like, I suggest getting "Feeling Sorry for Celia" today!!!

God Bless & ENJOY ~Amy

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Definately a MUST read
Review: This book was definately one of the best ones I have ever read.
The language is simple and funny and the characters are easy to relate to.

The most interesting thing about this book is that the whole book is written in notes and letters, so you don't actually have a narrators, it sounded confusing to me at first but as I started reading it, I could not put it down and finished it in about two days.

The events that occur are completely random and unpredictable which makes this book more interesting and I think it's perfect for teenage girls that like to write notes/letters to their friends.

I definately suggest this book!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Just not my thing
Review: I really didn't enjoy this book. It was hard to follow, and I couldn't really relate. It just didn't flow.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Fun Teens Novel to Read*
Review: I've just finished Feeling Sorry for Celia not long ago, and I have to say that this is one of the best and unique teen novels I've ever read. The author, Jaclyn Moriarty, has done an excellent job, she tells the story mostly in letters, postcards, and memos, which I thought would be boring at first. But as I keep on reading, this book is totally different than what I imagine, I actually liked it. The letters in this novel were like a way the characters communicate to each other. In this novel, Elizabeth Clarry is a bit stubborn and unique teenager who refuses to do her homework that was assigned, but she's is clever in terms of life. Her mom understands her, but she's never around at home quite a lot so they talk by letters on the refrigerator every single day. Through an English class she then meets a stranger pen pal, Christina, who Elizabeth talks with about everything ( friends, family, boys, etc.).Elizabeth even talks about her unpredictable and crazy best friend, Celia, who always runs away from home and loves to be disappeared. Christina then is there for Elizabeth to listen and help her solve Celia's mental problem. As time passes by, Celia and Elizabeth seem to be apart and not as close anymore, but Christina and Elizabeth are becoming real best friends instead. Throughout the book, there are letters from different fake organizations like one which is " The Association of Teenagers", who seems to accuse Elizabeth that she's an incredibly bad at being a teenager and so on. These letters shows how the author has a unique style from the others, and the characters in this book are so full of life and I can just feel that. It includes lots of cliff hangers which made me not wanting to put the novel down and keep reading on and on. The book makes me believe that this story is true and it's fun to read. I was laughing towards the end and was happy for Elizabeth, too. It is a great book for someone who doesn't like reading heavy and thick book, including me, and wanting to read something lighter and has a lot of humor in it. I then would want to recommend this quick reading teen novel to anybody who likes reading book about teenagers and learn more about how they deal with their exploring life.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent Girl Novel
Review: Feeling Sorry for Celia
by Jaclyn Moriarty, St. Martin's Griffin, 2000
276 pp., $..., ISBN 0-312-28736-4

reviewed by Beatrice Tok, Grade 8
The Bullis School, Potomac, Maryland

How does a teen deal with all the confusing details of life? No one knows better than Elizabeth Clarry, a young teenage girl who has to cope with her complicated life. Her best friend, Celia, disappears way too often; her mother communicates with her through notes left on the fridge; her runaway father is encouraging more father-daughter time. The strangest thing of all is that her newest friend is another teenager she has never even met.
I loved reading Feeling Sorry for Celia. It was so funny and captivating. Jaclyn Moriarty has written an amazing novel all in the form of letters, postcards, and small notes. Some of them are from Elizabeth's friends and her mom, but a great number of them are from imaginary organizations like The Association of Teenagers and the Society of Amateur Detectives. Their notes are full of "helpful" advice for poor Elizabeth, who doesn't need them bothering and pestering her every time she goofs up. She can barely survive on her own.
The one thing I did not like in this story was that the letter, postcards, and small notes did not give details on everything that happened. They don't tell everything the characters did. The only good thing about them was how they expressed the letter writer's emotions when they were written.
I would recommend this book to all teenage and soon-to-be teenage girls who love to read girl novels. I think that parents should read this book to gain prospective on how difficult teenagers' lives can be. This is a fast, fun read, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well-Done Teen Novel
Review: Feeling Sorry for Celia is a very well done teen novel, one which certainly should appeal to those who haven't seen those years in a while, but still enjoy reading about them. The novel, which concerns high school student Elizabeth Clarry, is told entirely in letters, a construct that works naturally here. Elizabeth is an aspiring long distance runner who (like most teens) feels that somehow she doesn't fit in. Her best friend, Celia has disappeared (again), her father has reappeared on the scene, Elizabeth has discovered a boy on her school bus and found a new pen pal friend from across town as part of an English project. The novel is warm and amusing. It's not quite as sophisticated as Sloppy Seconds, as an example, but is still quite fun. Enjoy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AMAZING BOOK!
Review: I loved this book !! I'm the kind of person who goes into a library or book store and picks out the brightest coloured book she can see. Yep, I got me this one !! Read it as a book club with your best friend, its so fun. :D I would reccommend it !

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: AMAZING! ONE OF MY FAVES!
Review: This book is definately one of the best I've ever read and believe me I've read a lot. Despite the fact that it alcked the suicidal insanity I usually crave in books (What can I say? I love depressing psyche books) this is still one of my top two faves. I definately love the message that this book gives (although I wont explain it here since it spoils the book) I also love the narration of this book, as its told in letters form such funny organizations. This book has some really deep messages in it with a lot of laughs along the way so definately read it!


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