I loved Jaclyn Moriarty's Year of Secret Assignments, so I was super happy to pick up her first book, Feeling Sorry for Celia on remainder for under $2.
It's an epistolary novel set in the same area as YoSA. It consists of letters between Elizabeth (at the swank private school--the name escapes me) and Christina (at Brookfield, the public school a few blocks away). At first, of course, the letters are written under duress:
I'm only writing it because of Mr. Botherit. He's our new English teacher and he seems really upset that the Art of Letter Writing is lost to the Internet generation, so he's going to rekindle the joy of the ENVELOPE. Next he's going to bring in a club and a saber-toothed tiger and rekindle the joy of the STONE AGE.
The book is much more about Elizabeth than Christina. Elizabeth is training for a marathon, avoiding writing any essays for English class by writing letters to her teacher about why she shouldn't have to write essays, getting to know a boy named Saxon Walker, dealing with the fact that her best friend Celia has run away (again), and dealing with her father who abandoned her as a baby and who has come back to Australia for a year and expects her to spend lots of time together--as if everything has always been normal:
What are you supposed to say when your father says "let's go crazy"?
"All right then, Dad. Good idea. Let's."
I'm never sure whether he says this stuff because he's got some kind of disease from living in Canada which means you can't help saying lines from American movies, or because he thinks that's the way to communicate with teenagers. I have noticed him watching me very closely after he does it, as if he's expecting me to respond in some teenager-style way. Like give him a high five or something.
She and her mother hardly ever see each other--they mostly communicate by leaving notes on the fridge:
Mum,
I'm going to run over to Saxon Walker's place and we're going to train together. He's a guy from my school who catches my bus. He lives on Foxall Road. His mother's the local councilor so you probably met her when you did your rollerblading protest.
Love,
ElizabethELIZABETH!!!
WHO IS THIS SAXON WALKER? IS HE CAROLYN WALKER'S SON?
IF HE IS, HIS MOTHER IS A DEMON FROM HELL! WHATEVER YOU DO, STAY OUT OF THEIR HOUSE. IF YOU SEE HER IN THE DISTANCE, DON'T SMILE AT HER. JUST SCOWL.
She also receives frequent missives from groups like The Association of Teenagers, The Best Friends Club, THE COLD HARD TRUTH ASSOCIATION, The Society of Beautiful People, and The Society of Amateur Detectives.
If that all wasn't enough reason to love the book, she makes fun of Enid Blyton:
I think I read those books too, the ones about the circus and the girl standing on the horse? I think it was Enid Blyton, which my mum never wanted me to read, because the girl characters only get to have adventures if they cut their hair short and wish they could be boys. If a girl character keeps her hair long she has to stay home and clean the tree house while the boys find treasure on pirate ships.
It isn't laugh out loud funny like YoSA; it's smile-all-the-way-through funny. I can totally see why this book was a bestseller. Love her.
what are the themes for Feeling sorry for Celia? i really need to know!! but i loved the book! it was kinda wierd! but it was really really good book! just wondering wat the themes are for this book..hmm
Posted by: Schmily | 21 November 2005 at 05:08 AM
Friendship, family, coming-of-age. Pretty classic YA stuff, right?
Posted by: Leila | 21 November 2005 at 11:32 AM
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! it was so addictive, i couldn't put it down, not even for 5 minutes!!!! it's like a chick flick in book form!!! its great i recomend it to everyone. it is the best book i have ever read. i liked it better than ALL the HARRY POTTER books!!! i think it was great!!! people are deprved if they havent read it!! and if u have read it but didn't like it, WHAT'S WRONG WITH U????!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: kirsten | 26 November 2005 at 12:02 AM
You said it, lady! You should definitely read Year of Secret Assignments, too!
Posted by: leila | 26 November 2005 at 08:08 AM
i love your books they are all so great!!!..please write more books so i can buy them all!!! love Kelly
Posted by: kelly anne | 07 February 2006 at 10:33 PM
Hi can anyone give a description of a Elizabeth Clarry or Celia Buckley
It needs to have a good topic sentence, 5 to 7 support sentences and a Clincher/conclusion Thanks alot
you can email them to me at [email protected]
before the 18th of March will be great
Thankyou so much
Posted by: Dean | 15 March 2006 at 05:35 AM
Sorry, Dean. I'm not doing your homework. I've already done my time. Good luck, though.
Posted by: Leila | 16 March 2006 at 07:50 AM
Whats this Book all about? everyone seems to like it so much!!!
im thinking of getting this book for myself though if some can give me a 2 sentence brief explanation about this book i will get it Thanks
(everyone on this site says its great but i want to know whats it about because i like books that will interest me Thanks)
Posted by: Kate | 02 April 2006 at 12:20 AM
I have just started reading Feeling Sorry for Celia as an English Project, we have to make a movie trailer for it. Any ideas for what scenes/letters really, to act out and include????
Posted by: Erin | 29 April 2006 at 08:55 PM
Can anyone please tell me.. what the climax of the story is? and what the resolution was? Was there a time in the story?
Posted by: Amanda | 23 October 2006 at 12:48 PM
I liked this book, but found it repetitive (e.g Celia runs away 3 times). I thought that the style of writing could have varied, instead of the whole thing being told through letters. All in all I would give it 7/10.
Posted by: Christina Meyers | 26 February 2007 at 02:35 AM
Hey can you try and give me this book thank u
Posted by: modelyne | 29 November 2007 at 03:58 PM
Hey can you try and give me this book thank u
Posted by: modelyne | 29 November 2007 at 03:58 PM