Do You like book Feeling Sorry For Celia (2002)?
HERE IS A REVIEW!!!! RIGHT HERE ON YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN!!! Like the other Jaclyn Moriarty book I read recently (Finding Cassie Crazy), this is written in epistolary format and includes letters, the backs of postcards, and random notes. The notes from Elizabeth’s mother were probably my favorite bits as they all started in a similar way to how I started this review (HERE IS A NOTE!!! RIGHT NEXT TO THE REFRIGERATOR!!! ) and her mother would give her topics to think on and/or discuss—what she thinks of purple nail polish, what a catchy slogan could be for a product, or thoughts on socks. (I have a lot of thoughts on socks and have, on numerous occasions, been accused (rightly) of stealing socks from my roommates. I practice the old “sibling rule” that if you leave it in my room, it becomes mine.) Liz’s mother cracked me up--“I hope you feel better today. Please ring me at work if you are dead."Because I read one other Ashbury High book before this one, I can’t help but compare and I enjoyed Finding Cassie Crazy more. The humor was more consistent and I found myself more invested in each of the relationships. The tone here felt more serious and, while I did find much of it humorous, those moments were further apart. (how many times can I say the word ‘more’?) Rather than focusing on a group of friends and their pen pals, Feeling Sorry for Celia catalogs the formation of one friendship (Liz and her pen pal Christina) while Liz is simultaneously having trouble in her relationship with her best friend Celia. I had a hard time with Celia’s character because she was flighty and (overly) adventurous. I see how Celia’s home situation contributed to her wanderlust but it doesn’t mean that I think she’s a good friend to Liz. The developing friendship between Liz and Christina was lovely, as they both supported each other from the get-go and actually cared what was going on in the other’s life. Celia seemed like one of those friends you dread calling because they will just ramble on about their life and never ask you about how you’re doing. My friend and I were talking the other day about authors we adore enough to read everything they ever write. I think Jaclyn Moriarty is a kindred spirit. (Anne with an ‘e’ would definitely think so) She is funny, her characters are endearing, and she is successful at wring epistolary YA. Keep doing it, JM, and I will keep buying and reading everything you write. In fact, I have the two remaining Ashbury/Brookfield books already lined up.
—Flannery
I was initially wary of this book in much the same way I was wary of Guitar Highway Rose. Even though I LOVED GHR, it still wasn't the sort of book I normally read and I thought maybe its beauty was just a fluke. I was convinced that a novel made completely up of exchanged letters, messages hastily stuck in fridge doors and notes passed around was going to be too lightweight… but this novel changed my mind when halfway through, it took my heart and cracked it in half.Feeling Sorry for Celia is about Elizabeth and her revelations of friendship with the aforementioned Celia to her new penpal Christina when her English class is forced to write letters in order to save this dying art form. I have to say, this is the most quirky "triangle" I have seen in YA and it makes me think that Jaclyn Moriarty has an agenda herself - to save the dying art form of the "original novel".Simply said, I love this book. I thought it was going to be a girly-girly book and in a way it is, but in the best way possible. It's a very young hearted and playful and as opposed to being twee, is counter-balanced by Jaclyn Moriarty 's amazing sense of humour, full of sharp and dark wit. When you look below the surface, there's also a lot of dark things happening, least of them being these really snarky and neurotic letters sent by imaginary societies inside the protagonists head and addressed to her Self Esteem.The clincher for me is how Moriarty balances all these components together until it is just right. Not too deep and dark, just the right amount of sweet optimism and heart-tugging. "Bittersweet" as the book's blurb describes itself is right on the money.It feels like reading and seeing little snippets of people's lives as they flash on by... and the author has somehow managed to hinge the whole thing onto a traditional novel format, with a plot, character development, climax and resolution. If this was an installation in a museum, I would marvel at the intricacies.I love the little things, like how we don't get to find out why her mum writes these crazy questions to Elizabeth until we find out later what her mother does for a living. Little glimpse that provide revelations like that sure does tickle Shirley's fancy.Occasionally, the novel pushes the humour a little too far (even for my liking) until it becomes more farcical than humorous. Oh and the ending is a little bit too "Sandy's Makeover at the end of Grease" for me, but apart from that, a lovely fresh novel.Not as powerful a juggernaut as say The Book Thief or Jasper Jones or On The Jellicoe Road, but this deserves a rightful place on the "Contemporary Aussie YA Classics" shelf. I would champion it for sure.I'll definitely try out her other novels now, especially if I've heard correctly and they have overlapping characters. I love a crossover!This review also appears on my blog Books On Marrs
—Shirley Marr
Full review at http://yannabe.com/2009/06/06/review-...Summary: Elizabeth Clarry’s best friend just ran away to join the circus, and her absentee father suddenly wants to spend quality time with her. So when Elizabeth’s English teacher starts a pen pal program with another school, she has a lot to say.Review: I had a blast reading this hilarious book. Here’s a little snippet for you: Mum, I’m going to run over to Saxon Walker’s place and we’re going to train [for the 10K:] 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, Elizabeth *** Elizabeth!!! 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. Love, Mum *** Mum, It’s too late. Saxon and I went for a run together and then he invited me back to his place for coffee. His mother was quite polite for a demon from hell and she gave me a piece of carrot cake. I didn’t scowl at her at all. You always said before that I should smile and say thank you to my friends’ mothers. You are giving me confused and contradictory messages. Love, ElizabethSo after this book and Jellicoe Road and Saving Francesca, I’ve decided I want to become Australian. They’re a funny lot. Or if they won’t have me, I would settle for being British like the marvelous Jenny Valentine. (btw, if you know anything about the process for changing one’s nationality, please let me know!)This book was a perfect depiction of the push/pull a teenage girl feels between letting herself get excited about something (like a cute boy paying attention to her) and thinking she’s not good enough for it.And the ending was brilliant.
—Kelly