Feeling Sorry for Celia

by Jaclyn Moriarty

Book Overview

An epistolary novel uses letters written between teenage friends, refrigerator notes from a crazy mother, and epistles that express the narrator's own internal feelings of self-doubt to weave this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312287364
• ISBN13: 9780312287368
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Possibly the BEST book I've read all year!

I picked up Feeling Sorry for Celia because the plot seemed interesting and was also curious about reading a book from an Australian author. I marvel at this little gem! Written in the form of letters, 15-year-old Elizabeth Clarry tries to figure out what to do with her troubled best friend Celia while struggling with the growing pains of adolescence via imaginary letters from the "Association of Teenagers" and "Cold Hard Truth Association" -- which are hilarious -- while connecting well with a pen-pal named Christina and dealing with her eccentric mother who leaves little notes in the kitchen and putting up with a wayward Dad who suddenly wants to be more involved in her life.I laughed from beginning to end. The neurotic characters and sometimes poignant situations made it even more fun to read. This novel about an endearing young adult could be enjoyed by any age group. It is no wonder it became the #1 Bestseller in Australia! Possibly one of, if not the best novel I've read all year! I so recommend it!

Funny and Intriguing!

Elizabeth's best friend Celia has a habit of running away. Ever since Celia was a little kid she would run away from her home almost periodically so usually Elizabeth doesn't worry about it. But when she's away from home for many days, those turns into many weeks she starts to worry. But that isn't the only big thing going on in her life at the moment. She's 15, in the midst of her awkward teenage years. She and her mother speak pretty much only through letters and her father isn't her favorite person in the world. But everything changes when she's forced to take place in a pen pal project for English class. Her pen pals name is Christina and actually enjoys Elizabeth's quirky life. Suddenly a random person she barely knows, knows more about her than anyone else. And life gets even more complicated when Celia comes home.Written in a series of letters, some real (like Elizabeth's letters to and from Christina and her mother), and some fake (humorous letters from "associations" like the Association of teenagers, and the Cold Hard truth Society) Feeling sorry for Celia is a funny and unique book that you'll never forget. I knew I was going to like it when I discovered that her agent was Garth Nix, one of my favorite fantasy writers. The main character, Elizabeth, through her awkwardness and shyness is a great character that everyone will enjoy reading about. I recommend this book to readers of Sloppy firsts, or Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging.

Excellent; very well written

'Feeling Sorry for Celia' is now one of my favorite books. It's about a girl, Elizabeth Clarry, who lives in Australia with her mother (her father left when Elizabeth was a baby). Elizabeth is best friends with Celia Buckley, but Celia always runs away from home. Usually, Celia comes back after about a week or so, but this time, she has been gone longer than usual. Elizabeth's communication with her mother is only notes that are left on the refrigerator for each other. Meanwhile, at school, Elizabeth's teacher, Mr. Botherit, assigns 'pen pals' to each person. Elizabeth writes to Christina Kratovac, and soon they develop a friendship through letters. Elizabeth deals with all of these things in her life- her hobby of running and participating in marathons, a best friend who has run away from home, a pen pal with other problems, communicating through notes with her mother, and going out to awkward dinners with her father. Her father also has a family that lives in Canada that Elizabeth has never met, and her father doesn't seem too anxious for her to meet them. I would definitely recommend this book to any teenage girl, I'm sure it won't disappoint you!

Lost in life

This Book was a great book and it was funny and sweet. It's about a teenage girl called Elizabeth Clarry. Life is pretty complicated for Elizabeth Clarry. Her best friend Celia keeps disappearing, she was first worrying about her when she didn't get on the bus one morning. Her absent father that was living in Canada suddenly reappears, and her communication with her mother consists entirely of wacky notes left on the fridge. On top of everything else, because her English teacher wants to rekindle the "Joy of the Envelope," She end's up writing to a Complete and Utter Stranger that ends up knowing more about Elizabeth than anyone else.But Elizabeth is on the verge of some major changes. She may lose her best friend, find a wonderful new friend, kiss the sexiest guy alive, and run in a marathon. So much can happen in the time that it takes to write a letter.No.1 best seller in Australia, this fabulous debut is a funny, touching, revealing story written entirely in the form of letters, messages, postcards - and bizarre missives from imaginary organisations like The Cold Hard Truth Association. Feeling Sorry for Celia captures, with rare acuity, female friendship and the bonding and parting that occurs as we grow. Jaclyn Moriarty's hilariously candid novel shows that the roller coaster ride of being a teenager is every bit as it should be. I thought that this was a very interesting book and after research I was not surprised it was No.1 best seller in Australia.

A wonderful book!

This is a great book for women of all ages. The entire book is written in letters, either from real people, or the Imaginary organizations like the Association of Teenagers (trust me, it makes sense in the book) It tells the story of Elizabeth, and her dealings with her parents (who are divorced), with her best friend, Celia, and a new pen-pal, Christina. Elizabeth's mother is loving, but often gone (but leaves hilarious notes to her daughter. Celia, her best friend, actually ran off to the circus. Her father is a bit of a lout, and the guy Elizabeth likes, likes Celia more. The only real constant in her life right now is Christina.This book is hilarious, exploring the difficulties of growing up with humor and grace. Elizabeth and Christina are like every 15 year old, just a little bit cooler. I *loved* this book (and I'm hard to please).