Customer Reviews

Camilla

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recently finished this book - CAMILLA - by Madeleine L'Engle. I had picked it out simply because L'Engle is one of my favorite authors and I hope to collect all - or most - or her works someday ... certainly I had not expected it to be so well written, with a total understanding of the thoughts, words, and actions of teenage girls, especially those with disagreeing parents. Which, of course, it was. Camilla Dickinson, the title character, is a girl in her middle teens whose father is a stern and undemonstrative architect, and whose mother always has a Jacques around. Camilla suspects that Mrs. Dickinson is seeing Jacques, but knows it for sure when she walks in on them kissing. CAMILLA is about this girl trying to deal with the fact that she is an individual - and nobody else is like her, and most may not be thinking about her as she is at her bedroom window, wondering if they are - and her parents are, too, individuals: Faulted and unique individuals, and she has to accept them as that. Her best friend is also going through parental disagreements. Her brother, Frank, takes an interest in Camilla and the two spend hours together. I especially like their special talks, where they philosophize about death, life, religion, and how their existence came about. The end, I felt, but satisfying but unexpected. I assure you, if you read this book, you will A) love it; and B) not be able to put it down until you've finished it. I urge you, in the name of good books, read it!

I loved this book! I really felt that the main characters were real people and I could understand how they were feeling really well. I also thought that the author captured teenagers' feelings very well especially since she is an older author. The romance was also very nice and not sappy with no excessive hugging or kissing.One of my favorite things about the book was that the two main characters had wonderful meaningful conversations about the world and death. They were conversations that really made you think. I have to admit however that the ending was rather disappointing because I got really into the book and then it just kind of ended. The sequel, "A Live Coal Under the Sea," is pretty good too but is actually an adult book that I would suggest for people 13/14 or older. Even though the ending is kind of weak, I suggest that you read "Camilla" by Madeleine L'Engle!

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.

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

Madeleine L'Engle is one of the greatest authors I've ever come across, but I shamefully admit that before Camilla I mostly stuck to her more well-known books--the Time Quartet, the Austin and O'Keef families, etc. But finally, after years of passing over Camilla on the library bookshelves, I decided to give it a try.

For me, getting involved with Camilla's plot was so unsuspectingly gradual that I was shocked when I found myself totally engrossed and already halfway into the book. A warning for those who are already avid fans of L'Engle--this book might come as a surprise. It has a different tang.

Camilla is set, not on an island or in the country, but in New York City, and the book captures the city's atmosphere. This world is harsher, the characters, in a sense, are more human. L'Engle does not hesitate to build very complex relationships between the characters or show human nature and emotion naked on the page.

A usual, L'Engle introduces the reader to classical culture and innovative ideas about the world, religion, and existence. Camilla is a regular L'Engle character whose sensitivity and honesty are rolled together with her personal desires and sense of insecurity. Through her, L'Engle further addresses several issues, including self-proportion, family troubles, human perception of God, and especially growing older and feeling less protected.

I strongly recommend this book to absolutely anyone. The dialog is refreshing, and neither the characters nor their emotions are sugarcoated. Their ideas and personalities will linger long after you're finished.

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.

This book is very good, but I have something else to say, too: the last reader thought that there should be a second Camilla book. Well, I have good news: there is one! It's called 'A Live Coal in the Sea' and was published in 1996. I reccomend it!

"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!

I think Camilla was a wonderful book, a real page turner, but the ending was dissapointing. I would reccomend this book to almost anyone. L'Engle should come up with a summary, but not every story has to have a happy ending.

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.