Cause Celeb [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Helen Fielding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2003

Disillusioned by her glitzy life in London and her desirable but cruel TV-presenter boyfriend, Rosie Richardson chucks it all in and spends four years running a refugee camp in Africa. Then famine strikes in a nearby province and an influx of starving refugees threatens to overwhelm the camp. Frustrated by the cautious response of the aid agencies, Rosie decides on a drastic short-term solution. She returns to London, breaks back into the celebrity circuit and brings the celebs out to Africa for a star-studded TV emergency appeal. 'A champion first novel ...what makes it such a pleasure to read is its variety of tone: flip, flirtatious, serious, mocking and moving ...get hold of a copy of this book' - "Observer". 'A terrific achievement ...The camp scenes are as moving and funny as the original "M.A.S.H."; she sends up the self-important 'mediacracy' with an insider's wit, and it's written at a romping pace with a cliff-hanger finish' - "Cosmopolitan". 'Sharp, gutsy and refreshing' - "Independent". 'Thoughtful, ironic and completely gripping' - Harry Enfield. 'A brilliantly funny satire' - "Time Out".

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Helen Fielding's novel Bridget Jones's Diary had a meandering, rather shapeless shape (as diaries will). Both fans and critics of that 1998 smash hit will be surprised to find that the author's first novel, previously unpublished in the United States, is a lot more sophisticated in structure. And Cause Celeb is nearly as fun as Bridget Jones's Diary, which is saying a lot, especially since Fielding's debut is about African famine. The narrator, Rosie Richardson, runs a relief camp in the invented country of Nambula. Henry, the most flippant member of her staff, wears a T-shirt that tersely lists the various motivations for relief workers to come to Africa: "(a) Missionary? (b) Mercenary? (c) Misfit? (d) Broken heart?" As Rosie herself admits, she is "a c/d hybrid and soft in the head to boot."

Flashbacks reveal that in London, Rosie had fallen in love with an erratic, emotionally abusive (but adorable!) newscaster. As she trailed about town in Oliver's wake, she came to know his in-crowd of movie stars, directors, and musicians. Her split with this media magnet is what initially sent her to Africa. Four years into Rosie's exile, however, a plague of locusts descends on the crops of a neighboring country, and refugees begin to flood her camp. She decides there's only one thing to do: go back home and round up her old celeb pals for a benefit TV special.

It should come as no shock that the London sequences are great fun, as is the climactic collision between movie stars and refugees. But the real treat is Fielding's handling of the camp sequences. Rosie and her staff struggle with their petty emotions as they confront the incredible suffering in front of them. Henry watches in disbelief as some starving refugees move their tent to a better location: "Never mind the old malnutrition--you go for the view." A newswoman visits the camp, and, fraught with emotion after first seeing the starving children, she caresses Rosie, whose response is this: "I hope the famine hadn't turned her into a lesbian." Fielding has found a voice that is both compassionate and irreverent, a rare and wonderful combination. --Claire Dederer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Fielding's first novel, published now in the States only following the success of her second (Bridget Jones's Diary), is a sometimes hilarious, sometimes moving, occasionally scurrilous delight. Rosie Richardson, the administrator of Safila, a refugee camp in the fictional African country of Nambula, needs funds fast. The usual relief agencies are tied up in diplomatic knots, a long-promised supply ship is always 10 days away and it looks as though thousands of refugees are about to come streaming over the border. If they arrive before the food does, hundreds of people will starve to death. Rosie, desperate, does the only thing she can think of: she quits her job, returns to England and organizes a celebrity fund drive. This effort is complicated by the fact that her ex-boyfriend, a manipulative TV presenter named Oliver, is her only access to celebrities. On top of dealing with the self-centered celebs, she must also come to terms with her old attraction to him. This is a tall order, as he is devastatingly handsome and unspeakably selfish. Unsurprisingly, the book turns out to be about growing up; the interest comes when it turns out that Rosie isn't the only one obliged to do so. Crosscutting from past to present, this is a two-for-the-price-of-one story: an amusing satire of the celebrity-obsessed West, and a sharp report on the callousness and inefficiency of relief work in Africa. Swinging from laugh-out-loud funny to heartbreakingly sad, this book will please Fielding's old fans and win new ones. (Feb.) Forecast: Those who doubted Fielding could sustain her momentum may be surprised by her staying power. While this novel won't match the sales of Bridget Jones's Diary, it should do very wellDit has sold more than 500,000 copies in the U.K. and EuropeDwith sales boosted by the February release of the paperback edition of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and, in April, the release of the film version of Bridget Jones's Diary.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Macmillan (March 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405001062
• ISBN-13: 978-1405001069
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,945,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting, engrossing, pretty unique read, September 8, 2000

By 

E. M. Carey "LGW" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cause Celeb (Paperback)

Having enjoyed the Bridget Jones books like so many others, I was curious to see what else Helen Fielding had written, and came across Cause Celeb. I didn't have any specific expectations, although I suppose I was hoping for more of Fielding's wit and keen observations. I was very pleasantly suprised by this book, and came away from it quite impressed by Fielding's capabilities as an author.

This time, the heroine is Rosie Richardson, a London woman who has somehow fallen into a career that she doesn't quite seem to like or understand, has a penchant for the wrong type of man, and ditches it all to go do relief work in famine stricken Africa (the last bit was definitely not what I had expected!). As the 'wrong' man is somewhat of a celebrity, the readers get a peek into the exclusive world of the famous, with it's etiquette, rules and self-importance. The contrast between this world and that in Africa is, of course, enormous, but Fielding does not get overtly moralistic and simply presents the two universes as they co-exist and occasionally intermingle.

The characters are wonderful, from preening celebrities to other relief workers to the Africans. Rosie's encounters with all of them are funny, interesting and well-fleshed out. And Fielding has great fun with the concept of celebrity and it's ridiculousness, with using the famous to raise money for causes and whom it helps more - the celebrities orthe needy? The descriptions of the horrors of famine and starvation are presented speak for themselves. I got so engrossed in the book that I found myself having to put it down at times, too stressed the relief wouldn't arrive in time for those who needed it!

My one minor complaint about the book - which did not prevent me from enjoying it tremendously - is that there was so much going on that I didn't really feel I knew Rosie all that well. I appreciated her wit, her humanity, her togetherness and so on, but I never got a clear picture of her - it was kind of blurry amidst so many other characters and such a huge background. But this is a small issue, and I problably noticed it only because the Bridget books were so much about Bridget that we saw everything through her eyes. Although Rosie narrates the book, it isn't quite as much her story.

Still, I highly recommend Cause Celeb to anyone who enjoyed the Bridget books or who would like to read an engrossing book that tells an interesting, not overdone, story.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Swam right through it..., January 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cause Celeb (Paperback)

Having absolutely LOVED "Bridget Jones' Diary" (Can't wait for the sequel! ), I was glad to find another title by Ms. Fielding. This book didn't quite have the ever-present humor of "Bridget", but since it's set in a more sobering community I can forgive. I thought it was easy to read, kept me interested, and gave me some small sense of Learning Something. I enjoyed it very much.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something to tide me over..., March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Cause Celeb (Paperback)

After gobbling down The Edge of Reason I was curious to read Fielding's first novel, and hoping to re-experience some of the style I so enjoyed (actually, loved!) with Bridget. Cause Celeb fits the bill. While the protagonist is a less-extreme Bridget, more sure of herself in general, you can see Bridget's roots in Rosie and Fielding's style evolving. While the Bridget books are, let's face it, poor, unbridled silliness (Hurrah! What fun!), Cause Celeb has more of a social conscience, not only regarding the plight of Africa but with Rosie herself acknowledging she is worthy of more than being a doormat for the lunacy of a man. And, the best thing, tho superfluous...it's a slower read than Bridget, delaying the inevitable "What do I read now?" feeling! Keep 'em coming, Helen! Mmmmmm...