Product Details
Camilla (Laurel Leaf Books)

Camilla (Laurel Leaf Books)
By Madeleine L'Engle

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Product Description

Fifteen-year-old Camilla gains new maturity through her relationship with her best friend's brother and the growing realization that her parents are fallible individuals.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #455912 in Books
  • Published on: 1982-12-15
  • Released on: 1982-11-15
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 288 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A thought-provoking story about a young girl’s first romance, her devastation over her own parents’ marital problems, and the growth of her own sense of self is back in print and should find a wide audience among old and new L’Engle fans. Perceptive and timely.”—Booklist

“Its themes and perceptions make it timeless. . . . Tender, understanding treatment of a difficult situation.”—Bestsellers

“There is a remarkable similarity between this book and J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Both are told in the first person, and both are concerned with the problems of a sensitive adolescent faced suddenly with the necessity of crossing the dividing line between childhood and maturity. Ms. L’Engle’s Camilla has more innate strength and stability than Salinger’s Holden Caulfield.”—Saturday Review

“This is an ambitious book that explores a range of techniques . . . and character.”—School Library Journal

From the Publisher
Life had always been easy for fifteen-year-old Camilla Dickinson. But now her parents, whom she had always loved and trusted, are behaving like strangers to each other and vying for her allegiance. Camilla is torn between her love for them and her disapproval of their actions.

Then she meets Frank, her best friend's brother, who helps her to feel that she is not alone. Can Camilla learn to accept her parents for what they are and step toward her own independence?

About the Author

Madeleine L’Engle (1918–2007) L’Engle was born in New York City and attended Smith College. She wrote more than 60 books, the most famous of which is A Wrinkle in Time (1962), winner of the Newbery Award in 1963. L’Engle continued the story of the Murry family from A Wrinkle in Time with seven other novels (five of which are available as The Wrinkle in Time Quintet from Square Fish). She also wrote the famous series featuring the Austin family, beginning with the novel Meet the Austins (1960). L’Engle revisited the Austins four more times over the next three decades, concluding with Troubling a Star in 1994. The story of the Austins had some autobiographical elements, mirroring Madeleine’s life and the life of her family. Madeleine L’Engle’s latest book, The Joys of Love, is a romantic, coming-of-age story she wrote back in the 1940s, and was published by FSG in May 2008.

Customer Reviews

Well Written, Heartfelt, Philosophical Novel5
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!

Being alive is to be happy4
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.

An excellent book!5
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!