Feeling Sorry For Celia Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

1. Who grows and changes more over the course of the novel, Celia or Elizabeth? How and why?


2. How does the structure of Feeling Sorry for Celia with letters, postcards, and messages from societies such as "The Cold Hard Truth Association" affect the reading experience? How does this structure reflect the experience of being a teenager?


3. What is the significance of Elizabeth's letters from "The Association of Teenagers" throughout the story?


4. Compare the development of Elizabeth's friendship with Celia to that of her friendship with Christina. Do you think that Elizabeth would have become friends with Christina if they had met in person?


5. Some readers feel sorry for Elizabeth. Does she feel that way about herself? What about the characters around her?


6. After Celia begins dating Saxon, she writes Elizabeth a letter: "I feel as if I have lost you. You are a different person. It's like you've disappeared.... You weren't happy for me. You never asked me a single question about Saxon or about how I felt. Maybe you thought you had to be cruel to me so I'd learn how to survive on my own. But maybe you were being too cruel, Lizzy? Maybe you just weren't being fair?" Is this true?


7. Describe why most teenagers and adults, who remember what it was like to be a teenager, would identify with some of the experiences that Elizabeth and Christina share with each other?


8. Why do you think Celia is always running away from home?


9. What does the outcome of Elizabeth's relationships with Celia and Christina tell us about the nature of friendship?

Copyright (c) 2002 St. Martin's Press. Written permission is required to reprint or reproduce material from St. Martin's Press.

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of St. Martin's Griffin. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.