Purchase Celia’s Room here.
What readers are saying about Celia’s Room by Kevin Booth
Another author’s view:
Alana Woods rated it
“The language in this book is beautiful, like the paintings the author describes.
It’s the story of two young men whose lives collide in Barcelona in the years preceding the Olympic Games. From two different worlds they meet in a third; one reluctantly embracing it, the other repelled but drawn to it. Celia, while not the central character, is the catalyst who moves the two towards the ending.
As far as language goes it’s one of the more beautiful books that I’ve read.”
New comment from a reader:
I would like to leave a comment but I’m not sure whether this is the place. Well, here it goes.
I’ve been told that I’m the first non-English native speaker to read Celia’s room. It is an honour. And I would like to say that the style, the rhythm of the story and the plot itself made me want to read more and more. I just got nervous and excited to think about what would happen next. Kevin Booth masters the art of writing as many great writers in history did and I’m sure that this novel is going to be a contribution to contemporary literature. If you consider yourself a reader, you shouldn’t miss it. Buy the book because you’ll wish to read it again a few years later.
Toni Torres
Bachellor of Arts in Modern Languages
Review on Amazon:
If you like Kerouac or Isherwood you will love Celia’s Room.
If you know Barcelona you will find the descriptions and characters completely authentic. I could almost smell the Gothic barrio.
I picked this novel up on a Sunday morning, intending only to read the opening salvo to decide whether I liked it enough to take with me on the train to work the next day. I didn’t put it down until I’d finished it five and a half hours later. It is gripping, intelligent and deeply sensual but also witty and fast-moving. I found it utterly compelling.
The plot follows a returning expat ingenu as he feels his way around Barcelona at the end of the eighties. He is enticed by the sexually liberated Bohemia of a city still experimenting after the death of Franco and dictatorship but bound by the memories of religious stricture. Nobody is quite what they seem and his moments of naive joy are cracked open by prejudice, poverty and an undercurrent of menace.
It is packed with shady eccentric characters and sharp poetic imagery. There are also passages of almost scholarly historic reference and beautiful expositions of particularly poignant works of art that give the plot a rich cultural context.
It’s also funny and very very entertaining… worth reading. And I hope this is an author worth watching out for.”
Read this review and purchase Celia’s Room here.
“Hi Kevin, Celia’s Room arrived early this week. I finished it last night and loved it. You kept me up late, I was so keen to know what would happen that I kept on going. Loved the character of Edu, absolutely real and true to life. I hope there is a queue at your door bidding for the film rights, it would make a great film. It makes a pretty bloody good novel too. I’ll look out for the next one.
Very best, R.”
“Touching, engaging. Celia’s room smacks you in the temples with a disjointed artistry that keeps you engrossed page after page. Not a conventional story style, it reads more like a linguistic painting, with colours and shades that you could wrap yourself up in.
The antagonism between the unfulfilled son and the homophobic father, the repressed lesbian Ri who begins to find herself at last. The story appears to be a journey through seemingly impassable barriers that some of us face in our youth; some of us may even face them later in life than that. An engaging story beautifully written and totally engaging.” – deanscurlock09 (www.youwriteon.com)
“Barcelona in the 90s: a blend of worlds and underworlds, a kaleidoscope of stories which interweave and fray apart, the sensation of imminent disaster… Will you be able to resist skipping to the last page?
If you’re a reader and have been lucky enough to come across the novel Celia’s Room, what are you doing here, wasting time on these few lines? Keep reading!”
– Estrella Ramon is a writer specialised in children’s and young adults’ literature, and a professor of Children’s Literature and Communicative Skills at Rovira i Virgili University (Tarragona). Above all, she lives to read.
“I’m very glad I chanced upon this – it’s one of the most interesting and impressive pieces of writing I’ve come across on this site.” – Miro (www.youwriteon.com)
“This is definitely an interesting piece of writing. I enjoyed the imagery and you weave a masterful sentence.” – pauletteclay68 (www.youwriteon.com)
“The narrative voice is strong and draws the reader into confidence.” – OliviaQ (www.youwriteon.com)
“The language was vibrant, emotional and atmospheric and each scene is sharply drawn…” – Esmeralda (www.youwriteon.com)
Purchase Celia’s Room here.
