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Cause Celeb

helen fielding

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Available for the first time in the United States, Cause Celeb is the hilarious debut novel by British literary sensation Helen Fielding. With the same wit and candor that shot Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason to the top of bestseller lists and forever altered the vocabulary of dating, Fielding executes a remarkable spoof on the altruistic endeavors of commoners and celebrities alike as they unite to combat the horror of famine and neglect in Africa. Populated by larger-than-life characters from London's West End and the unsung heroes toiling anonymously on the Continent, Cause Celeb is a cunning and poignant tale that discloses the romantic underpinnings of life and love in the 21st century.


Rosie Richardson, a frothy young woman trapped in the cauldron of the publishing world, finds herself involved in a dysfunctional relationship with TV personality Oliver Marchant, a Teflon-coated Romeo who slips in and out of her life with greater frequency than she'd like. Disenchanted with their glamorous lifestyle, Rosie packs her bags and (quite literally) heads for the hills, embarking on a personal odyssey through the majestic deserts of Africa to the fictional state of Nambula, where each day's sunrise brings a daunting challenge.


Upon arrival in the sparse refugee camp, Rosie immediately gets a sense of just how eccentric some of her new neighbors are. Muhammed, a local go-between with a flair for melodrama, the burly Irish doctor O'Rourke, and two seasoned nurses are all catalysts for the story who keep spirits alive and send emotions on a roller-coaster ride. When a carpet of locusts wreaks havoc among vestiges of the season's last crops, disease and starvation become a palpable threat that plagues the proud refugees of Nambula with fear.


But stubborn government regimes turn a blind eye to the dangers facing the village, the relief workers' pleas for food and assistance are ignored, and fever and calamity run rampant, forcing Rosie to return to London and enlist the help of her former lover and the motley crew of friends they once shared. In a final, inspired act of desperation, the former publicity flak miraculously pulls off an international appeal with results that far surpass anything she had imagined.


With a winning combination of pathos and humor, Fielding suggests that the real voyage of discovery is not simply in the quest for new landscapes, but in having new eyes to view them with. Ultimately, Rosie does find the peace of mind and passion she so desperately sought, and the success of her cause adds substance to her life and a depth to her character she had never suspected. Like the Bridget Jones novels, Cause Celeb is an easy, enjoyable read. But despite its seeming frivolity, the book paints an insightful and sanguine portrait of modern-day philanthropy. It's just that in the world according to Helen Fielding, even saving lives can be cause for merriment.


--Lauren Foster

342 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1994

This edition

Format
342 pages, Paperback
Published
February 26, 2002 by Penguin Publishing Group
ISBN
9780142000229
ASIN
0142000221
Language
English

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helen fielding

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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Profile Image for Kimberly .
JoaoTanekosy7
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 25,2025
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Sometimes chic lit's all you need to get through your day. Tah-ruly.

With this novel I did not find what Bridget Jones brings to the table, nor what (the poor man's B Jones) Jemima J. experiences in the wacky world of Hollywood. I found something a bit more serious, some sad descriptions of a famished country in Africa (I keep reading about poor, poor Africa!!), a tint of pathos that both aforementioned heroines barely only hinted at. This one's combination comedy and tragedy... very well balanced. Skillfully so, & even if its not Bridget or Jemima, something must be said about the brave Rosie Richardson. She trades in the culminating superficiality of her purely materialistic world for a higher purpose, a very opposite lifestyle out in Africa helping the starving refuges of Safila. If anything, that both worlds collide & that results are both heartbreaking and funny, gives this novel some substantial sheen that Brit Jones & gem Jemima J lack. Still, this one is Helen Fielding's debut novel, & that too is very noticeable.
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emma_grace
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 25,2025
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I'm conflicted about this book, and not just because it makes you question how you throw away food when the world is starving, and what real help looks like. It just doesn't do that very well.
I kept feeling like I was missing bits that were important, and then I started to think my book must be missing pages. Like a whole chapter right before the very end, for example. One minute Oliver is being himself and Rosie says people don't really change and the next moment, there's continually media attention, it's actually really annoying and stressful and then we're sleeping with O'Rourke and we're done. What did I miss here?

I like Rosie as a character, how she is able to take control of the situation in Africa and we see her growth through the awfulness that was Oliver. The cycle of the relationship is awful and real, although I'll be honest I have yet to work out what the heck Oliver really did (was he an actor, or a director or did he produce whatever Soft Focus was? Didn't really matter but whatever) it made sense to have Rosie stuck in the cycle of celebrity and love. Rosie can take control at the refugee camp, travel through warzones, deal with death everyday and yet Oliver still causes her to lose her footing years later. The book did a great job of showing this and how despite the intense struggle for survival, the affairs of the heart are highlighted and made even more sensitive.

Except it all fell apart for me once she went back to London and then got really confusing when they returned to Nambula with the celebrities. That just seemed like a bad party/press tour of craziness, and I found myself thinking that yeah she did need longer to organize it all. I'm, again, still confused as to what the program really was, there seemed to be some Shakespeare going on, but it was all kind of Band Aid/Live Aid, Comic Relief and pseudo documentary. The end was just kind of a shambles where everyone wants to adopt the twins, but the mother isn't really dead, and yet the guy on the phone keeps raving about how awesome it is to have a live death on camera and we haven't learned a thing here, but it doesn't matter because food is coming. Oh and the Safila camp is better off than the others going forward, and actually it always kind of was.
I feel like I am supposed to take something away from this book, but again, I don't know what.

Oh and what happened to the locusts?
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-vanja-
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 25,2025
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Ce livre n’a aucun intérêt. Il s’agit du 3ème livre que je ne finirai pas dans ma vie …
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Eep
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 25,2025
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I picked this up a few years back, tried to read it but never really got into it. I picked it up recently and I love it, I finished it in under 2 days. This is Fielding's 1st novel, before Bridget Jones made her career. The writing style is very different, the subject matter much more serious.

The main character, Rosie, is a refugee camp administrator in a fictional African nation trying to get the world to pay attention to a famine that everyone says is not going to happen. And no one will listen to her, not the UN, not the local governments.

So she decides to use celebrities to get the money and food need to help the tens of thousands of refuges she expects will start showing up at her camp. It is at times funny and heart-breaking, I don't know how Fielding accomplished that balance. Fielding also writes some good commentary for and against the practice of using celebrity figures to raise awareness of genocide, famine, floods, wars, etc. Overall, this was a surprisingly entertaining and meaty story. I can't bring myself to categorize this as "chick lit"
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CountZeroOr
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 25,2025
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This book is about Rosie, who, after finally breaking up with her emotionally abusive boyfriend, Oliver, goes to do relief work in Africa. Because the UN isn't sending needed supplies, the refugee camp is running out of food. Rosie has to return to London and try to get the celebrities she used to associate with to come to Africa and do a benefit.

What really kept me reading the book is that I really liked and empathised with Rosie. She seemed like a good person, and I could relate to her belief that she could change Oliver. Some of the scenes of their arguments were really realistic. The book was also quite amusing in parts. The London social scene was hilarious. The spoofing of celebrity was also quite humourous. Fielding has a very engaging style that allowed me to stay interested in the story. She makes some very good points about celebrity without being totally preachy.

I did wish that the celebrities had spent more time in Africa. The last third of the book was actually the best, when the celebrities were planning the benefit. I thought some of the more political stuff in the middle of the book dragged a bit.

Despite the fact that the book dragged in places, it was overall a very enjoyable read. Fielding's an excellent writer, and the story rings true to life. Definitely worth the read!!

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FullMetalAsian
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 25,2025
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Judul: Cause celeb
Penulis: Helen Fielding
Penerbit: Gramedia
Dimensi: 480 hlm, 18 cm, cetakan pertama Januari 2005
ISBN: 979 22 1200 0

Alasan menjadi relawan:
a. misionaris?
b. prajurit bayaran?
c. orang aneh?
d. patah hati?

Rosie Richardson merasa dirinya perpaduan antara c/d saat memutuskan menjadi relawan di Afrika. Bermula dari kesal terhadap pacaranya, Oliver yang merupakan selebriti, Rosie memilih pergi ke Afrika, tepatnya Nambula.

Dia tidak pernah menyangka bahwa ia akan betah dan semakin tenggelam dalam dunia kerelawanan. Empat tahun sudah dia lewati di Nambula, yang berkali dilanda bencana kelaparan, peperangan dan wabah penyakit.

Namun tahun ini, semua bencana itu begitu besar dan menghabiskan seluruh persediaan makanan, obat, dan juga tenaga. Mengetuk PBB dan beragam LSM lain tidak mendatangkan hasil. Hanya janji kosong. Tercetuslah sebuah ide brilian yang bisa Rosie lakukan demi jutaan nyawa yang sedang di ujung tanduk. Sayangnya hal itu mengharuskan dia kembali ke London dan berhubungan lagi dengan Oliver, segenap selebriti, dan dunia hedonis yang telah lama ia tinggalkan. Akankah rencananya berhasil?

Membaca ini, seakan saya diingatkan lagi niat dan motivasi saya bergerak sebagai relawan di tiap komunitas yang saya ikuti. Rosie menggambarkan sosok naif namun nyata dalam cerita ini. Meskipun lagi-lagi konten dewasa tetap menjadi bumbu utama, namun deskripsi Afrika, artis, dan bagaimana NGO serta PBB bergerak cukup terwakili.

Saya apresiasi 4 dari 5 bintang.

"Aku mulai merasa kesepian, lalu mengingatkan diriku sendiri bahwa banyak hal yang lebih buruk daripada sekadar sendirian." (H.92)

"Hal yang paling membuat kita ingin menangis adalah ketika ada orang begitu manis terhadap kita." (H.281)

"Peristiwa yang begitu nyata dan menyedihkan bagi kita, bisa menjadi hiburan bagi orang lain. Itu salah satu cara mudah membuat kita tampil menarik, tapi juga murahan." (H.356)

Meta morfillah
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parisiennest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 25,2025
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As much as I was interested in reading about Eastern Africa, I can't say I was fully into this book. It gets a little slow by the end. And of course, it was hard for me to read about the unsolvable global problems that we still face in xxi century. but I did connect with hopelessness that I experienced being in east africa myself.
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