Celia's Puppies: Denver Cereal, Volume 2 by Claudia Hall Christian

Celia's Puppies: Denver Cereal, Volume 2 Reviews

• 
  Asha Butterflys

  The stories in this book describe a core group of characters, attractive young men and women in their twenties and thirties. Their common thread is that they are lovingly haunted by Celia, the 9-years-deceased matriarch of the Marlowe clan of Denver. An important secondary group comprises the parents, children, and employees of the first. This heterogeneous bunch includes a gorgeous actress (on a soap opera!), a handsome and wealthy Cap’n Crunch-addicted company owner, a gay acupuncturist, a 3-year-old psychic/prodigy who is more articulate than most adults, an artistic and manly ex-Special Forces operative, and many more. While there are allusions to business troubles and a work-related scuffle or two, the vast majority of the book’s issues and interpersonal encounters revolve around love and romance, family relationships, weddings, and the struggle to find love and fulfillment in the midst of misunderstandings and worldly demands.
  Many of the characters have been given light-hearted names like Honey, Bambi, and Tiffanie. They’re all a little over-the-top in some way: the good guys seem close to perfection while the few villains are one-dimensional. The characters’ crises arise seemingly out of nowhere, take the spotlight for a couple of chapters, get resolved, and then hardly are mentioned again.
  
  It’s perfectly possible to get through the entire book without really knowing all the players, and who is whose father or step-sister. The author has provided a Glossary of Characters, but it is tucked in at the end of the book, to be discovered by the reader only after its time of usefulness is past. The Glossary should be placed, at the book’s beginning, to spare the reader the frustration of trying to sort out the tangled relationships of these very numerous characters while paying attention to the story.
  
  This book revolves around action and visual images, not ideas or emotions. The story is entertaining, but it belongs in a non-print medium. Do NOT expect this collection to flow like a novel! Celia’s Puppies does not claim to be a novel and it should not be read with the expectations one might have for that more intricate, and intimate, story form. The book’s cover tries to convey this warning but, as the book is presented, only a foray into the pages can illustrate the distinction fully.
  
  There is no real plot to the volume named Celia’s Puppies.The main characters are wholesome, good-looking, and ethical, and there are some beautiful visual moments like a cream-colored wedding in Ms. Christian’s writing.
• 
  Karen Davis

  Loved this series...a must read!