Celeste Ascending: A Novel

I'm reading this book for the second time, and think it is one of the best contemporary novels I've read. I'm puzzled as to why this readable, intelligent book hasn't found a wider audience. It's compelling, well-written, and chock-full of fascinating characters and details. Despite the fact that there are several sub-plots and the author takes you back and forth in time, the book as a whole has a wonderful forward momentum that keeps me riveted, even on the second reading, in which I already know what is going to happen. I think Celeste Ascending is better than the abysmally dull Atonement, which stays on bestseller lists, the overstuffed, over-the-top, overrated The Corrections, which wins awards, and Elizabeth Berg's predictable, pablum novels, which always break through. Kayle Jones, if you read this, I hope you are writing another book. You are very talented and with persistence, your books will find the wide audience they deserve.

CELESTE ASCENDING raises the bar by which women's fiction should be judged. From its very first page, it draws the reader into the story.The plot is intriguing, featuring a heroine who is struggling with life--men, career, simply earning a living. Gradually, as the tale unfolds, it becomes obvious that this impoverished teacher actually was born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, that she's a stop 'em in their tracks beauty as well, and obviously brilliant to boot. None of these realities give her any stability, though, and it eventually is revealed that the heroine is an alcoholic. Her alcoholism is never addressed directly in the plot as a crisis, however.Every once in a while, a book like this comes into one's hands and it reminds one of what good writing should be. Kaylie Jones is an author to be watched.

When I say very realistic, I felt almost from the first page, this gray, murky life happening with little or no light or direction in it. Celeste is truly at her rock bottom and is struggling for any self-identity and the fact that I really "got and felt that" made me devour this book in 1 day - I truly wanted to see where she was going to go and how this was going to end. I really recommend this book if you enjoy fiction that will truly make you feel the emotional ups and downs that a character is having and you end up rooting for them because the character feels so truly real. Wonderful book!

I've been a fan of Kaylie Jones's for years...I studied with her, gone to her readings, and was privileged to read an early draft of this work.As a reader, what I enjoyed most about Celeste Ascending is the incredibly tight and well-structured narrative drive, which whips you through the book. You MUSt know what happens next.The characters are complex and real...no one is absolutely evil or has the best intentions at all times. Celeste hooks up with Alex, a wealthy, controlling man, because she thinks she needs the things he has to give her. There are places where they touch each other...and other places where they strike sparks and you can sense impending disaster.Ultimately, what holds the story together is Celeste's journey, as she draws from the disparate threads of her life to find common themes and find a way to heal herself.

Outstanding! This book is very well written with well developed, believeable characters. Celeste's journey toward self-discovery is, I believe, an important one. Jones takes us inside a fast-paced world of privilege to show us that we, all of us, must live with the choices we make. She shows us it is infinately more rewarding to choose a life based on truth than one based on material success. Although they do it in different ways, the two most important men in Celeste's life, Nathan and Alex, let her down. Neither the passion she finds with Nathan nor the financial security she finds with Alex would ultimately bring her happiness. Jones has Celeste exhibit a great amount of courage. She has her give up a familiar lifestyle and a wealthy fiancee to come to terms with herself and her past in order to reap the rewards of finding her soul. I found the book exceptionally lyrical, full of wonderful ironies and a fast, energetic read. I recommend it highly.