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Celia Garth

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 942 ratings · 161 reviews

This story is set in South Carolina during the Revolutionary War. Its heroine is Celia Garth, a spirited orphan who works as an apprentice dressmaker in Charleston. She witnesses the British siege of the city and returns during the occupation to become a spy for the rebels, while falling in love.

Published June 1959 by Thomas Crowell Co. (first published 1959)

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Aug 09, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: junior high and up

Shelves: 2012

This book is what all historical fiction ought to be - accurate historic facts and a gripping story line of fictional characters. I enjoyed it so much, I plan on purchasing the book so it can be read again! It's a great companion to "Johnny Tremain" because in that book you have a male hero right in the middle of all the action, but in "Celia Garth" you have a female hero on the outskirts of it. I love getting the two perspectives.

Celia Garth, the main character, is a naive girl working as an a...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Margaret rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, level-ya

It's always interesting to go back and re-read books one read as a child/teen, as is the case with this book. This is the first book where I learned about the Swamp Fox (Frances Marion) and Revolutionary War in the South. I was struck by the fast pace of the book during the siege of Charleston (or Charles Town as one character wrote). The author definitely knew how to keep my interest when describing Tarleton's raids, the hardships of Marion's swamp rats, and the tension of those on plantations...more

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Sep 28, 2009 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: oldbooks-historicalfiction

I've been reading Les Miserables for one of my book clubs and wasn't supposed to read anything else until I finished it, but I cheated and read Celia Garth, which I was delighted to find was back in print. A friend at BYU recommended this book to me, so I checked it out of the library. I'd enjoyed it and looked for it periodically in the years ensuing but never found it. But it's just been re-released - wahoo!

Celia Garth is a story about the Revolutionary War from a Southern point of view, somet...more

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Sep 17, 2009 Tara Chevrestt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, revolutionary-war

This was an enjoyable novel with great details about the American Revolution, namely Charleston's involvement. Celia Garth is a twenty year old lady working in a seamstress shop. She feels there should be more in her life tho than merely greeting customers and desires to prove herself thru her excellent sewing. This desire of hers leads to her meeting some interesting people. There is Jimmy who becomes her fiance, Darren, a friend and Rebel, Luke, a charming and debonair potential womanizer, and...more This was an enjoyable novel with great details about the American Revolution, namely Charleston's involvement. Celia Garth is a twenty year old lady working in a seamstress shop. She feels there should be more in her life tho than merely greeting customers and desires to prove herself thru her excellent sewing. This desire of hers leads to her meeting some interesting people. There is Jimmy who becomes her fiance, Darren, a friend and Rebel, Luke, a charming and debonair potential womanizer, and Luke's mother, Vivian. While Vivian gives Celia the chance to prove herself by sewing and Jimmy is sweeping Celia off her feet, the Revolutionary war comes to Charleston at full throttle. Through Celia's eyes we see how hard the Rebel's fought to keep Charleston, how the town is divided by parties and loyalties, and the trauma experienced by the ladies watching thru spyglasses up in the attics. Celia is not satisfied with merely watching thru the spyglass tho. She becomes a spy to aide in the war effort herself.

There is a great love story among all the gory, exciting war details. Jimmy loves Celia, but does Celia love him or Luke? Having no desire to spoil the novel, that is all I will say regarding the romance.

Excellent book. There are only two minor things preventing it hitting the five star mark. Seeing as this was originally written in 1954, the use of the word "coloreds" can be forgiven. I, personally, was a bit put off by it but I was bothered more by the portrayal of the slaves. They did, indeed, have slaves in Charleston back in the late 1700s so it is expected that they would be in the story. What I did not like was how obedient and submissive each and every one was. I would think that at least one would rebel and join the Britsh. (The British offered freedom to any slaves that fought on their side.) Maybe it is just me, but the constant "yes ma'am and sir" and "Oh Lordy" was unbelievable to me. Had there been just one unhappy and rebellious slave, it would have been more believable.

The other minor issue is that this having been told in the third person, I think it could have taken us away from Celia's world to tell us what was going on in other parts. Rather than having Darren or Luke telling of their experiences to Celia, we could have been following their lives for a bit and learning of it "first hand."
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Nov 14, 2012 Rusty rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

For me, the most fascinating portions of this novel were the outstanding descriptions what it must have been like for southerners to live through war and occupation. The tragedy, the fear and the loss of all one knows and loves is so dramatically portrayed that the reader feels like he/she is on the streets of Charleston with the characters of the novel. How people react to occupation, defeat, death, patriots, the Redcoats, the Tories and invasion is fascinating. Greed and self-preservation is c...more

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May 03, 2009 Booklady rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

I fell in love with Charlestown, S.C. through this book! What fun to finally go there and walk the same streets, worship at the same church, and wander some of the same buildings as Celia! I knew modern-day writers research their subjects thoroughly, but never imagined writers from my childhood years also were so meticulous -- I knew things about Charlestown that our tour guide didn't.

Orphaned and abandoned by rich relations, Celia is determined to be independent, and thus becomes a seamstress i...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Kellie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, fiction-literature, bookclub-books

I had a hard time getting really excited about this book. First, the good things….Learning about Charleston and Kings Mountain’s role in the Revolutionary war was fascinating. I love reading novels about places I have actually been to. The story of Celia is OK and I did like her character, Luke and Jimmy. There were parts of this book that grabbed me and I raced thru the words to find out what happens next. The historical aspect of this book is very interesting and I think the author did a good...more

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Jan 20, 2010 Rosina Lippi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, reviewed-here

I wrote the introduction for this edition of Celia Garth, but it appears under my pen name, Sara Donati. And here it is:

At age thirteen I discovered historical fiction by means of Gwen Bristow's Jubilee Trail, and with that began a life long preoccupation with stories set in the past.
By the time I was seventeen I had read hundreds of novels about civil wars (British and American), the Revolution, the Anglo-Saxons and the Norman Invasion, ancient Rome and Greece.
I considered myself something of...more I wrote the introduction for this edition of Celia Garth, but it appears under my pen name, Sara Donati. And here it is:

At age thirteen I discovered historical fiction by means of Gwen Bristow's Jubilee Trail, and with that began a life long preoccupation with stories set in the past.
By the time I was seventeen I had read hundreds of novels about civil wars (British and American), the Revolution, the Anglo-Saxons and the Norman Invasion, ancient Rome and Greece.
I considered myself something of a connoisseur, someone who could tell her Mary Renault from James Michener. The stories I liked best were the ones that focused on the lives of women, who were so often banished to the periphery in the historical fiction best sellers. Even at a young age I was skeptical of James Fenimore Cooper's portrayal of women struggling to survive on the New-York frontier.
My impression was that male authors didn't really know how to write female characters, and they didn't particularly regret that lack. Women were wonderful for filling in detail and establishing background; a man had to have a family to fight for, after all. The most a reader could hope for was a female with grit, that stock character who knows how to shoot a gun and speaks her mind now and then, but isn't really fulfilled until she embraces her feminine nature.
Even female authors fell into this trap. Scarlett O'Hara was a strong-willed, spoiled, manipulative, vain wretch who wrestled her fate to the ground and held it there determined to get what she believed she deserved. Except, of course, she fails, because Scarlett doesn't know what she wants. She rejects the love of a good man, and is doomed to unhappiness.
Gwen Bristow took a different approach. Her female characters may be introduced to us as young and inexperienced; they may even be naïve. But they are otherwise serious-minded individuals with strong feelings about matters other than engaging the interest of men.
This is certainly true of Celia Garth. A young woman with few family ties, she is proud of her skills as a seamstress and ambitious. She depends in the first line on her own intelligence and sense of self. Unlike many primary characters in early historical novels, she does not fling herself into harm's way. Harm comes, certainly, in the form of another war and a British army bent on not only subduing, but mastering and humiliating a rebel colony.
Celia has a strong sense of herself and her abilities, and what it means to be a Southerner (first) and an American (second) in occupied Charleston. She does fall in love, but her choice is a good man with a family who loves and respects her. The conflict is not an internal one for Celia; she does not doubt her choices. The force that moves her story along is external: when the marauding British army takes everything she holds dear, the Revolution is no longer academic for Celia. Step by step she becomes more involved, of her own free will.
Her love story, as touching as it is, is secondary to the role she has taken for herself as a spy.
Celia Garth is a novel that straddles a line. She takes great pains to recreate Charleston as a war zone; Celia and those close to her are shaken, again and again, by the constant barrage of artillery fired from British ships in the harbor . The Revolution is not a sanitized affair; there is death and injury and loss of property; there is despair and grievous insult and loss of hope. There is division within the community; Celia's cousin takes the King's side and shows no empathy for Celia even in her worst days. The stories of the many secondary characters, good, indifferent and bad, come together to bring 18th century war-time Charleston into three full dimensions.
Bristow was a proud native of the South. Her love for South Carolina and Charleston are palpable. Thus it isn't surprising that in trying both to tell a true story and to honor her home she does in fact sidestep the issue of slavery. There is no contemplation of that institution; it just is. The many slaves in the story hate the British as much as their owners do. This may be seen as a simplification or even as denial on Barstow's part, or simply as a realistic representation of how Celia saw and understood her world.
For Celia, as is the case with many of Barstow's female characters, personal happiness – family, marriage, children – is a byproduct of a life lived on a wider plain where challenges must be overcome. Celia Garth earns her happy ending. With Celia, Barstow gives us a complex, ambitious character who can strive for personal fulfillment in a whole range of ways.
There may well have been young women like Celia who spied for the colonial forces during the Revolution, women whose stories have been forgotten. If there are such records, the details will be spotty and open to interpretation; the historical record is what it is, and doesn't strive to convince anybody of the facts or even to make them palatable or believable.
The novelist does bear that burden, and Barstow is equal to the challenge. With Celia Barstow she gives us an extraordinary young woman living in Charleston during the Revolution – a setting as extraordinary as Celia herself.
Sara Donati
June 24 2008
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Mar 02, 2009 Terri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Picking up this book again was like reuniting with an old friend. I first happened upon this book as a teenager as I roamed the shelves of my local library. AFter that, I returned often to check it out again and again. What can I say, I'm a sucker for historical novels, especially that involve women and more especially with a little romance.
In my current city, the local library only has 1 copy of ANY book by Gwen Bristow and that is truly a shame. I just finished reading "Thes is My Words" by N...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: one-time-reads

I'd give it 2.8 stars. I liked it for the way it highlighted resiliency but (view spoiler)...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Readitnweep rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic, favorites, fiction-general, historical, romance

I don't claim many books as a favorite, but this one definitely is. Excellent job of weaving in wonderful characters and story with a well researched portrait of real events and people from the time of the American Revolution.

The story follows the experiences of young Celia as she becomes involved in the fight for independence from the British. I like impatient, angry Celia who longs to belong and feel secure. There's a lot packed in to these characters, and there are some surprising twists to t...more

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May 09, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book! It is a great look into what life was like in South Carolina during the revolutionary war. It was fascinating, and heartbreaking, to learn about all that happened to the people who were fighting to free themselves and their posterity from oppression. I have to admit, I didn't really like the main character Celia right away, but as I got to know her character and watched her grow and mature through the story I began to love her. I would recommend this book to anyone I know! It'...more

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May 12, 2009 Andilynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book for the first time in the 6th grade and have loved it ever since. I've read this book five times, the last time in my early 40's and it was still as interesting and educational as the first time. This book made the Revolutionary War come alive for me. After reading it I realized the Revolution was no longer just a bunch of dates and facts from school textbooks, but rather an actual event that happened to actual people. This book instilled a love of history for me that I was able...more

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Feb 12, 2011 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh my word! I could not believe this book! (Warning, spoiler.) I cried when her fiancee' was shot in his doorway by a British dragoon. I held my breath as the British bombarded Charleston, SC. I tensed up when she became a spy for the Patriots. I thought she would be arrested by the British for a moment there in the book and thrown in the Provost Dungeon like those other women, or Luke, (who was also spying.) would... I got this book yesterday, and I finished it today, despite college work. It h...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Set in Charleston at the time of America's War for Independence from England, Celia Garth shows her own independent spirit and spunk. Orphaned and living with her aunt and uncle, Celia gains a position at Mrs. Thorley's shop where her skill with needle and thread are underestimated. Her desire to improve her circumstances brings her into a lifestyle she immediately desires, a lifestyle where family love abounds. As she tells her story, she finds love, respect and a dangerous mission in the War....more

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Sep 27, 2008 Abigail rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adolescents Who Enjoy Historical Fiction

Shelves: fiction

Review Temporarily Removed.

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Apr 13, 2013 Holly Weiss rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-historical-fiction, historical-fiction

What an absorbing comfort read. Set at the end of the Revolutionary War, the Patriots battle the British. Guerilla warfare specialist Francis Marion with his band of militia and spies (Marion's Men) helps defeat the British as they lay siege to Charleston, South Carolina. Within the city Tories and Patriots fight their own battles.

Celia Garth, a dressmaker, is set to marry into a wealthy family when her life crumbles around her. Even though most of her family is dead, she is strong woman yet she...more

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Apr 13, 2013 LemonLinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was such a comfort read for me - quick and easy historical fiction set in Charleston during the American Revolution with strong, lovable characters and a good storyline. That is a perfect read for me. Celia Garth is a strong, independent young woman who lost both parents as a child and lived with her uncle and his family who although in the planter class struggled a bit. When the family begins to try to marry her off she turns to her talents as a seamstress and she secures a place with a we...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Audrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: revolutionary-war, historical-fiction, young-adult-fiction, 1700s, orphans

It took me a bit to get into this book. At first I found Celia to be a rather superficial, silly character. She grows and matures a lot throughout the book, though, and I enjoyed that progression. I am really glad I stuck with this one as it ended up being a very good story that I had a hard time putting down. The action and events described felt very real. For example, during the siege on Charleston I could practically hear the bombs and bullets whirring and feel the stifling heat. Some element...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bristow writes a compelling story about an orphan, Celia, who is rather neutral about the Revolutionary War at the beginning of the novel. Events in Celia's life, however, slowly change her feelings toward the Rebel cause. Bristow skillfully created a likeable and believeable character in Celia - strong, determined, yet not too feminist for her day - with plenty of room for growth.

It was gratifying to see Celia evolve as a person as the story unfolded. She loves, loses, and loves again. She mak...more

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Aug 20, 2008 Misfit rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is the tale of Celia Garth, a 20 year old woman trying to make a living as a seamstress in Charleston, South Carolina during the Revolutionary war. The author does a great job of setting up the scenes of the town and plantations, and the history of the time. We follow Celia and her friends through the seige of Charleston by the British, living through the constant shelling and lack of food until the final surrender.

At first, things seem normal after the surrender and Celia begins to build...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookclub, ya-or-youth-friendly

As with her other books, the romance in this book seemed contrived and superficial. It acts as an excuse to write a historical novel from the point of view of a fictional character (at least that's how it seems). I was expecting and used to this, however, since I've read three of her other books before this one. I feel that this book flowed well so it was fairly easy to read. It was also pretty interesting to me since the characters were quite involved in the historical aspects of what was going...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Merileemackay rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Historical Fiction fans.

Celia is a poor relation who refuses to sit around and wait to be sold off as a bride. She shocks her relatives by becoming a seamstress in Charleston. She finds love, and adventure durring the Revolutionary war.
I like this book because: The writing is lovely but straightforward, I could relate to the heroine, the damsel in distress cliche is not present, and the insider look at the war.
I would recommend this to any one who enjoys Historical Fiction.

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Mar 31, 2010 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read several of Gwen Bristow's books now, and I've really enjoyed them. One of the nice things about reading older books is that the stories tend to be very clean; I'd feel very comfortable recommending these books to girls. The beginning read kind of like a romance, but once I got past the first few pages, the story was good and the historical background was fascinating. This story takes place in Charleston during the American Revolution.

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Dec 14, 2012 Jean rated it 3 of 5 stars

A tad too similar to Gone with the Wind, but then again I love GWTW, so that's not entirely a bad thing. And Celia is actually a more appealing heroine than Scarlett (for one thing, she has a job, and she has gumption and ambition before the war forces it on her), but she and most of the rest of the characters are pretty one-dimensional. So it was fun to read, but I don't think it will stick with me long.

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Oct 21, 2012 Candy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This is my favorite book ever. It's such a great combination of history (Revolutionary War in Charleston, SC), suspense and romance. I first read it as a young woman, and found an old copy on an auction site for my son to read when we were home-schooling and planning a trip to Charleston. It's out of print, but the odd copy can be found here and there. I highly recommend it.

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Jun 27, 2012 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of historical romance

Recommended to Alicia by: Shelly

Great historical romance, written in 1959 and set in Charleston, SC, during the Revolutionary War. Though this book is no "Gone With the Wind," it's a fun story about a strong and determined southern woman during a war, who lives through a siege, and who has multiple suitors. I enjoyed learning about Charleston's part in the Revolutionary War, about Francis Marion the Swamp Fox, and about the horrible Tarleton. And I loved how it was a completely "clean" romance. Great summer read and treadmill...more

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May 07, 2011 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, favorites

It has been a while since I have been so emotionally wrapped up in the characters of a book. The romance component was predictable, but I still found the book exciting and tragic with funny parts as well. I loved Celia's sense of adventure and excitement and finished the book with a smile on my face even though I knew which side was going to win the war.

I learned much more about this period in American history in this book than in public school and it was very enjoyable.

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Jul 24, 2012 Michele Musgrave rated it 5 of 5 stars

I remember finding this book in my middle school library. I believe it was the first "real" novel I had every read. I loved it and it sparked my continued interest in historical fiction. I followed it with "Jubilee Trail". I remember "Jubilee Trail" to be a bit racy for my innocent 12 year old sensibilities, but loved it none the less.

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Sep 08, 2009 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, favorites

My middle school English teacher recommended I read this book and I fell in love with it. It's one of my all-time favorite books but I haven't read it in years. I can still remember the book almost word-for-word. It brings to life the Revolutionary War and focuses more on the role women played in the war. It's a great read.

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About Gwen Bristow

American author and journalist. She studied at Columbia University and afterwards wrote for a number of literary magazines and journals. Eventually she moved to New Orleans, and worked at the Times-Picayune. She became interested in longer forms of writing—novels and short stories—through her husband, screenwriter Bruce Manning, and published her first novel in 1929.

Bristow reached the pinnacle o...more

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“I’m not really beautiful,’ she said to herself, ‘but tonight I feel beautiful. And I look like a girl who feels beautiful.' (84)” — 5 people liked it

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