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4th out of 16 books
—
11 voters
Veronica
On a snowy night in February--at the improbable corner in lower Manhattan where Waverly Place intersects itself--a photographer named Leo meets Veronica, the beautiful, enigmatic daughter of an illusionist who has been swallowed up in time. Veronica is looking for an appetite, a savior. And she is soon leading Leo into a dangerous labyrinth of delights that winds beneath a...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
January 1st 2000
by Quill
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This was one of those random finds while browsing the shelves at the library, and an example of why it’s worth doing so I suppose. I’m not sure what it was about the spine which made me pull it off the shelf, but the cover is interesting, and the blurb met the “well, this seems so strange I kind of have to give it a go” criteria for coming home with me.
When I first started reading, admittedly, I had some doubts. The story seemed a little too jumpy, a little too coy and elliptical, while the scen...more
When I first started reading, admittedly, I had some doubts. The story seemed a little too jumpy, a little too coy and elliptical, while the scen...more
I picked up a used copy of Veronica based solely on the praise found on its cover, knowing nothing about the novel or the author. I was pleasantly surprised by the book, and can honestly say that it was like nothing I've ever read before. I do read a bit of fantasy, but Veronica is different in that the plot is grounded very firmly in New York City. It's what happens in the city to Leo, an innocent bystander who gets caught up in a whirlwind of magic and time-travel, that's the fantastic part. T...more
This book took me a year to read. No kidding. I kept picking it up. Stopping. Starting. Picking it up. And the rest is history. It wasn't a slow start, no that wasn't the problem. It was just bizarre. More bizzare than scary and that's my own downfall for thinking one meant the other. But that's OK. It is. Because it paid off. And I can't say too much for fear of spoiling it - even though in hindsight it wouldn't make a lick of sense anyway - but it's worth a read if you can stick with it. Veron...more
Very disappointed. This book violates one of my cardinal rules of storytelling: plot comes from character, not the other way around. Leo, the main character in Veronica does nothing - the plot happens to him. He is just along for the ride, not really even questioning the odd things that happen to him. There is a good story here, but it's not the one Nicholas Christopher tells. I would have like to have seen some exploration as to why Leo goes along with Veronica and her plan. The few times Chris...more
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The main character Leo was obviously a Gary-Stu of the author, Veronica was his manic pixie dream girl, and that made the sex scenes really awkward to read. Leo might not even be a character in this book, I don't understand why we're seeing everything through his eyes. He does very little and doesn't seem to have any control over what is going on in the world around him. I guess you could say he got swept up in the magic or whatever, but if Leo wasn't going to do anything, why not make this stor...more
1 like · like · see review
4.5 Stars
My first venture into a book by Nicolas Christopher produced a very good, if slightly confusing read.
Leo meets Veronica on a snowy night in Manhattan where Waverly place intersects itself. She leads him through a labyrinth of places and events in an effort to save her illusionist father. Her father has been sucked back in time and has communicated about his return. Leo is the savior of the family.
Leo’s first person narration is very well used in this book. The confusion he feels is abs...more
My first venture into a book by Nicolas Christopher produced a very good, if slightly confusing read.
Leo meets Veronica on a snowy night in Manhattan where Waverly place intersects itself. She leads him through a labyrinth of places and events in an effort to save her illusionist father. Her father has been sucked back in time and has communicated about his return. Leo is the savior of the family.
Leo’s first person narration is very well used in this book. The confusion he feels is abs...more
This book completely threw me when I started, but once I got into it, I really began to enjoy it. The opening chapters were very confusing, but later, as the plot begins to unravel and become more apparent, it paid off.
I enjoyed that we are as befuddled as Leo when all these strange events, dreams and traveling begin to take place. As he becomes more confident and is given more information, so are we. I read the last 200 pages in one sitting. I was either too wrapped up or to afraid to lose my...more
I enjoyed that we are as befuddled as Leo when all these strange events, dreams and traveling begin to take place. As he becomes more confident and is given more information, so are we. I read the last 200 pages in one sitting. I was either too wrapped up or to afraid to lose my...more
This book came into my life at a fairly chaotic, emotionally tumultuous and generally difficult time, and for many years I wondered if that was why it became so important to me, but the truth is that I have read it several times since then and it is still the magical, insightful, exciting experience that it ever was, pretty much regardless of what is going on in my life at the time.
I don't want to say too much about the story or the characters - I think that I could easily colour a new reader's...more
I don't want to say too much about the story or the characters - I think that I could easily colour a new reader's...more
Usually, I love magic realism, but this book borders a little more on comic contemporary fantasy. The characters are stiff and unrelenting in their boredom, merely devices to drive the plot forward it seems. Once in deep enough, the twists are expected and the outcome forgone. The "romance" was hollow, in my opinion a vehicle for trippy love scenes, that frankly left me both underwhelmed and uncomfortable. I ended up not caring what happened to the main character, finishing the novel only to sat...more
I found this an alluring dreamlike trip with love and suspense. But like The Night Circus it left me feeling I had taken a thrilling, spooky fairground ride followed by a binge on cotton candy. If you are satisfied by such an excursion, this could be a good book for you.
Freelance photographer Leo meets Veronica one evening in Manhattan and starts falling for her beauty and mysterious, exotic ways. Veronica draws him into her circle of strange friends and takes him to Tibetan restaurants and one...more
Freelance photographer Leo meets Veronica one evening in Manhattan and starts falling for her beauty and mysterious, exotic ways. Veronica draws him into her circle of strange friends and takes him to Tibetan restaurants and one...more
8 likes · like · see review
This book is a lot like most things in life, a giant fucking disappointment.
It's been years since I read it.
When I first met Karen, even more years ago, she gave me a copy of Trip to the Stars (by the same author) to read.
Trip to the Stars is one of those books that is magical and pretty near perfect. It's an amazing wondrous book.
It's the kind of book that makes you want to go out and read everything else an author has written, just so you can try to capture even some of that feeling again....more
It's been years since I read it.
When I first met Karen, even more years ago, she gave me a copy of Trip to the Stars (by the same author) to read.
Trip to the Stars is one of those books that is magical and pretty near perfect. It's an amazing wondrous book.
It's the kind of book that makes you want to go out and read everything else an author has written, just so you can try to capture even some of that feeling again....more
31 likes · like · see review
Brilliant. Fascinating. Surreal. Contains elements of magic and fantasy intertwined with factual information. Story about a man with an average life who finds his entire existence literally turn upside down by a woman, Veronica, whom he meets at the unlikely intersection of Waverly and Waverly in Downtown Manhattan near Washington Square Park. Thus, begins the adventure of his life as he tries to help Veronica free her father from a peculiar limbo.
I had no idea I was picking up an "urban fantasy" book, but I'm glad I did. It was fascinating. But about the first half of it was a little confusing—but once it all starts to make sense, you can see why it would HAVE to be confusing. If it wasn't for the incredible writing and vivid imagery in the first part of the book, I probably would have given up on it. But the words and images worked on me and put my reader's mind in a place where almost anything was possible.
Jul 02, 2012
Elizabeth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Proponents of the strange and magical
Shelves:
fantastical-tale,
mystery,
out-of-this-world,
romance,
scifi,
supernatural,
suspense,
confusing
Ordinarily I would hate a book that doesn't hang onto reality enough for me to understand it, but in the case of Veronica I really liked it. It was strange, unbelievable, and yet took its magic so much for granted that I could, too. The surrealness of this book was like reading a dream, which is an amazing accomplishment for the author, because it's very difficult to let go of hows and whys when you write. After all, humans like knowing how and why something happens, and letting go of that is co...more
Nicholas Christopher deserves a time out for his abuse of reoccurring characters and motifs in Veronica. I'm sure to him the repetition of characters and images seemed profound. To the weary reader, on the other hand, they just smack of lazy writing.
Granted, I didn't finish it. But I didn't finish it because it's god awful. You be the judge.
Granted, I didn't finish it. But I didn't finish it because it's god awful. You be the judge.
Lyrical, enigmatic, frustrating. Finally, a mystical mystery that incorporates NYC, a clairvoyant, a woman with a secret past, time travel, the mapping of the moon, magicians, Sir Walter Raleigh, Tibetans, an invisible dog, and the one protagonist who never stops to ask "WTF?"
A magician disappears during his act and his family and friends try to facilitate his return. But the main character is a man named Leo who is drawn in to the plot by the intriguing Veronica. Time travel, magic, mysticism - I LOVE this book by the author of my *favorite* book (A Trip to the Stars). I'm embarrassed to say how many times I have read this... :)
Had a tough time rating this one. There are so many aspects of this novel that warrant 5 stars, but unfortunately there are a couple that may generously receive 2. Overall, a great story is in here...but only if you can overlook a few negatives. I will read more from this author in hoes that he gets it all right at some point.
Maybe this isn't a fair rating since I put the book down after 3 chapters. Who are these people and why would anyone care enough about them to read the whole book? A total lack of any kind of character development. I'd rather take a nap.
Beautifully written, dreamy storyline promising a mix of time travel, magic and the mystics of far-east. It was like a long, very long dream with unusual series of events & characters.
I kept reading it through the end without being able to put it away...Highly recommended to those who are fond of fantasy books and I suppose people who like "The Anubis Gates" will loooove this book.(or vice versa)
Its such a shame that this book is not a best seller! It definitely should be.
I kept reading it through the end without being able to put it away...Highly recommended to those who are fond of fantasy books and I suppose people who like "The Anubis Gates" will loooove this book.(or vice versa)
Its such a shame that this book is not a best seller! It definitely should be.
Great book, lots of amazing descriptions, a total page-turner. Even though I had about 100 pages left, I couldn't put it down and go to bed, so I stayed up reading until I was finished. Brilliant work. Makes me want to get back to my own fiction. Highly recommended!
This is my favorite urban fantasy. The story is set in New York. Veronica is the daughter of a magician (and so much more). This novel has more twists and turns than the streets of Manhattan.
i gave it 50 pages, during which i just kept thinking: "yes we get it, she's magical, WHAT OF IT." so i moved on to something else.
I loved this one. Another good one with NYC as the backdrop. Romantic and mysterious, Christopher spins a lovely tale.
there were some really cool ideas, but not as solid a book as trip to the stars. for me.
i enjoyed the feng shui concepts...
i enjoyed the feng shui concepts...
An odd book, but I loved it. Tibetan tea, magicians, astral travel and reality. The nature of time. And true love.
Get caught up in a tail of intrigue, the world of magicians, all set against a very downtown Manhattan scene.
An interesting syle of writing, but the plot was now where near as interesting as "A Trip to the Stars"
Nov 23, 2010
Andrew W.m.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
time-travel-reading-series
A whirling, magical novel full of half-steps and confusion. Nonetheless, it succeeds in creating a fantastic and atmospheric progression which is satisfactorialy resolved in a series of grand set pieces. If you allow the meanderings of this magical realist story then you will reap a fair reward in terms of ponderous, intriguing characters and dramatic denouement. A firm recommendation.
This is one of the most memorable, surreal books I've ever read. It's haunting and beautiful.
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Nicolas Christopher was born and raised in New York City. He was educated at Harvard College, where he studied with Robert Lowell and Anthony Hecht. Afterward, he traveled and lived in Europe. He became a regular contributor to the New Yorker in his early twenties, and began publishing his work in other leading magazines, both in the United States and abroad, including Esquire, the New Republic, t...more
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“They were different colors: the right one blue, the left green. And her face in the light of the candle on the table startled me at first, just as it had in the icy night air. After seeing it on the street, I was afraid I had only imagined it: a still, luminous face with a silvery sheen. Finely hewn, with a long, straight nose and a wide mouth, it was nearly identical to another face, which I had photographed years before. Not on a person, bu on the fragment of a frieze I found in some ruins near Verona, The frieze, which depicted a band of musicians, had once been shadowed beneath a cornice high on the temple of Mercury, god of magic. Belonging to one of the musicians, it was a riveting face - like a puzzle that could not be solved - which I had never found, or expected to find, on a living woman.”
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2 people liked it
“We were on Barrow Street now.
"Who is the man with the scar?" I said.
She shot me a glance, and her face hardened. "You saw him?"
"How could I miss? He was the real center of attention. Didn't you go to the opening at all?"
"No" She said. "And just because you saw him doesn't mean he was there.”
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1 person liked it
More quotes…
"Who is the man with the scar?" I said.
She shot me a glance, and her face hardened. "You saw him?"
"How could I miss? He was the real center of attention. Didn't you go to the opening at all?"
"No" She said. "And just because you saw him doesn't mean he was there.”
