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92nd out of 131 books
—
15 voters
Waiting for Columbus
by
Thomas Trofimuk (Goodreads Author)
A man arrives at an insane asylum in contemporary Spain claiming to be the legendary navigator Christopher Columbus. Who he really is, and the events that led him to break with reality, lie at the center of this captivating, romantic, and stunningly written novel.
Found in the treacherous Strait of Gibraltar, the mysterious man who calls himself Columbus appears to be just...more
Found in the treacherous Strait of Gibraltar, the mysterious man who calls himself Columbus appears to be just...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
August 25th 2009
by Doubleday
(first published January 1st 2009)
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TRITE!
Can you imagine One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest meeting Mills and Boon? Well, it happened in this book. This terrible, mawkish sentimental story is set in an insane asylum where the nurse falls in love with the patient, who, if he wasn't insane, you would have to conclude is the most extravagant bullshitter on the face of the earth.
I blame the author. It is basically cheating to put a large part of the story into the mouth of a character who is insane because then you can abdicate all resp...more
Can you imagine One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest meeting Mills and Boon? Well, it happened in this book. This terrible, mawkish sentimental story is set in an insane asylum where the nurse falls in love with the patient, who, if he wasn't insane, you would have to conclude is the most extravagant bullshitter on the face of the earth.
I blame the author. It is basically cheating to put a large part of the story into the mouth of a character who is insane because then you can abdicate all resp...more
Here's another book that defies the star system for me. It's somewhere between a 4 "I really liked this and a 5, “it was awesome”. Early on, I wasn’t quite certain how I felt about this book. I found myself confused initially, perhaps because I was reading a few pages at a time. Over the weekend I was finally able to get down dirty and read!
I had first heard about Waiting for Columbus on a Booksonthenightstand podcast. Ann Kingman raved about it not only once but at least two other times that I...more
I had first heard about Waiting for Columbus on a Booksonthenightstand podcast. Ann Kingman raved about it not only once but at least two other times that I...more
This was a very enjoyable novel. A violent, agitated man is brought to a mental institution in Seville claiming to be Christopher Columbus. Columbus begins to tell stories to one his nurses, Consuela. Stories about how he, Columbus, has been struggling to raise funds and get royal permission to set sail across the Western Sea to find a shorter route to Japan and the Indies. Yet his tales of the 15th century are rife with anachronisms such as stereos, cars, and phones. Consuela and Columbus's doc...more
Some of the language in this book is quite poetic. The idea of a man so traumatised that he retreats into a fantasy of being Columbus is very interesting. Unfortunately I do not like the execution of the idea.
Niggles: 1) All that talk of women drove me insane. I understood it was going to lead up to some real-life girlfriend, or wife at some point, but that did not make those little stories less annoying, or more relevant. I felt I was wasting precious time reading those bits.
2) Consuela seemed...more
Niggles: 1) All that talk of women drove me insane. I understood it was going to lead up to some real-life girlfriend, or wife at some point, but that did not make those little stories less annoying, or more relevant. I felt I was wasting precious time reading those bits.
2) Consuela seemed...more
2 likes · like · see review
Book Description from Shelfari: A man arrives at an insane asylum in contemporary Spain claiming to be the legendary navigator Christopher Columbus. Who he really is, and the events that led him to break with reality, lie at the center of this novel. Found in the treacherous Strait of Gibraltar, the mysterious man who calls himself Columbus appears to be just another delirious mental patient, until he begins to tell the “true” story of how he famously obtained three ships from Spanish royalty. I...more
Waiting for Columbus is the story of a man in a mental institute in Spain who believes he is Christopher Columbus. Since he was pulled out of the Strait of Gibraltar, who he really is and how he came to be there is unknown. As the staff at the institute try to unravel his story he slowly begins to charm them, reveling a compelling intelligence. He tells tales of Columbus' life to his lovely and devoted nurse Consuela until the tales start to lead gradually into his own. Also in Spain is Inspecto...more
The star system is very odd. One compares apples and oranges and they both can have the same amount of stars, though they satisfy completely different needs. So to clarify my grading, I am going to employee meals - some books are snacks, others appetizers. There are amuse bouches and there are entrees and desserts. There are lunch entrees and dinner entrees. Janet Evanovich is a snack. Sue Grafton an appetizer. Thomas Trofimuk's Waiting for Columbus is an entree. An entree at a 4 star restaurant...more
This is a candidate for the worst book I have ever read. It's a novel where the facts change as the novel goes along. Sure, this might be because the main character is crazy, but it comes across like sloppy writing. Early on, it's thought that Columbus' real name is Bolivar and despite the appearance of a priest late in the book named Bolivar, we never learn how the name became attached to Columbus. There is also a case where one of Columbus's charts is covered in menstrual blood but later on th...more
My comments at 50% done:
I had to adjust to the slow, dreamy pace of this book, and also to the fact that the narration by the main character slips between first and third person, a blend of imagination, history, and current day reality. Columbus is a modern day man who has likely suffered a severe trauma in the recent past, from which he escapes by identifying with Christopher Columbus. It's nearly impossible to sort "Columbus' " real life from his imaginary one, for both the reader and Columbus...more
I had to adjust to the slow, dreamy pace of this book, and also to the fact that the narration by the main character slips between first and third person, a blend of imagination, history, and current day reality. Columbus is a modern day man who has likely suffered a severe trauma in the recent past, from which he escapes by identifying with Christopher Columbus. It's nearly impossible to sort "Columbus' " real life from his imaginary one, for both the reader and Columbus...more
I had been hearing people talk about Thomas Trofimuk's book Waiting for Columbus every time I turned around so, I finally broke down and bought the audiobook from Audible. The book is narrated by Grover Gardner and he does an excellent job. (I think I might end up doing a search for him on Audbile to see what else he has narrated). So what's the story about? This mysterious man is found in the Straits of Gibraltar and is taken to a mental hospital in Spain. He insists he is Christopher Columbus....more
I feel cheated by this novel. The question is—does the wonderfully touchy and tragic ending justify the long toil the story took us through, to reach the end? I was, actually, so very close never to reach it, because the first 350 pages made me so agitated, I wanted to leave the book unfinished on a few occasions. Even now, when I turned the last page, I’m still not sure if it was worth it.
At first I liked the idea of a mental patient who thinks he's Christopher Columbus, and tells the stories,...more
At first I liked the idea of a mental patient who thinks he's Christopher Columbus, and tells the stories,...more
1 like · like · see review
It's not very often I dedicate time to a book when I don't know what's happening in its pages. With this story, you don't get clarity until the last chapter, so you must trust the author to take you on the journey with absolutely no map or landmarks - ironic or fitting for a tale about a navigator?
I enjoyed the journey through a man's quest for his identity - he fervently believes himself to be Christopher Columbus but the story is set in modern times. He is an incredible storyteller and I kind...more
I enjoyed the journey through a man's quest for his identity - he fervently believes himself to be Christopher Columbus but the story is set in modern times. He is an incredible storyteller and I kind...more
This book was a struggle to finish. The story was totally unbelievable and it annoyed me in every page. I didn't like the fact that the Spanish people had mixed names, some English like Faith and some Spanish like Consuela. The short Spanish sentences used during dialogue are almost always wrongly translated (I am a native and can tell). Futhermore, there were really stupid things like the Dr. lending his credit card to the patient (at the very end). Sorry, but this might work in the US but not...more
I picked this book up at the library because I needed something to read on a recent trip.
It was entertaining in that it kept me reading till the end "just to find out what happens."
The story is about a man who ends up at an insane asylum believes he is Christoper Columbus, and how the staff there are trying to unravel just why this is. He tells his story to one of the nurses there, who slowly becomes so entranced by his story, she wants to believe he is who he says he is.
I picked the book up bec...more
It was entertaining in that it kept me reading till the end "just to find out what happens."
The story is about a man who ends up at an insane asylum believes he is Christoper Columbus, and how the staff there are trying to unravel just why this is. He tells his story to one of the nurses there, who slowly becomes so entranced by his story, she wants to believe he is who he says he is.
I picked the book up bec...more
To set a novel about Christopher Columbus in a modern day mental institution is ambitious, as not only does it heighten awareness of the reality of mental confusion, it also gives an insight into the life of one of the most enigmatic of adventurers. When a man is found, alleging to be Christopher Columbus, we are led by the author into a world of delusion and mystery, which is bravely narrated in three separate story strands.
Whilst acknowledging that the book is intricately written, I didn’t fee...more
Whilst acknowledging that the book is intricately written, I didn’t fee...more
I found this book very difficult to get through for the first two-thirds, I nearly gave up it was so slow! I felt that much of the description of Columbus' story was lazy, simply retelling someone else's story instead of coming up with a new one. Much of the nurse's love for her patient appeared to be some kind of reverse transference, instead of patient falling in love with the therapist, the therapist falls in love with the patient. Bit strange, when it appears towards the end that the interpo...more
The audio version of this book is read by Grover Gardner who did a wonderful job with this novel.
At first I was not sure what to make of this unusual novel.
An unknown man is pulled from the Strait of Gibraltar, and when he wakes up, he finds himself in the Sevilla Institute for the Mentally Ill. The year is 2005, and the man claims to be Christopher Columbus. To his lonely nurse, Consuela Lopez, and the psychiatric staff, the man who claims to be Christopher Columbus, details stories of his conq...more
At first I was not sure what to make of this unusual novel.
An unknown man is pulled from the Strait of Gibraltar, and when he wakes up, he finds himself in the Sevilla Institute for the Mentally Ill. The year is 2005, and the man claims to be Christopher Columbus. To his lonely nurse, Consuela Lopez, and the psychiatric staff, the man who claims to be Christopher Columbus, details stories of his conq...more
Dec 31, 2009
selena
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to selena by:
Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog
Shelves:
2009
Holding the book in my hands, I knew it would b beautiful. The cover featured an overcast sky with hints of gold sun shining through, and the most beautiful blue rising waves.
Waiting for Columbus was a dream of a novel. It is about a man who wakes up in the prestigious Sevilla Institute for the Mentally Ill and believes himself to be Columbus. The nurse assigned to him, Consuela, stays with Columbus as the institute attempts to find out his identity. He stays with his claim; he is Columbus. And...more
Waiting for Columbus was a dream of a novel. It is about a man who wakes up in the prestigious Sevilla Institute for the Mentally Ill and believes himself to be Columbus. The nurse assigned to him, Consuela, stays with Columbus as the institute attempts to find out his identity. He stays with his claim; he is Columbus. And...more
An absolutely marvelous story. A man washes up on the shore in Spain and is ultimately taken to an asylum as he believes he is Christopher Columbus. He is a great story teller and his assigned nurse, needy in her own way, finds his stories mesmerizing, though clearly they are confused as to time since he is telling them as being Columbus, but there are such things as ringing telephones in the stories. Meanwhile, an Interpol Agent is looking for a missing person, but we (the readers) don't really...more
Disappointing. I endured this novel because it was recommended, but I was disappointed. The prose did not strike me as excellent. I realize that it was supposed to be confusing, but I still would have liked some clarity. It is a rather long read to reach the ending; I just feel it could have been constructed differently.
I found the constant objectification of women annoying. Consuela was my favorite character. Emile was fascinating and so was the psychiatrist, but Columbus was too frequently ann...more
I found the constant objectification of women annoying. Consuela was my favorite character. Emile was fascinating and so was the psychiatrist, but Columbus was too frequently ann...more
I don't think I'd have ever picked this book up except for the intriguing review that Books on the Nightstand gave it. They made it sound a bit like that movie Don Juan Demarco with Johnny Depp and Charlton Heston. I decided I'd give it a try. I am very glad that I did. This is a wonderful story, part adventure, part romance, part tragedy. I didn't quite know what was going on, but I didn't mind being lead down the path the author had sketched out. This was a good story and beautifully written....more
Beautifully written. Poetic and romantic. Who would have thought words could be smithed so that one could actually be slightly aroused when talking about travelling across the sea (as you will be when you read one of the conversations between Isabella and Columbus)? Maybe it was just me, but I felt the end was a little rushed - but I think that the author meant it to be that way because of the Interpol deadline. Like Consuela, I wanted more of Columbus than this abrupt ending. I was so lost in h...more
For a synopsis of the plot the description on the book page says it well.
I listened to the audio version of this book and I dont think that is the best way to experience it. It's a little too slow for audio. I continually lost my train of thought and had to rewind which annoyed me. Also the narrator had a somewhat detached attitude to the story which kept me from really connecting with it.
I didn't hate this book but there were a few moments when I almost gave up on it. On the whole I am glad I...more
I listened to the audio version of this book and I dont think that is the best way to experience it. It's a little too slow for audio. I continually lost my train of thought and had to rewind which annoyed me. Also the narrator had a somewhat detached attitude to the story which kept me from really connecting with it.
I didn't hate this book but there were a few moments when I almost gave up on it. On the whole I am glad I...more
There are no rules about grieving, so for one man his coping mechanism is to assume the personna of Christopher Columbus. As he reveals his story, piece by piece, to the lovely nurse Consuela in the hospital for the mentally ill, he tells the story of Columbus' struggle to convince Ferdinand and Isabell to finance his proposed journey west, but his story is replete with modern references to things such as telephones. As the story unwinds, clues to the identity of this mystery man are revealed. T...more
I heard about this book from Books On The Nightstand and am so glad that I picked it up. It's been a long time since a book surprised or intrigued me as much as this one did. I'd love to learn more about the psychology behind people escaping trauma by assuming a new persona or identity. Interesting sensual details; aromas, music. I downloaded the music mentioned in the book and re-read certain passages while listening and was wowed by how it enhanced the reading experience. Beautifully written....more
Apr 11, 2012
Jennifer (Books That Spark)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
read-in-2012,
own-finished-copy
Waiting for Columbus was the first book selected for a book club some friends and I have set up. It wasn’t my selection and not something I would usually choose to read but nonetheless, the synopsis sounded good and I was intrigued to start reading.
This is the story of a man who is found washed up off the Strait of Gibraltar. Claiming that he is Christopher Columbus, he is taken to a mental asylum in Spain. This man is well and truly convinced that he is the real Christopher Columbus and tells...more
This is the story of a man who is found washed up off the Strait of Gibraltar. Claiming that he is Christopher Columbus, he is taken to a mental asylum in Spain. This man is well and truly convinced that he is the real Christopher Columbus and tells...more
I found reading this book a rather odd experience. Twice I picked it up and began it, and just did not find it interested enough to continue. I didn't want to read it, but the reviews were SO good I didn't want to give up on the book. So I'd take a break and come back to the book. I finally finished all of the other book options I read and decided to just stick with this book.... and, to be honest, did not really enjoy it for at east the first half, maybe even more. But, and I hate to admit it,...more
A man claiming to be Columbus washes up on the shores of Spain, the only problem is that it is the 21st century and “Columbus” is demanding to speak to Queen Isabella...on the phone. He is taken to a psychiatric hospital and is under the care of Nurse Consuela who listens to the stories of his youth and mission to get ships to discover a new route to the East with fascination. Clearly this man has a secret but what is it? Meanwhile an Interpol officer is searching for a missing man, and the two...more
Last month I reviewed Galileo's Dream, in which I waxed philosophical about the attraction of certain historical individuals. Like Galileo, Christopher Columbus is another giant who captures our imaginations. Although he did not "discover" North America, Columbus did spearhead expeditions that brought the utility of North America to the attention of European powers. And the rest is, as they say, history. Columbus helped to change the world, but what we know about Columbus the person is not alway...more
This novel sends its readers on a mesmerizing journey, a tale that hovers between the 1400s and the present.
This captivating story chronicles the life of a man in residence at the Seville Institute for the Mentally Ill. He insists he is the famous explorer Christopher Columbus and it is imperative that he reach by phone the King and Queen to obtain funding for ships and supplies needed for his upcoming adventure across the Atlantic. .
Rich in details of the 15th century Columbus tells his careg...more
This captivating story chronicles the life of a man in residence at the Seville Institute for the Mentally Ill. He insists he is the famous explorer Christopher Columbus and it is imperative that he reach by phone the King and Queen to obtain funding for ships and supplies needed for his upcoming adventure across the Atlantic. .
Rich in details of the 15th century Columbus tells his careg...more
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Mar 21, 2012 03:25pm
Jan 13, 2013 11:19am