Crazy for Cornelia

by Chris Gilson

Once upon a time, a beautiful debutante found her Prince Charming as he held open the door to her Fifth Avenue co-op--so says the legend passed through generations of New York's top doormen. Kevin Doyle, an artist-turned-doorman biding his time under the awning of just such a building, didn't believe the fairy tale . . . until Cornelia Lord stepped into his life. Headstrong, effervescent, and desperately lonely, Cornelia lives the life of American royalty. She resides in a high-rise; she attends debutante balls; and her father is the last in a long tradition of "old money." But none of the wealth at her feet can fill the emptiness that has existed since her mother's tragic death. Desiring real purpose in her life, she spends her time skirting her blueblood lineage and dodging the paparazzi who record her bizarre antics about town. Equally determined to make his own place in the world is Kevin, whose true calling is glass sculpture and who is as enchanted by Cornelia's eccentricities as he is by her remarkable spirit. Ultimately, debutante and doorman, misunderstood and a little flaky to the world at large, see in each other the soulmate they've been looking for, but to achieve togetherness they must first thwart a Machiavellian grab at the Lord fortune

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Chris Gilson's advertising textbooks are credited under Christopher C. Gilson. Crazy for Cornelia is his first novel.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange story - most of the characters seem to be crazy! It is an enjoyable read but if you are looking for any sort of realism you won't find it in this book. The main characters are trying to find ways to cope with grief, both Cornelia and Kevin have lost their mothers. They deal with this in different ways, some of which seem somewhat bizarre. I did like the characters of both Cornelia and Kevin but it seemed unbelievable the way Cornelia allowed herself to be treated by her father and Tucker. If you suspend your disbelief over some parts of the storyline (I really don't see how some of the situations could possibly happen!), this is a good fun story. I was willing Kevin on to rescue her in time and the ending was suitably madcap. Read this if you are looking for some escapism from real life!

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

So far I am thankful that my sister edited the language of this book before she loaned it to me. She bought it in a bargain bin not knowing the author....found out the language was not good...but edited it as she went so that I could read it without having to deal with that;)
Okay, I'm still attempting to make it through this book. Not a fan I'm afraid.

I must repeat NOT a fan! I was SHOCKED to get on amazon.com and see how many readers gave this book 5 stars! SHOCKED! This book was NOT for me. Cute cover though;)lol

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one, a sleeper on our shelves.

Cornelia's a little eccentric and more than a little obsessed with Nikolai Tesla. Her father's rich and ineffectual. Her mother, from whom she gained her obsession, is dead. Her doorman, an artist new to the job, is in love with her. Her fiance, however, is in love with her father's business.

A bit of a caper, fast-paced, funny, and frustrating. How do you prove you're NOT crazy?

[Michelle]

sweet, funny, romantic "modern Cinderella" about doorman who falls in love with rich and beautiful tenant

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book because NIKOLA TESLA, but, sadly, I couldn't. Couldn't even finish it, in fact.