suey's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, compelling story about a guy who is crazy and thinks he is Columbus. Overall, I liked it, but I had a few problems with it too.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
A book with some interesting parts but I found the whole story quite strange and did not enjoy any of the characters, probably wouldn't read again.
skyreader's review against another edition
2.0
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, mixing history and present time, to his nurse. However, as the book progresses, it doesn't go anywhere, the plot stalls, and Columbus' stories drag on, without sense. There are way too many of those confused story-episodes, unsorted and out of chronological, or any other logical order. On top of it, the nurse develops emotional attachment to Columbus, but that was explained in a very superficial and unbelievable way. There was no courting, or subtle changing of feelings from the care for a patient into something deeper. No, one day the good nurse realized that she’s in love. Snap. Just like that. For a reader who likes his books well done, this one was absolutely rare.
It also seems that all the female characters in the book get naked at some point, mostly without any particular reason other than, perhaps, to spice up a terribly bland story. There’s lust and sex. There’s author’s documented intention to describe a great romantic with absolute adoration of his women’s body, and, yes, the soul, too. Which begs the question whether the author ever experienced the kind of romance he was trying to attribute to this ‘Columbus,’ because if he did, he isn’t capable to translate it in writing. Rather, the romantic escapades in the book are half-baked, clumsy and neither detailed enough to be taken seriously, nor funny enough to be taken as comedy.
Two stars, only because of the ending.
At first I liked the idea of a mental patient who thinks he's Christopher Columbus, and tells the stories, mixing history and present time, to his nurse. However, as the book progresses, it doesn't go anywhere, the plot stalls, and Columbus' stories drag on, without sense. There are way too many of those confused story-episodes, unsorted and out of chronological, or any other logical order. On top of it, the nurse develops emotional attachment to Columbus, but that was explained in a very superficial and unbelievable way. There was no courting, or subtle changing of feelings from the care for a patient into something deeper. No, one day the good nurse realized that she’s in love. Snap. Just like that. For a reader who likes his books well done, this one was absolutely rare.
It also seems that all the female characters in the book get naked at some point, mostly without any particular reason other than, perhaps, to spice up a terribly bland story. There’s lust and sex. There’s author’s documented intention to describe a great romantic with absolute adoration of his women’s body, and, yes, the soul, too. Which begs the question whether the author ever experienced the kind of romance he was trying to attribute to this ‘Columbus,’ because if he did, he isn’t capable to translate it in writing. Rather, the romantic escapades in the book are half-baked, clumsy and neither detailed enough to be taken seriously, nor funny enough to be taken as comedy.
Two stars, only because of the ending.
squeegybeckinheim's review against another edition
2.0
This book let me down. The only saving grace was that the writing was beautiful. Unfortunately that's not always enough to save a book. The idea was certainly interesting, but to me the execution failed. It also dragged. I wanted to reach inside the book and shake the narrator telling them to "get on with it already". I'd call this a pretty sub-par experience.
spattee's review against another edition
5.0
Stunning book. Beautifully written. It will stay with me for a long time. I cried.
parasyticworm's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so interesting! I love everything about it!!!
thesassybookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Really, Really liked this one! A man washes ashore and claims to be Christopher Columbus. He is sent to a metal institute and soon forms a bond with one of the nurses. This was just such a well written book, the relationship between "Columbus" and "Consuela" is beautifully written and the stories "Columbus" recounts are touching and offer clues to what really happened. It's not a very fast paced read, but more of a stroll through love and tragedy. Just a really great read!
tabularasablog's review against another edition
3.0
Five stars for the ending, one star for some parts of the book. So I'm settling for 3. Now does that mean I like it?
selenajournal's review against another edition
4.0
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 he has the lavish stories to support it. He tells Consuela of the women in his life and of his efforts to gain a fleet of ships to sail the ocean. But each story has something, a modern thing, that is out of place. Each story is close but doesn’t exactly fit with history. Consuela can see that these stories are the answer, listening to them will help her figure out just how it is that Columbus forgot who he was.
This story was almost perfect. The problem I had with Waiting for Columbus is that the explanation for why Columbus lost his memory is very closely tied to a popular current issue that is being cited sometimes with good reason and mostly without. I know that having not read the book, this doesn’t make sense. I don’t want to give away the plot point but I do want to say that this was a flaw that I saw.
However, this isn’t where the story ends. Trofimuk gives Columbus a very satisfying ending which made the character really stay with me after the book was over.
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 he has the lavish stories to support it. He tells Consuela of the women in his life and of his efforts to gain a fleet of ships to sail the ocean. But each story has something, a modern thing, that is out of place. Each story is close but doesn’t exactly fit with history. Consuela can see that these stories are the answer, listening to them will help her figure out just how it is that Columbus forgot who he was.
This story was almost perfect. The problem I had with Waiting for Columbus is that the explanation for why Columbus lost his memory is very closely tied to a popular current issue that is being cited sometimes with good reason and mostly without. I know that having not read the book, this doesn’t make sense. I don’t want to give away the plot point but I do want to say that this was a flaw that I saw.
However, this isn’t where the story ends. Trofimuk gives Columbus a very satisfying ending which made the character really stay with me after the book was over.