Veronika Decides to Die Review
October 20th, 2005 . by JillyOur book club choice for the month of October was Paulo Coehlo’s Veronika Decides to Die. Our book club theme for these 3 months are crazy people, that aren’t that crazy.
As the book starts, we’re introduced to Veronika. She’s young, beautiful, and seems to have everything going for her. Yet, she has decided that she wants to kill herself. Not because she’s depressed just because she’s bored. She feels that the world is messed up and she feels powerless. She is unsuccessful and lands herself in a mental hospital. Veronika is told she only has a week to live, because of the damage she’s done to her heart.
Veronika develops friendships with some of the other patients at the hospital. She hears their stories of how they ended up there. This book gives us an interesting perspective on asylum life. Faced with death, Veronika starts feeling a deep desire to live. She starts playing the piano late at night, passionately and unrestrained. She pours her heart and soul into it. She plays like she never had before.
Coehlo threw in his usual mix of philosophy/spirituality into the story. But despite that, I really liked it. I like his writing style. I liked how Paulo Coehlo dropped into the book, and then quickly dropped out again. Its very interesting to me that Paulo Coehlo spent time in an insane asylum, when he was young. His parents put him there, not because he was crazy, but because he wanted to be an artist. That wasn’t socially acceptable to his parents. So Coehlo has an intimate knowledge of asylums, treatments, the relationships between doctor and patients, and the comforts and harrows of living in a place like that.
I liked how Veronika was comforted by the fact that when you’re in a mental hospital you can do whatever you want. Nobody thinks anything of it, because you’re crazy. Like when Veronika, walks up to the member of the Fraternity and smacks him across the face. On hearing the news that she is soon to be released from Vilette, Zedka reflects, “Once in a mental hospital, a person grows used to the freedom that exists in the world of madness and becomes addicted to it. You no longer have to take on responsibilities, to struggle to earn your daily bread, to be bothered with repetitive, mundane tasks.” What do you think about that quote?
I really liked this book. What about you? What do you think of Dr. Igor’s theory about Vitriol, the name he gives to a “disease of the soul” that affects people who have grown embittered? How do you feel about Dr. Igor’s experiment on Veronika?
I read the Alchemist and had a love/hate relationship w/ the book. In general I loved the story but the theme of each person following a path to fulfill their personal destiny was annoying & why I was hesitant to read another one of his books. But I love your review of Veronika Decides to Die. I’m putting it on my must-read list.
Oh…um…hey, maybe you didnt see my full conversation with “my mom” but…um…emoticons are not tolerated on this website. Ok thanks.
What’s up w/ all the ellipses in your comment? I thought only people w/ fat hands too lazy to get off the keyboard used them. I know I agreed to argue w/ you but enough’s enough. Back off!
The East Coast is softer that speculated. But your right no more arguing,its gone on far enough. I’ll just wait until you right something mean on my posts again. But seriously no more emoticons.
Crystal:
I know what you mean. Coehlo can be a little heavy-handed with his philosophical ideas. In Veronika, he really hammers the point home that to live life to the fullest, you do everything you want to do and you shouldn’t try to please other people. Which I don’t agree with.
Its those kind of ideals that people use to justify being as selfish and hedonistic as they want to be. But I do agree, that its good not to waste your time. Give everything your full effort.
Sounds good. And no more emoticons, I promise.
(This is where Crystal & Jorge slow motion run towards each other, hug & Crystal picks up Jorge and spins him around… such a beautiful scene. Always makes me cry!)
(Crystal drops Jorge on his head, and laughs. Jorge swears she did it on purpose and she can’t get an apology out cause of all the laughing, thus destroying the peace they enjoyed for several slow motion seconds). NOOOOO! Damn you cruel world and your stupid random occurrences. This world is far too ugly for a peace so lovely.
This was the first book I’ve read by Paulo Coehlo, and it seems everyone has great things to say about his novels. I was hooked in the beginning of ‘Veronika’, but found myself distracted by some of the things you addressed earlier about selfish ideals.
Although I really enjoyed how Coehlo ended the story. How thru Veronika, Dr. Igor found a cure for Vitrol, even though it ment deceiving her. And I really liked Edward’s character and his back-story about his family and his pictures of a paradise.
Books about institutions and assylums seem to interest me, because of the strange social structure in such places is so different that anywhere else in the world. Even more than a freedom from resposibility, Veronika could get away with slaping a member of the Fraternity, and others would simply shrug and say, ‘She’s crazy’.
Quinton,
Thanks for your comments. I think it’s wise to take what Coehlo says with a grain of salt.
I really liked the ending of the story. I really didn’t see that coming. I agree with you, that books like this are interesting because we get to be a fly on the wall, in an entirely different environment than what we’re accustomed to.
Glad to hear that you got to Australia safe and sound.
This is the book best ever. when i first read it I then realize how important every day is. It makes me know that everyday is a miracle and an opportunity to change the changeable while living, breathing and reckoning. Mabuhay ka paulo coelho!
I wonder if Dr. Igor will then be put to jail once Veronika discovered that she is really not dying…hehe, just kidding.
What’s important i guess is that Veronika became aware of living while facing death, isn’t?
Quinton, i was also shocked how the ending put to its finish.
I really loved this novel. I’m not very fond of reading novels, but this one really made it worthwhile.
I like things with philosophical views that challenge our ordinary perspective in life… Because I have lots of those views, too.
Coelho’s writing style is clear and easy to understand, and at the same time very absorbing. He’s really a master of his own art.
Well, the main reason why I liked the book is that I’m once like Veronika — I’m bored with life and I didn’t think it could offer me much more than it’s offering now. Then after reading the novel, I was made to re-think about my life, how I view my every day. I was really moved by this novel.
P.S. I’ve already read this novel thrice.
i like the book. coelho knows how to articulate things that some people always think of but will never say out loud. for fear of being thought of as crazy.
i dont know how it ended… can someone tell me what the ending is?
This is one of my favorite book of Paulo. It is about a girl who decides to die because she felt that her life is mediocre and felt that it could be worste as she have seen how life become worste for some, especially her own mother. In my evaluation Veronica decides to die because she thought that there is no more to life than the boring life that she lives. It was actually boring beacuse she is afraid to go out of her comfort level and she had never felt true love. She had said that she always wanted to be a lawyer but she opted to be a librarian because it was easy. In the end she realized the value of life because of near death experience.