Crazy for Cornelia [Hardcover]

Chris Gilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Kevin and Cornelia are just beginning to sort out plans for the future when they become the target of a Machiavellian grab at the Lord family fortune. Now it's two very different people fron very different backgrounds against the world.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Chris Gilson's fairy tale of rescue and responsibility, the princess in the tower just happens to live on Manhattan's Upper East Side and control 25 percent of her family's investment bank. Trapped in her flaky debutante guise, Cornelia is in reality constrained less by breeding than by her father's tech-savvy, manipulation-happy protégé. Tucker Fisk, Crazy for Cornelia's diabolus ex machina, will stop at nothing to gain control of the blue-chip Lord & Company. All he has to do is trick the daughter of the house into marrying him before she's 21 and he'll be "thirty by thirty," in possession of $30,000,000 by the time he's 30. The only problem is that this evil genius has the ugliest of auras--or coronas, as Cornelia perceives them. For our young socialite is in fact an adept of Nikola Tesla, by her lights the true inventor of electricity. And she's determined to give the Croatian Edison his rightful place in scientific and social history.

Speaking of social, the new doorman at 840 Fifth Avenue is the novel's true class act, despite his lower-tier background. Kevin Doyle has been forced to take this post because his avocation as a neon artist has yet to generate any sparks. But from the first time he sees Cornelia, the two seem very much on the same wavelength. Will this scrupulous young soul be able to save her and her father from their moneyed illusions? Let's just say that one thing in particular gives Kevin a fighting chance:

His eyes pulled her in, a magnetic force drawing her gently toward him. Something about his gentle corona reminded her of an afternoon in her mother's arms. They had been at the beach when she was nine. The waves rolled over them, deliciously foamy and salty.... She realized that Kevin's corona matched the color of the sky that day. It had the texture of summer, arching over a world that felt the way life always should.

But if these lovers are ever to come together, they must first overcome a series of monsters intent on institutionalizing Cornelia and, irony of ironies, electroshocking her into wedlock with Tucker. Chris Gilson, a former adman, is well aware that there are 10 million stories in the naked city. In Crazy for Cornelia, however, he knows that a deft combination of only a few should yield him a rich and varied demographic. --Winnie Wheaton

From Publishers Weekly

It seems there are endless possibilities for the classic Cinderella story, and Gilson's debut novel strives to put yet another twist on the rags-to-riches formula. Kevin Doyle is a downtrodden artist-turned-doorman, working at the entryway of one of New York's poshest buildings, while he himself lives in a slum apartment. One of the tenants in the upscale building is debutante Cornelia Lord, Manhattan's society pages "It" girl. Kevin's pursuit of her involves a series of side trips, including a visit to a fortresslike mental hospital for the rich and a foray into a benign cult devoted to the discoverer of electricity, Nikola Tesla. Meanwhile, the couple make an inexorable journey toward matrimony. Despite her lavish lifestyle, Cornelia yearns for deeper meaning after her mother dies, but suffers a nervous breakdown, while steadfast Kevin schemes to save her from the stifling upper crust. Colorful city settings include the club scene and the downtown art world, as well as the haunts of millionaire power brokers, but while the scenes set there can be mildly amusing, they are unconvincing. Gilson often fails to capture the atmosphere of his settings, relying instead on a hyperbolic repetition of the monstrous folly of downtown hipsters and uptown bigwigs alike. He also uses offputting language to describe his characters: a haughty businessman's "buttocks boil" while another's "ambition always thundered like hoofbeats under the skin." Somewhat more disturbing are the occasional stereotypes: while Corny's "creamy skin belonged to the world of Fifth Avenue," she's at home slumming at the marketplace with "broad-faced Koreans." The second half of the novel is more accomplished stylistically, and the main characters emerge as sweetly likable, suggesting that, with its cinematic images and familiar story, this book may be a candidate for rebirth as a "family" movie. Time Warner audio.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446525367
• ISBN-13: 978-0446525367
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.1 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,800,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crazy for this novel, June 13, 2000

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Crazy for Cornelia (Hardcover)

I love the fairy tale feel of this novel. The love story sort of reminds of Cinderella. Yes, the story of a poor man falling for a rich girl is quite banal, but the novel's irresistible charm kept me turning the pages.

The story is about Cornelia Lord, a deeply misunderstood young woman following a dream: to give Nikola Tesla, the inventor of modern electricity, his rightful place in scientific history. Her determination, however, is taken away by Tucker, Chester Lord's (Cornelia's father) right-hand man. In order to earn 30 million dollars on his thirtieth birthday, Tucker has to sweet-talk his way into the altar; he has to marry Cornelia before she turns twenty-one. But a charming new doorman named Kevin Doyle sweeps her off her feet. There are some interesting twists and turns in the novel.

The writing is wonderful; Mr. Gilson is very talented. Also, he must have done his homework -- the information in the novel is precise. My favorite character in the book is Kevin Doyle; his passion and earnestness are funny. The other characters are also great. This is a beautiful love story that will capture your heart. A cliche story? Yes, perhaps. Is it worth reading? Absolutely! I highly recommend this book.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale to enjoy, May 25, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crazy for Cornelia (Hardcover)

Kevin Sebastian Doyle never wanted to enter the family business. He simply wanted to be an artist, but eating being a minor nuisance, Kevin accepted the position his Uncle Eddie obtained for him as the doorman at a posh apartment building on the corner of 65th and Fifth.

Like father like son, Kevin goes about his job as expected until he meets one of his clients, penthouse resident debutante Cornelia Lord. The media considers Cornelia to be a party going bimbo. Her father, head of an investment bank, thinks she is crazy. Her father's top aid, Yale graduate and former football star, Tucker Fisk thinks she is a nut case, but wants to marry her anyway.

Kevin meets Cornelia by saving her life. They are immediately attracted to one another, but her "cause" has prompted her father to have her committed. Only Kevin remains her sole hope for rescue. If he succeeds can true love blossom out of this fairy tale relationship?

CRAZY FOR CORNELIA is a crazy romantic romp that will leave the audience laughing at the antics of Cornelia and crew, especially her outlook at the world. The story line is entertaining, jocular, and never takes itself to the point of trying to save the universe because Cornelia would never allow that to happen. Instead, Chris Gilson shows a tremendous talent to turn a romantic fairy tale into an intelligent, offbeat, extremely humorous romp that will send readers looking for more tales by the author.

Harriet Klausner

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Background makes a memorable book, March 23, 2000

By 

Jim Born (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crazy for Cornelia (Hardcover)

You could look at Crazy For Cornelia as a love story or whacky romance but then you would miss the subtle detail and historical facts that set certain authors in their own realm.

The story itself is compelling but the references to Tesla's theories or even the doorman unions make every page of this book a delight. Unless the author, Chris Gilson, is a former doorman or electrical engineer, he spent a great deal of time on research.

I don't generally read novels that don't include some form of Military takeover or police shootout, but this book could send me in a whole new direction: Solid writing.

I'm looking forward to anything else Mr. Gilson writes and so should you!