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Veronica Audiobook, by Mary Gaitskill Play Audiobook Sample

Veronica Audiobook

Veronica Audiobook, by Mary Gaitskill Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Kathe Mazur Publisher: Random House Audio Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 5.67 hours at 1.5x Speed 4.25 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: July 2006 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9780739334058

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

123

Longest Chapter Length:

05:30 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

02:38 minutes

Average Chapter Length:

04:08 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

5

Other Audiobooks Written by Mary Gaitskill: > View All...

Publisher Description

The extraordinary new novel from the acclaimed author of Bad Behavior and Two Girls, Fat and Thin, Veronica is about flesh and spirit, vanity, mortality, and mortal affection. Set mostly in Paris and Manhattan in the desperately glittering 1980s, it has the timeless depth and moral power of a fairy tale. As a teenager on the streets of San Francisco, Alison is discovered by a photographer and swept into the world of fashion-modeling in Paris and Rome. When her career crashes and a love affair ends disastrously, she moves to New York City to build a new life. There she meets Veronica—an older wisecracking eccentric with her own ideas about style, a proofreader who comes to work with a personal “office kit” and a plaque that reads “Still Anal After All These Years.” Improbably, the two women become friends. Their friendship will survive not only Alison’s reentry into the seductive nocturnal realm of fashion, but also Veronica’s terrible descent into the then-uncharted realm of AIDS. The memory of their friendship will continue to haunt Alison years later, when she, too, is aging and ill and is questioning the meaning of what she experienced and who she became during that time. Masterfully layering time and space, thought and sensation, Mary Gaitskill dazzles the reader with psychological insight and a mystical sense of the soul’s hurtling passage through the world. A novel unlike any other, Veronica is a tour de force about the fragility and mystery of human relationships, the failure of love, and love’s abiding power. It shines on every page with depth of feeling and formal beauty.

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"The writing is spectacular. Gaitskill just sucks you into this tale of people that are beautiful on the surface and horribly ugly underneath. I give it four stars, instead of the full 5, because there was just a little something missing in the narrator. The language is detailed and insightful, and there are moments in which I really understand what the character is feeling, but at the end of it, I still felt like the character was a bit ... incomplete. Still, a worthwhile read."

— Justin (4 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “Gatiskill is enormously gifted…[Veronica] is a masterly examination of the relationship between surface and self, culture and fashion, time and memory.”

    — New York Times Book Review
  • “Gaitskill writes from the gut…[Her] characters bleed, sweat, cry, and they experience sadness, anger, and love as much as a physical sensation as an emotion.”

    — San Francisco Chronicle
  • “Gaitskill taps into a deeper vein of emotional force, and with vivid language and an absorbing architecture, she delivers her most affecting, sophisticated work to date.”

    — Boston Globe
  • “Twisted, beautiful, grotesque, graceful, and exceedingly well-executed. People write their whole lives in the hope of coming up with just one sentences that rises to the level of this book.”

    — Sunday Oregonian
  • “Gaitskill’s style is gorgeously caustic…Her ability to capture abstract feelings and sensations with a precise and unexpected metaphor is a squirmy delight to encounter in such abundance.”

    — Publishers Weekly

Awards

  • A 2005 ALA Notable Book Finalist for Fiction
  • A 2005 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Fiction
  • A 2005 National Book Award Finalist for Fiction
  • A 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist for Fiction
  • A 2005 New York Times Book Review Notable Book

Veronica Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.3142857142857145 out of 53.3142857142857145 out of 53.3142857142857145 out of 53.3142857142857145 out of 53.3142857142857145 out of 5 (3.31)
5 Stars: 5
4 Stars: 13
3 Stars: 9
2 Stars: 4
1 Stars: 4
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " it reminded me a lot of like being killed (book #30), but it was a lot easier to read and to like the characters. it's a portrait of a woman reflecting on her destructive lifestyle as a model when she was younger and her friendship with an older, unglamorous woman with hiv. what i liked was the way the book captured allison and her friend and sisters' different coping mechanisms for life. "

    — Lucy, 2/7/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This was much less perverse than I was expecting. Also, once I got past pg. 200 I just wanted it to end. "

    — Brodarte, 2/6/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Like little bits of poetry on each page, even though it's a novel. Sometimes things get cloudy, but you wade through those lines and come out OK. (I had a feeling that if a student took this to get workshopped, someone might write CLARIFY! in red in the margins.) Bleak, depressing, and yet, so gorgeously written that I couldn't help myself. She's brilliant when it comes to metaphors and has a knack for illustrating feelings and other intangibles with sharp, stunning visuals. "

    — Marti, 1/18/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Really unique voice and writing style; the sensory descriptions are particularly unusual and on point. "

    — Claudine, 1/17/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " i read this book really quickly, it was fantastically written but so depressing i couldnt imagine reading it for longer than a week. it wasnt nearly as graffic as other people said it was, not quite as sexually disturbing as id feared.. but the depression, moroseness and morbid inertia are stifeling. normally id find this kind of aimless plot line gimicky but because of the delicate and deliberate use of language it was more artistic and forgivable. i hated all of the characters but i liked this book. read it if your not depressed or dont mind becoming depressed. "

    — Tarrastarr, 1/15/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Both violent and reassuring and hideous and beautiful at the same time, "Veronica" was an interesting, poetic brutal story. "

    — Cara, 1/12/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This book is depressing just because of the type of person it is about. Aren't there enough stories of the selfish already? But I really enjoyed it because of the prose, which is beyond my ability to describe. I wanted to eat it. "

    — Trudy, 12/29/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " A great snapshot of the superficial world of Paris/NYC fashion models, the sad (gay) life of the mid-late 80's, AIDS and getting real with yourself once the party's over. Gaitskill is terrific with prose but can be gross and a bit of a "sensationalist" at times. Otherwise, a good read. "

    — Elizabeth, 11/29/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " An absolutely haunting work of art. Should not be missed. "

    — Thomas, 11/28/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Best book from my syllabus/required readings this semester!:) "

    — Nina, 8/21/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Dreamy/brutal "

    — Josie, 7/14/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Yes, I'll admit: I gave up on this one about a hundred pages in. I dunno. I suppose Gaitskill's hyper-lyrical prose-poem mediations on trauma, embodiment, and disease work better in the short story format. I'll give this one another shot some day. "

    — Chuck, 7/13/2013
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This didn't really grab me. I kept reading thinking I would get more into it, but it didn't really happen. With so many good books out there, I would skip it. "

    — Christie, 7/12/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " my book club read this and the verdict wasn't good. but i'm always blown away by mary gaitskill. a lot of her writing is dense, but she's skillful enough to pull you through. the life story of a girl who becomes a successful model, and what happens afterwards too. "

    — Maile, 2/26/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " not bad but now i can't hardly remember it so it must not have made much of an impression! "

    — Emily, 2/5/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Beautiful and dark and perfect. "

    — Jeff, 12/8/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " One of my all-time favorites "

    — Valerie, 7/6/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Twisted---a look into the nasty corners of the psyche, as most of Gaitskill's writing tends to be. I found myself flinching as I read, which to me is almost always a sign of fantastic honesty in a writer. Unless I am reading De Sade, which is a different story. "

    — Mo, 6/19/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " It's got the swagger of the early stuff, with the compassion for her character and those around her that unsurprisingly comes with the years. "

    — Rtm, 6/6/2012
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Beautiful language but a little erratic; not my style "

    — Kristen, 4/1/2012
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Couldn't finish it. Barely even started it but had enough to know I shouldn't waste my time. "

    — Jeanne, 1/29/2012
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Haunting, sometimes disturbing read...Gaitskill is a frank, beautiful writer. I found myself caring less about Alison's life/past and was more interested in the nature of her relationship with Veronica "

    — Caitlin, 12/24/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Pretty disappointing. I mean, it's an ok book, but I liked the premise of "Two Girls..." a lot better. It's fine, just not amazing. "

    — Allisonm, 8/3/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Audiobook- <br/> Rambled a lot ! "

    — Angie, 5/16/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Meet Mary Gaitskill when she was Chuck Palahniuk. "

    — Alexis, 4/4/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " A great snapshot of the superficial world of Paris/NYC fashion models, the sad (gay) life of the mid-late 80's, AIDS and getting real with yourself once the party's over. Gaitskill is terrific with prose but can be gross and a bit of a &quot;sensationalist&quot; at times. Otherwise, a good read. "

    — Elizabeth, 2/12/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " It's rare to pick up a book that's so unlike any other book you've read in terms of its concept and story, which I appreciated. I had wanted to read this since it came out but was afraid it was going to be exceptionally dark and/or gruesome. I'm glad I picked it up. "

    — Denali, 2/1/2011
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I don't understand the fuss about this book. Meandering and pretentious, assuming depth and meaning but ultimately not delivering. I kept thinking it would get better but... Nope! "

    — Allie, 1/26/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Raw yet lyrical. Sad. Compelling. Really liked it. "

    — Laila, 1/25/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Often abstract, sometimes brilliant and poetic, and too often emotionally hazy. I wanted to be closer to the characters and the events; sometimes Gaitskill gave me that closeness and it was rewarding. "

    — Ursula, 1/24/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " not bad but now i can't hardly remember it so it must not have made much of an impression! "

    — Emily, 1/24/2011
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I could not get into this book at all. I kept reading thinking I was missing something. I never found it. "

    — Melanie, 1/10/2011
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Didn't finish reading. Got it from the library. "

    — Winnie, 1/10/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " It was a bit depressing but I liked a lot of the ways that the author described people and situations. "

    — Alison, 1/4/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " finally finished this years later. i love gaitskill and LOVE this book. "

    — Meaghan, 1/2/2011

About Mary Gaitskill

Mary Gaitskill is an award–winning author. Because They Wanted To was nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1998. Her novel Veronica was a finalist for the 2005 National Book Award and named one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2005. Her stories and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Esquire, The Best American Short Stories (1993), and The O. Henry Prize Stories (1998). Her story “Secretary” was the basis for the film of the same name. She is a recipient of the 2018 Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Literature.

About Kathe Mazur

Kathe Mazur has narrated many audiobooks, winning the prestigious Audie Award for best narration in 2014, being named a finalist for the Audie Award in 2013 and 2015, and winning several AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actress, she can be seen as DDA Hobbs on The Closer and in the upcoming Major Crimes. She has worked extensively in film, theater, and television, including appearances on Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, House, Brothers and Sisters, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, ER, Monk, and many others.