Veronika Decides to Die (1998) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

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• Veronika: Add a description of this character.
• Dr. Igor: The head doctor of Villette.
• Rosina: College Student.
• Mari: one of the patients of villette and also a member of a large group contained within.
• zedka: One of patients of Villete.
• Zedka

Quotes edit see section history

• “There is always a gap between intention and action.”

• “Nothing in this world happens by chance.”

• “God knows the past, the present and the future. In that case, he had placed her in this world with the full knowledge that she would end up killing herself, and he would no longer shocked by her actions.”

• “In adolescence she thought it was too early to choose, now in youth she was convinced it was too late to change.”

• “'If God exists, and I truly don't believe he does, he will know that there are limits to human understanding. He was the one who created this confusion in which there is poverty, injustice, greed and loneliness. He doubtless had the best of intentions. but the results have proved disastrous; if God exists, He will be generous with those creatures who chose to leave this Earth early, and he might even apologize for having made us spend time here.'”

• “Everyone is indeed crazy, but the craziest are the ones who don't know they're crazy; they just keep repeating what others tell them to.”

• “we lived together like fish in an aquarium, contended because someone threw us food when we needed it, and as we could, whenever we wanted to, see the world outside through the glass”

  Mari

• “An awareness of death encourages to live more intensely.”

• “Stay insane, but behave like normal people. Run the risk of being different, but learn to do so without attracting attention. Allow the real “I” to reveal itself. It’s what you are, not what others make of you.”

• “A schizophrenic is a person who already has a natural tendency to absent himself from this world.”

• Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers

• Stop thinking all the time that you’re in the way, that you’re bothering the person next to you. If people don’t like it, they can complain. And if they don’t have the courage to complain, that’s their problem.”

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• “You have passed through the two hardest tests on the spiritual road: the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what you encounter. It is you I will teach.”

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• ‘Be like the fountain that overflows, not like the cistern that merely contains.’

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• I’ll just say that insanity is the inability to communicate your ideas. It’s as if you were in a foreign country, able to see and understand everything that’s going on around you but incapable of explaining what you need to know or of being helped, because you don’t understand the language they speak there.”

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• Everyone is indeed crazy, but the craziest are the ones who don’t know they’re crazy; they just keep repeating what others tell them to.

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• But human beings are like that, she thought. We’ve replaced nearly all our emotions with fear.

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• Basically everything that happens in our life is our fault and ours alone. A lot of people go through the same difficulties we went through, and they react completely differently. We looked for the easiest way out: a separate reality.”

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• people never learn anything by being told; they have to find out for themselves.

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• “That’s how it should be with you; stay insane, but behave like normal people. Run the risk of being different, but learn to do so without attracting attention. Concentrate on this flower and allow the real “I” to reveal itself.”

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• “People go against nature because they lack the courage to be different, and then the organism starts to produce Vitriol, or bitterness, as this poison is more commonly known.”

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Ljubljana: capital city of Slovenia, city where Veronika lives
• Slovenia
• Villete: hospital
• Yugoslavia
• La Chica
• Brasilia

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Conformity and individuality: Explores the price one might pay for conformity to society rather than be judged for being discovering and embracing their individuality.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, and followed by The Devil and Miss Prym.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Paulo Coelho (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. Margaret Jull Costa (Translator)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Suitable for young adults, deals with substance abuse and minor sexuality.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Thrillers › Psychological & Suspense
• Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › Latin American
• Books › Religion & Spirituality › Occult
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary

Movie Connections edit see section history

• Veronika Decides to Die (IMDb): Stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jonathan Tucker
• Love Mein Gum: The Pakistani movie directed by Reema Khan
• Beronica wa shinu koto ni shita: The Japanese movie, "ベロニカは死ぬことにした"

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