What do you think?
Rate this book
Finding Verity
Finding Verity is a moving story about a young man's survival and search for truth.
After being abandoned by his mother, thirteen-year-old Puck Scarsi follows Fin, a homeless man, into the underground bowels of New York City.
"I had speculated about the tunnels before I'd gone under, and I'd cheerfully imagined dragons, wizards and monsters. But once I set foot under the city, my childlike fantasies were replaced with something else, a kind of fearful exhilaration, addictive in a way, but frightful, too. A warning.
"I had no idea what lurked in the shadows. Even though my eyes had adjusted to the dark, it was difficult to differentiate between shadows, some being pitch black, others dark gray. I tried to convince myself that the tunnel was no worse than the city at night, but I knew that was not true."
Fin knows the tunnels are no place for teens, so he escorts Puck to Child Services. An escape from an abusive foster family, leads Puck to an unlikely adoption and early success as a novelist.
Ten years later, on a visit to Central Park, Puck rescues an elderly woman from a brutal attack. A friendship develops, and Puck reveals his troubled past and his longing to reconnect with Fin. One day, Puck returns to the tunnels in search of his friend.
"I lowered myself into the underground's netherworld. I was back! I had returned to the underbelly of the biggest city in the world, submerging myself into a world of darkness where evil flourished, where most people would never go. A place where staying too long could prove detrimental.
"As I walked deeper into the tunnel, I realized my life had always been about survival. I laughed at my epiphany. Life was survival! Such a simple concept.
"At thirteen, I had been forced to became an adult. Too soon. I'd been forced to survive by myself. Alone."
Verity means truth. Follow Puck as he discovers the meanings of love, life, family, and friendship.
After being abandoned by his mother, thirteen-year-old Puck Scarsi follows Fin, a homeless man, into the underground bowels of New York City.
"I had speculated about the tunnels before I'd gone under, and I'd cheerfully imagined dragons, wizards and monsters. But once I set foot under the city, my childlike fantasies were replaced with something else, a kind of fearful exhilaration, addictive in a way, but frightful, too. A warning.
"I had no idea what lurked in the shadows. Even though my eyes had adjusted to the dark, it was difficult to differentiate between shadows, some being pitch black, others dark gray. I tried to convince myself that the tunnel was no worse than the city at night, but I knew that was not true."
Fin knows the tunnels are no place for teens, so he escorts Puck to Child Services. An escape from an abusive foster family, leads Puck to an unlikely adoption and early success as a novelist.
Ten years later, on a visit to Central Park, Puck rescues an elderly woman from a brutal attack. A friendship develops, and Puck reveals his troubled past and his longing to reconnect with Fin. One day, Puck returns to the tunnels in search of his friend.
"I lowered myself into the underground's netherworld. I was back! I had returned to the underbelly of the biggest city in the world, submerging myself into a world of darkness where evil flourished, where most people would never go. A place where staying too long could prove detrimental.
"As I walked deeper into the tunnel, I realized my life had always been about survival. I laughed at my epiphany. Life was survival! Such a simple concept.
"At thirteen, I had been forced to became an adult. Too soon. I'd been forced to survive by myself. Alone."
Verity means truth. Follow Puck as he discovers the meanings of love, life, family, and friendship.
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 29, 2013
239 people want to read
About the author
Faith Friese Nelson
3 books6 followersI'm a mother and a wife. I’ve also been a writer my entire life but it wasn’t until recent years that I actually called myself a writer.
In the 1960's, when I was in high school, I wrote lots of poetry then, mostly about falling in and out of love.
While in college, I wrote a novel, but I couldn’t get it published. I earned an accounting degree from California State University, but it was writing that seemed to entice me, so it was no surprise that I ended up in sales where I wrote sales proposals, brochures and catalogs, etc. I also wrote a biweekly company newsletter at an engineering company.
During the early 1990’s, I started a business, selling on the internet that I ran out of my home. I wrote lots of product descriptions during this time. When we closed down the business, I knew I had to find something to replace the business because the business had taken a lot of time and I was used to being busy.
So, in 2007, when I was 56 years old, I started to learn how to write screenplays. I returned to writing creatively and reignited that love. My plans are to continue writing screenplays and to also write another novel, and another, and another…
What helps me most when I write is the variety of experiences I've accumulated over the years. I draw from my past when I write.
I've been a dancer and a musician. I've sold shoes and worked as a waitress. I was a Budget Manager at a University, an Executive Administrator at an engineering company, and I had my own business for over ten years. I've visited Spain. I've walked naked on a nude beach. And I've been through a couple of divorces. I've lived in Wisconsin, Texas, California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Want to know something about me and my past? When I was ten years old I had plastic surgery on my ears. I was the oldest child in a family with five kids. My father was bi-polar. I've been married to my husband for over 25 years, but once upon a time I was married to another man and he was a pervert. My mother is a cancer survivor.
I could go on and on. All these experiences make me who I am. Each moment of my past influences my writing in some way.
The internet has made it possible to publish your own novel and I did that in 2011 with my novel Windfall. Windfall is currently "out of print" as I plan to rewrite it in 2013. The Windfall screenplay is currently at Amazon Studios. There are many people who have warned me about "age discrimination" in the movie biz. I don't want to believe this is true. My gut tells me if I write a sensational screenplay, it will eventually be discovered and made into a movie.
My novel FINDING VERITY was published in January, 2013. FINDING VERITY is the third novel that I have written.
Watch my journey... Visit this site often!
In the 1960's, when I was in high school, I wrote lots of poetry then, mostly about falling in and out of love.
While in college, I wrote a novel, but I couldn’t get it published. I earned an accounting degree from California State University, but it was writing that seemed to entice me, so it was no surprise that I ended up in sales where I wrote sales proposals, brochures and catalogs, etc. I also wrote a biweekly company newsletter at an engineering company.
During the early 1990’s, I started a business, selling on the internet that I ran out of my home. I wrote lots of product descriptions during this time. When we closed down the business, I knew I had to find something to replace the business because the business had taken a lot of time and I was used to being busy.
So, in 2007, when I was 56 years old, I started to learn how to write screenplays. I returned to writing creatively and reignited that love. My plans are to continue writing screenplays and to also write another novel, and another, and another…
What helps me most when I write is the variety of experiences I've accumulated over the years. I draw from my past when I write.
I've been a dancer and a musician. I've sold shoes and worked as a waitress. I was a Budget Manager at a University, an Executive Administrator at an engineering company, and I had my own business for over ten years. I've visited Spain. I've walked naked on a nude beach. And I've been through a couple of divorces. I've lived in Wisconsin, Texas, California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Want to know something about me and my past? When I was ten years old I had plastic surgery on my ears. I was the oldest child in a family with five kids. My father was bi-polar. I've been married to my husband for over 25 years, but once upon a time I was married to another man and he was a pervert. My mother is a cancer survivor.
I could go on and on. All these experiences make me who I am. Each moment of my past influences my writing in some way.
The internet has made it possible to publish your own novel and I did that in 2011 with my novel Windfall. Windfall is currently "out of print" as I plan to rewrite it in 2013. The Windfall screenplay is currently at Amazon Studios. There are many people who have warned me about "age discrimination" in the movie biz. I don't want to believe this is true. My gut tells me if I write a sensational screenplay, it will eventually be discovered and made into a movie.
My novel FINDING VERITY was published in January, 2013. FINDING VERITY is the third novel that I have written.
Watch my journey... Visit this site often!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 22, 2013
I don't know where to begin, this book captured my attention early and never let go. There was more than one mystery going on and I didn't see the ending coming at all. There were clues, but I never picked up on them.
I loved Puck, even as broken as he was, he was still a hero. I followed Puck through his trials, imaginary and real, trying to figure out what else happened to him to scar him even more than his awful childhood. And I loved Ellen for her kindness and gentleness with him. An unlikely pair, but they needed each other.
I knew there was something I was missing as I read, but even with the clues, I didn't figure it out. I finished this book at 2am because I had to know the ending and couldn't sleep until I did.
The characters were real people with everyday and extraordinary problems. Something we all can relate to. Some things in our lives affect only us, others affect many. So it is with this book.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I should say that even though Ms. Nelson and I share the same last name, we are not related
I loved Puck, even as broken as he was, he was still a hero. I followed Puck through his trials, imaginary and real, trying to figure out what else happened to him to scar him even more than his awful childhood. And I loved Ellen for her kindness and gentleness with him. An unlikely pair, but they needed each other.
I knew there was something I was missing as I read, but even with the clues, I didn't figure it out. I finished this book at 2am because I had to know the ending and couldn't sleep until I did.
The characters were real people with everyday and extraordinary problems. Something we all can relate to. Some things in our lives affect only us, others affect many. So it is with this book.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I should say that even though Ms. Nelson and I share the same last name, we are not related
August 24, 2013
I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads giveaway. This book was about a man's story of how as young boy he was abandoned by his mother and thus left homeless. This is his story of his adventures as a homeless person in New York City. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others.
February 7, 2016
“All readers really wanted to read was a decent story. Why couldn't it be enough to just give readers what they wanted?”
Excerpt From: Faith Friese Nelson. “Finding Verity.” iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
Excerpt From: Faith Friese Nelson. “Finding Verity.” iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews