|
Loading... The Witch of Portobello: A Novelby Paulo Coelho
LibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendations
Loading...
won't like
will probably not like
will probably like
will like
will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Cliche-ridden new ageism. (  )1   mynovelreviews | Oct 5, 2009 |  The Witch of Portobello is a biography of a woman in search of her identity and destiny... a woman constantly in a state of flux and motion, a whirling dervish on a path of enlightenment/self-destruction. This biography, however, is written as an interview with a number of people who came into contact with her during her journey. The story itself was interesting but the dialogue between Athena and her teachers became rather tedious with all of the new age/godess droning. As the story starts with a discussion about Athena's death, the story picks up momentum as the ending draws near, as the reader is left wondering whether the religious ferver she spawned would ultimately lead to her murder. (  ) voracious | Jul 12, 2009 | Hmm...tough one to review. This was my second novel of Paulo Coelho's (the first being The Alchemist), and they were very dissimilar from one another. In general, some of the descriptive words that I've seen to describe this book are accurate: pagan, new-age, mystic. It's a different kind of read for me, but it does make the reader examine his/her own personal beliefs & almost forces one to make somewhat of a judgment as to the plausibility of such things. Overall, not particularly my style of read as a stand-alone book. However. This will make a good book for a group discussion, I think, and I am looking forward to such a discussion at my upcoming book group meeting. The reader of the audio version of this (Rita Wolf) does an excellent job, by the way, with capturing the various characterizations and dialects. ( ) indygo88 | Jul 8, 2009 | Yet another Coelho book to enjoy. It's the first book in a long time I didn't put down until I was finished reading it. (  ) Phoppock | Apr 26, 2009 | Oh dear. Have you ever been in a bookshop with a three-for-two deal, found two books you wanted to read then struggled to find a third? The Witch of Portobello was very much my 'third' book. I'd heard the name Paulo Coelho but not really taken much notice and thought this would be a good introduction. The back cover 'blurb' certainly sounded promising. In the event I came away from reading this book with the impression that I hadn't so much read a novel as been preached to about spirituality. Not recommended. (  )1 gward101 | Apr 22, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book description |
|
How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves—even if we are unsure of whom we are?
That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's profound new work, The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told by the many who knew her well—or hardly at all. Among them:
"People create a reality and then become the victims of that reality. Athena rebelled against that—and paid a high price."
Heron Ryan, journalist"I was used and manipulated by Athena, with no consideration for my feelings. She was my teacher, charged with passing on the sacred mysteries, with awakening the unknown energy we all possess. When we venture into that unfamiliar sea, we trust blindly in those who guide us, believing that they know more than we do."
Andrea McCain, actress"Athena's great problem was that she was a woman of the twenty-second century living in the twenty-first, and making no secret of the fact, either. Did she pay a price? She certainly did. But she would have paid a still higher price if she had repressed her natural exuberance. She would have been bitter, frustrated, always concerned about 'what other people might think,' always saying, 'I'll just sort these things out, then I'll devote myself to my dream,' always complaining 'that the conditions are never quite right.'"
Deidre O'Neill, known as Edda
Like The Alchemist, The Witch of Portobello is the kind of story that will transform the way readers think about love, passion, joy, and sacrifice.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:10 -0400)
The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details.
Quick Links |
Wikipedia in English
