The Witch of Portobello: A Novel (P.S.) | Paulo Coelho

The Witch of Portobello: A Novel (P.S.) | Paulo Coelho | Mr. Coelho did it again

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The Witch of Porto...

	The Witch of Portobello: A Novel (P.S.) Paulo Coelho Harper Perennial, 2008 - 312 pages average customer review:based on 45 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

My Soul at Ease

The Master Coelho made us all a part of this work. You will be able to indetify with something going on in your life right now, in the past, and how you will probably handle your future.

Most importantly, it helped me to be certain that all things make me love and fight harder. Even when letting go of the world as you know it will be increasingly harder, will test your will and fortitude.

Our religions have failed, our movies can't cover it, our politics are wrong; but the words and history of the world cannot be wrong. His work provides a simple story to understand yourself, take care of others and accept love, however it comes to you; it is the tip of my spear.

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Mr. Coelho did it again

First and foremost, widely anticipated The Witch of Portobello doesn't disappoint in its overall presence. It retains Paulo's grand theme of spirituality as depicted by a leading character that goes through the journey to be able to live each own legend and fulfill each true destiny, which every now and then inspires seekers like myself. I find in Paulo's work books (this one included) that I will keep in my bookshelf to reread whenever I need a boost in my journey.

What's new in The Witch of Portobello is that rather than using the normal sort of chronological narrative, Paulo succeeds to beautifully craft many first accounts of people who have crossed Sherine Khalil's (or Athena's or Hagia Sofia's) path. Through these accounts, Sherine Khalil came to life even with the absence of Sherine's own account.

The story also has a little unexpected twist in the end too. No, I don't want to ruin it for you by telling you what the twist is. Just read the book yourself. Unlike a number of readers, I don't think that the author ends the book rather hastily by sprinting throughout the last couple of pages. And I don't question the validity of the featured ancient spiritual practices and beliefs either. To me, it doesn't matter if a fiction is supported by accurate factual information or not. It's a fiction anyway. The most important thing in Paulo's work is that the stories he presents never fail to inspire readers to wake up to the Reality.

I find in the book similarities to The Fifth Mountain in terms of extreme reservation towards newly emerging spiritual beliefs by incumbent religious supporters. To me, The Witch of Portobello is like a modern version of The Fifth Mountain. Both also transmit hopeful message that implies the win of the emerging (which can be a revival of ancient practices) over the old in reforming the world. In terms of how the ending goes, the book also reminds me of the movie The Illutionist, which I love.

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New Age Everythingism

I have enjoyed Mr. Coelho's books. This isn't one of them. Though finely crafted using interviews of key people in Athena's story (reason for my 3 rating), the plot is very thin. The new age stuff is boring; better read the authors quoted in the book that it came from. I agree with one reviewer the book is too long, and I began to scan. Athena, who is depicted as so 'gifted' takes forever to get much of anywhere at all. How to speak about spiritual journeys, much less love? It's difficult, if not impossible to make the subject truly meaningful- as Coelho's book proves. It would be much more helpful to the searcher to read Paul's letter to the Corinthians. Whatever translation you like.

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Not Moved

I am a huge fan of Mr. Coelho.

I was blown away by The Alchemist and various other books he wrote. Sadly, The Witch of Portobello was not one of those books. It's not a quick read. It's overly simplistic and I'm having a heard time connecting to the dance trance thing. It's about 50 pages too long and half way into the book you just don't care about Athena's plight because she seems absolutely fanatical- not someone you can see yourself in--not someone you care about.

There's about so many ways you convey the message to follow your heart and be yourself. It starts to beat you in the head toward the end and if you didn't waste money on the crap you would cast into a nearby fire and watch it burn

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