After reading “The Alchemist” and “The Archer” written by Paulo Coelho, I was very excited to read this book. I got this book from a friend who has a huge collection of fiction books which I am excited to dive in, whenever I’ll get the chance in future. Paulo Coelho’s book will always take you to the another world, the world of hope, courage, love and magic. All these things seem to be unrealistic in this “real world” but those who believe, know Paulo Coelho’s magic, written between those pages!
The only thing got my attention to read this book was the question mentioned at the back of the book. The question was “How do you find the courage to be true to ourselves – even if we are unsure of who we are?” Mostly in our twenties we are trying to figure out many things about ourselves, we are on our journey to find some answers or sometimes realizing exactly what questions to ask to find ourselves in the process. This beautiful mess we create in our mind will eventually take us to the places we have always dreamt of. All you have to do is to Believe.
About Author
The author Paulo Coelho de Souza is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He is best known for his novel “The Alchemist”. His life remains the primary source of inspiration for his books. He was always a nonconformist and a seeker of the new.
He has flirted with death, escaped madness, dallied with drugs, withstood torture, experiment with magic and alchemy, studied philosophy and religion, read voraciously, lost and recovered his faith, and experienced the pain and pleasure of love. In searching for his own place in the world, he has discovered answers for the challenges that everyone faces. He believed that, within ourselves, we have the necessary strength to find our own destiny.
Paulo Coelho’s books have been translated into 83 languages and have sold more than 320 million copies in more than 170 countries. In 2007, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.
About Book
The disclaimer for this book is, it is neither a typical self-help book nor a pure fiction novel. Paulo Coelho has his way of telling stories about things which is unusual or sometimes not understandable but it covers the important aspect of life, the journey of life! It is said that most of his books are about his own experiences embedded with fiction story.
This book ‘The Witch of Portobello’ is a story of a girl named Athena who was born in Romania, got adopted and raised in Beirut and living in London. Athena never settled in her life, she always wanted more, like there was some great purpose in her life to fulfill. During her journey, to find her mission and to fulfil her mission she met many people. The story takes the spiritual turn when Athena met her landlord and Edda, She decided to go into the unknown and believed in the power within. Had she paid the price for the same? she might or might not. But she certainly left the mark on many people.
I’d read saying by Osho which says, “Not a single woman has been accepted as a Christ, a Buddha, a Prophet – no. If a woman manages somehow to get into religious matters she is called a witch.” and that’s how Athena was called the Witch of Portobello. I have noticed that the spiritual aspects which are expressed in a way by Athena, by Paulo Coelho is somehow similar to Osho’s.
This book is not the usual fiction book one can just enjoy reading. The story also covers religious taboo and going against it to find oneself. I would say this is not everyone’s book and not everyone can relate or understand. Despite this, the journey of Athena will surely make you think about life and its choices.
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