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Eleven Minutesby Paulo Coelho
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:A new, international bestseller by the author of The Alchemist tells the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "Love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Instead, she ends up working as a prostitute.
In Geneva, Maria drifts further and further away from love as she develops a fascination with sex. Eventually, Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness, sexual pleasure for its own sake, or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love. In this gripping and daring new novel, Paulo Coelho sensitively explores the sacred nature of sex and love and invites us to confront our own prejudices and demons and embrace our own "inner light." Review:"'Once upon a time, there was a prostitute called Maria' — thus begins Coelho's latest novel, a book that cannot decide whether it wants to be fairy tale or saga of sexual discovery, so ends up satisfying the demands of neither. In his dedication, bestselling Brazilian novelist Coelho (The Alchemist) tells readers that his book will deal with issues that are 'harsh, difficult, shocking,' but neither his tame forays into S&M nor his rather technical observations about female anatomy and the sad but hardly new fact that many women are dissatisfied with their sex lives will do much to shock American readers. In Maria, however, the author has created a strong, sensual young woman who grabs our sympathy from the first, as she suffers unrequited love as a child, learns a bit about sex as a teenager and, at 19, makes the ill-advised decision to leave Rio on a Swedish stranger's promise of fame and fortune. Maria's trials and triumphs — she goes from restaurant dancer to high-class prostitute — would make for an entertaining if rather prosaic novel, but Coelho, unfortunately, does not leave it there. Instead, he embarks on a philosophical exploration of sexual love, using Maria's increasingly ponderous and pseudo-philosophical diary entries as a means for expounding on the nature of sexual desire, passion and love. At the end, the story boils down to a rather predictable romance tarted up with a few sexy trappings." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"Down-to-earth dialogue and detail about classy whoring: one of Coelho's strongest." Kirkus Reviews Review:"Coelho's basically optimistic and life-affirming temperament and his sense of humor redeem the book from [its] Nordic angst. By the time the fairy tale ending arrives, we feel that Maria has earned her rewards." Washington Post Book World Review:"[A] compelling tale....A gripping exploration of the potentially sacred nature of sex within the context of love, this may well become Coelho's next international best-seller." Booklist Synopsis:This gripping and daring new novel by the author of the million-copy bestseller The Alchemist sensitively explores the sacred nature of sex and love and invites readers to confront their own prejudices and demons. About the AuthorPaulo Coelho is one of the most beloved authors of our time. With sales of more than 75 million copies worldwide, his books have been translated into 61 languages and published in 150 countries. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious international awards, among them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum, France's Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la LÉgion d'Honneur, and Germany's Bambi 2001 Award. He was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2002. Mr. Coelho also writes a weekly column syndicated throughout the world. Paulo Coelho naciÓ en Brasil en 1947 y es uno de los autores con mÁs influencia de hoy dÍa. Conocido mundialmente por el bestseller internacional, El Alquimista, ha vendido mÁs de 47 millones de libros en todo el mundo que han sido traducidos a 56 idiomas. Asimismo, ha recibido destacados premios y menciones internacionales como el Planetary Arts Ward, el Cristal Award concedido por el Foro EconÓmico Mundial y la prestigiosa distinciÓn de Chevalier de l'Ordre de la LÉgion D'Honneur del gobierno francÉs. Paulo Coelho escribe una columna semanal que se publica en los periÓdicos mÁs importantes de todo el mundo. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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