Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"[S]pellbinding examinations of the human soul....[T]he portrait of Athena that emerges is as provocative and spiritually complex as one would expect from the author of The Alchemist (1993) and The Devil and Miss Prym (2006)." Booklist
Review
"Coelho's spiritual fables risk becoming commonplace, as changes in scenery may no longer be enough to inspire the awe his books solicit." Library Journal
Review
"[W]hen Coelho's on and the mysticism is tempered with great writing and characters, what you get are books that read quickly and make better conversation starters than your average check-out line paperback. But when he's off when his books, like this one, are overloaded with platitudes about love and inner truth it can be a bit suffocating." John Burgman, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review)
Synopsis
The stunning new novel from the author of The Alchemist chronicles the life of Athena, as told by the many people who knew her well or hardly at all. Like Coelho's previous novels, this is the kind of story that can transform the way readers think about love and sacrifice.
Synopsis
New York Times Bestseller
"An incredibly beautiful read." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves--even if we are unsure of who we are?
That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's profound 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.
The Witch of Portobello is the kind of story that will transform the way readers think about love, passion, joy, and sacrifice.
About the Author
Paulo Coelho is one of the most beloved writers of our time. With sales of over 85 million copies worldwide, his books have been translated into 63 languages and published in 150 countries. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious international awards and was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2002. Mr. Coelho also writes a weekly column syndicated throughout the world.