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The Witch of Portobello (Paperback)

by Paulo Coelho (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
Price: CDN$ 21.49 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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The Witch of Portobello + Brida: A Novel + The Zahir: A Novel Of Obsession
Total List Price: CDN$ 58.11
Price For All Three: CDN$ 48.45

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  • This item: The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

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Product Details

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Multimillion-seller Coelho (The Devil and Miss Prym, etc.) returns with another uncanny fusion of philosophy, religious miracle and moral parable. The Portobello of the title is London's Portobello Road, where Sherine Khalil, aka Athena, finds the worship meeting she's leading?where she becomes an omniscient goddess named Hagia Sophia?disrupted by a Protestant protest. Framed as a set of interviews conducted with those who knew Athena, who is dead as the book opens, the story recounts her birth in Transylvania to a Gypsy mother, her adoption by wealthy Lebanese Christians; her short, early marriage to a man she meets at a London college (one of the interviewees); her son Viorel's birth; and her stint selling real estate in Dubai. Back in London in the book's second half, Athena learns to harness the powers that have been present but inchoate within her, and the story picks up as she acquires a teacher (Deidre O'Neill, aka Edda, another interviewee), then disciples (also interviewed), and speeds toward a spectacular end. Coelho veers between his signature criticism of modern life and the hydra-headed alternative that Athena taps into. Athena's earliest years don't end up having much plot, but the second half's intrigue sustains the book. (May)
Copyright c Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


From AudioFile

Paulo Coelho does not disappoint in this story of the mysterious Athena and her quest for truth, love, and spirituality. Told through a series of interviews with at least a dozen characters, Coelhos tale is perfect for the audiobook format. This plot technique would challenge any narrator, but Rita Wolf is equal to the task. She moves seamlessly and convincingly between a British banker, a Romanian gypsy, and a holy man in the deserts of Dubai, to cite only a few of the characters. Portrayals of both genders and characters of varying ages are accomplished just as credibly. Wolfs performance and Coelhos writing combine to give the listener that rare experience in which message and medium are ideally matched. M.O.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wicth captivates, May 19 2007
By Steven R. McEvoy "MCWPP" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Witch Of Portobello (Hardcover)
Paulo Coelho of international fame for his book The Alchemist has here in The Witch of Portobello has woven a very unique and compelling tale. Part of what draws the reader in is the story itself and part is the very unique way it is written. Rather than a straight forward narrative, or a dialogue or even a series of letters this is a unique narrative technique. It is written as a series of first person accounts of individuals interactions with our unusual heroine Athena aka the Witch of Portobello.

These stories, taped interviews and letters have been compiled by a narrator we do not know until the end of the story. He has decided to let Athena's story be told as other's tell it, through their own words, and with all of their emotions, anger, support, respect or disgust. What we learn from these accounts is not only is Athena a bit of an enigma, from these accounts we could almost assume that almost every person encountered a different Athena, an Athena of the making in their own mind. The way the 'biography' is written it allows us to draw our own conclusions, rather than a traditionally researched biography that is colored by the lenses that cloud the vision of the biographer. Much as each of us look at the world through a series of lenses of our experiences, and cultural biases.

Athena is a young woman who tries to fill the spaces, the silences in her life. The more she tries to fill them the more dissatisfied she becomes. Until she learns that it is the silences between the notes that make the music so powerful. When she learns to embrace the silence, the spaces, she finds a power an energy. She becomes a spiritual leader, some see her as a saint and some see her as a sinner. She is both revered and feared. A saint and a demon. The compiled documents help us to see Athena for who she was.

So join our unknown biographer as we trace the life of a murdered young woman and journey around the world and into an unseen spiritual world. This book is better than some of Coelho's more recent offerings, and the narrative tool will draw you in and keep you turning the pages.

A warning though the book deals with earth religions and has some new age ceremonies in it, therefore it will not be for all readers.

(First Published in Imprint 2007-05-18 in the 'Book Review Column.)
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wicth captivates, May 19 2007
By Steven R. McEvoy "MCWPP" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Paulo Coelho of international fame for his book The Alchemist has here in The Witch of Portobello has woven a very unique and compelling tale. Part of what draws the reader in is the story itself and part is the very unique way it is written. Rather than a straight forward narrative, or a dialogue or even a series of letters this is a unique narrative technique. It is written as a series of first person accounts of individuals interactions with our unusual heroine Athena aka the Witch of Portobello.

These stories, taped interviews and letters have been compiled by a narrator we do not know until the end of the story. He has decided to let Athena's story be told as other's tell it, through their own words, and with all of their emotions, anger, support, respect or disgust. What we learn from these accounts is not only is Athena a bit of an enigma, from these accounts we could almost assume that almost every person encountered a different Athena, an Athena of the making in their own mind. The way the 'biography' is written it allows us to draw our own conclusions, rather than a traditionally researched biography that is colored by the lenses that cloud the vision of the biographer. Much as each of us look at the world through a series of lenses of our experiences, and cultural biases.

Athena is a young woman who tries to fill the spaces, the silences in her life. The more she tries to fill them the more dissatisfied she becomes. Until she learns that it is the silences between the notes that make the music so powerful. When she learns to embrace the silence, the spaces, she finds a power an energy. She becomes a spiritual leader, some see her as a saint and some see her as a sinner. She is both revered and feared. A saint and a demon. The compiled documents help us to see Athena for who she was.

So join our unknown biographer as we trace the life of a murdered young woman and journey around the world and into an unseen spiritual world. This book is better than some of Coelho's more recent offerings, and the narrative tool will draw you in and keep you turning the pages.

A warning though the book deals with earth religions and has some new age ceremonies in it, therefore it will not be for all readers.

(First Published in Imprint 2007-05-18 in the 'Book Review Column.)
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Coelho is the best! Sort of..., Jul 27 2007
By Geoffrey Low "See for yourself!" (Toronto, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Witch Of Portobello (Hardcover)
I was totally engulfed in this story until about halfway through the book when it began to get 'witchy' and unrealistic. I must say, however, that Coelho's different approach of using interviews to tell a story was fresh and interesting.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


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 		 Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Dreadful...Nonsense...ugghhh!!
This book in one word: garbage. Regardless of your faith or your belief in the realm of the occult, every intelligent reader wants a good story that offers a level of depth and a... Read more
Published on Sep 24 2007 by A. Dossa

5.0 out of 5 stars Witch captivates
Paulo Coelho of international fame for his book The Alchemist has here in The Witch of Portobello has woven a very unique and compelling tale. Read more
Published on May 19 2007 by Steven R. McEvoy

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