The witch of portobello
Paulo Coelho strike magic yet again. I m not an ardent fan of Paulo Coelho. However he has fascinated me a lot. I have read his other works namely "The Alchemist" and "The Fifth Mountain"."The Witch of Portobello" is a fiction work by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho. It is about a woman born in Transylvania to a Romani mother(a gypsy), who is orphaned and later adopted by a wealthy Lebanese couple.
The whole story does not move with the words of the writer himself but what people associated with Athena the lead protagonist thought about her. The whole story is a collection,clearly and chronologically placed of views and tales by others about Athena.
Athena's real name is Sherine Khalil. She chose the name Athena by herself. This book not only deals with her life. She had everything in her life yet she wanted more. From her childhood she had a spiritual incline. Due to internal conflicts her family fled to London.There too they flourished. She got into a good college. She had a great boy friend. But all this was not enough. She quit studies to get married and have a child called Viterol . Even after all this she feels blank spaces. She pursued dance and calligraphy to feel God or the Mother herself.
The book not only describes Athena's journey from a have it all lucky orphan to a devil worshiper. The story starts with her death and ends with a tangy twist. This book was highly engaging. A total must read for all those who like Athena perpetually keep asking "Who am I? What is Life? Who is God?" The book also deals with the worship of Goddesses. Thousands of years ago the worship of women Gods prevailed. Then there was a paradigm shift to male dominated religion. Athena wanted more. Her life is a tale to tell.
Of all the people who contributed Athena's tale my favorite was Herot(the journalist and Athena's admirer). He was very honest in his own way. His presence and innocence charmed the tale.
This book is a must read. Even if you don't like philosophy and don't like being told facts and ways to contemplate life I think you must give this book a shot. Worth the effort of reading 300+ paged book. Utter pleasure delivered in this book. Trust me.
The whole story does not move with the words of the writer himself but what people associated with Athena the lead protagonist thought about her. The whole story is a collection,clearly and chronologically placed of views and tales by others about Athena.
Athena's real name is Sherine Khalil. She chose the name Athena by herself. This book not only deals with her life. She had everything in her life yet she wanted more. From her childhood she had a spiritual incline. Due to internal conflicts her family fled to London.There too they flourished. She got into a good college. She had a great boy friend. But all this was not enough. She quit studies to get married and have a child called Viterol . Even after all this she feels blank spaces. She pursued dance and calligraphy to feel God or the Mother herself.
The book not only describes Athena's journey from a have it all lucky orphan to a devil worshiper. The story starts with her death and ends with a tangy twist. This book was highly engaging. A total must read for all those who like Athena perpetually keep asking "Who am I? What is Life? Who is God?" The book also deals with the worship of Goddesses. Thousands of years ago the worship of women Gods prevailed. Then there was a paradigm shift to male dominated religion. Athena wanted more. Her life is a tale to tell.
Of all the people who contributed Athena's tale my favorite was Herot(the journalist and Athena's admirer). He was very honest in his own way. His presence and innocence charmed the tale.
This book is a must read. Even if you don't like philosophy and don't like being told facts and ways to contemplate life I think you must give this book a shot. Worth the effort of reading 300+ paged book. Utter pleasure delivered in this book. Trust me.
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