Product Description

From one of the world's best loved storytellers, Paulo Coelho, comes a riveting novel tracing the mysterious life and disappearance of Athena dubbed 'the Witch of Portobello', which was a top ten Sunday Times bestseller in hardback. This is the story of Athena, or Sherine, to give her the name she was baptised with. Her life is pieced together through a series of recorded interviews with those people who knew her well or hardly at all -- parents, colleagues, teachers, friends, acquaintances, her ex-husband. The novel unravels Athena's mysterious beginnings, via an orphanage in Romania, to a childhood in Beirut. When war breaks out, her adoptive family move with her to London, where a dramatic turn of events occurs! Athena, who has been dubbed 'the Witch of Portobello' for her seeming powers of prophecy, disappears dramatically, leaving those who knew her to solve the mystery of her life and abrupt departure. 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5464 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Review
Praise for the Witch of Portobello: 'Filled with Coelho's recurring themes -- spirituality, destiny, freedom -- this is a riveting and inspiring read.' Belfast Telegraph 'Paulo Coelho successfully defines the undefinable and possesses the skill to handle the abstract without being too confusing or vague.' Irish Mail on Sunday Praise for Paulo Coelho: 'An exceptional writer.' USA Today 'His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people.' Times 'One of the few to deserve the term "Publishing Phenomenon".' Independent on Sunday 'Coelho's writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts!he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face.' Daily Express

From the Author
Paulo Coelho answers questions on The Witch of Portobello

How would you sum up the central theme of your latest novel The Witch of
Portobello?
It's difficult to sum up a book, but I would say that it revolves around
the awakening of the female energy in both men and women.

Which is the difference between feminine energy and masculine energy?
Both energies are necessary; we need to be compassionate and implacable.
Christ consecrated these two: the energy of bread, that is solid, and the
energy of wine, that adapts itself. Sometimes is it not the sword that
brakes the stone but the patience of water.

Is there something new in this novel that you haven't done before?
The style is different: it is made of testimonies from people that got to
know the main character, Athena. Also, it's the first time that a main
character of mine has a child. This is the first novel where children
appear.

Did the idea of the novel spring from real life?
Yes, in October 2005, I met in Transylvania a roman stewardess that
inspired me the story of Athena. She told me how she had been adopted by an
Austrian family and about her gypsy roots. Of course, she was the starting
point of the novel; many aspects came from a myriad of situations and
people I met along the way. I'm also portrayed in this character.

You deal with very delicate issues in this book, such as prejudice,
religious intolerance and dogma. Aren't you afraid of being excommunicated
from the Catholic Church with this novel? After all you defend the idea
that God is the Great Mother.
I'm not afraid of that. I go every year to a Benedictine retreat in
Austria, called Melk. There I spoke to abbot Buckhard about catholic
tradition and, during our talks, the issue of women's exclusion came up. He
told me that the Benedictine have prayers dedicated to the Goddess-Mother.
In 200 years I believe that feminine divinity will no longer be a taboo.

One of the questionings that keep on recurring in this book is Athena's
need to live with her "empty spaces". Do you have "empty spaces"?
Of course I do. Who doesn't? The whole problem is not about having empty
spaces, but about admitting that they exist. Today's society is so
preoccupied about coherence that many get trapped in the misconception that
all is explainable. Society tries to convince us that we have to be
completely transparent, not only to world but to ourselves. There is where
the danger lies. It's necessary to admit that some things can't be grasped,
that our empty spaces exist and that we have to respect and honour the
mystery. I would say that Athena is my feminine side.

Do you believe in witches?
Of course I do. Unfortunately the word "witch" has still many prejudices.
To me, a witch is a woman that is capable of letting her intuition take
hold of her actions, that communes with her environment, that isn't afraid
of facing challenges. In my latest novel, I precisely talk about the
prejudice that modern witches face in modern society.

What about the fear of being different?
In all my books I approach this issue. In all my writings I talk about the
importance of accepting one's differences. Since my childhood, I've been
drawn to it. It was very important to me to accept my differences.

Isn't harder to accept other people's differences?
Indeed, it is more difficult to accept other people's differences, but it's
also very complicated to accept one's own. The reason for this is that
there are always prejudices; there are always misunderstandings. There's a
whole system consolidated that doesn't want to change, that doesn't want
people to change. Now, we are seeing that this system is starting to evolve
thanks to people like Athena. She's the prototype, a sort of icon of these
courageous people that face society and question it's values.

Why do you think people are so afraid of change?
If you don't change, the world will change you. Only vampires don't change.
To change is necessary, but if you don't allow it, you will nevertheless
succumb to it... Tragedies, hardships will always present themselves and
you will be forced to adapt yourself.

One of the themes of your book is dissatisfaction...
The world revolves because of this. See the example of children, which are
closer to the essence of life. Are they satisfied? Never. I believe that we
all preserve in our core this child that is always curious about the outer
world.

Do you know what the book is about before writing it?
I never take notes and never know where the book will lead me. It would be
extremely uninteresting if I had the whole plot in my head. Actually in the
Witch of Portobello, the conclusion came to me during the night. I woke up
with the idea in my head, immediately wrote it in my pc and worked on it
for the next days.

Your book ends on February 25th 2006, exactly at 19:47. British
punctuality?
When I finished the book, I looked at the clock in my computer and saw the
time 19:47. I was mesmerised by this since I was born in 1947. That's why I
wrote it down in my manuscript. You see I let myself be guided by signs.
Signs are the language of God and they will take you where you have to be
taken. It's a personal language that you develop throughout life.

You dedicate your book to Saint Francis Xavier. A man that left everything
to go after his dream. Like you.
Well, I took much longer to follow my dream. I was nearly 40 when I decided
to be guided by my dream. I had the courage once I made the pilgrimage to
Saint James of Compostella.

About the Author
Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil and has become one of the most widely read and best loved authors in the world. Especially renowned for The Alchemist, he has sold more than 85 million books worldwide and has been translated into 63 languages. Paulo's blog is at www.paulocoelhoblog.com. Visit him on myspace: www.myspace.com/paulocoelho

Customer Reviews

Magic and sacrifice? Or, a self-opionated heroine
I have long been a fan of Coelho, and so was eager to read his new release. Having now finished it, I disagree slightly with the blurb on the back cover which describes it as a novel which will "transform the way readers think about love, passion, joy and sacrifice".

The story is about Sherine, or Athena as she prefers to be called. At the starte of the book, we now that Athena is dead. The novel is set out as a collection of stories about her by people that knew her well, or who had come into contact with her during their life. These different perspectives help the reader to form an idea of who Athena is and, more importantly, why she became known as the 'Witch of Portobello'.

It becomes clear that Athena was a fiercely independent person; someone who could go from being on the brink of striking someone to being placated and seemingly portraying an air of serenity and peace. I suppose it was this juxtaposition in her as a character that made me struggle with the idea that she sacrificed anything in her life. I cannot say much without giving the ending of the book away, but once you read the novel, you should understand what I mean.

Looking at this novel compared to his other works, there are obviously many similarities. Spirituality is present in all of his works, and I do not see this as a bad thing. In fact, this is part of the reason why I like Coelho so much. Having said that, I do think there are times that the story gets a little lost because of Coelho trying to put more into the spiritual side of this particular story.
Personally, this was only a small gripe whilst I was reading. What remains is that his writing is simple yet beautiful. Some of the phrases he uses continue to stop me in my reading tracks, so that I can think about what he has just said, and how this applies to me. Coelho is a writer that certainly touches my soul, like no other.

I would recommend this book - although it is one I feel I need to re-read before I am able to get the most from it. If you are new to Coelho, I would suggest you try his classic, THE ALCHEMIST, first.

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. 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.)

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. 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.)