Product Description

This is a modern-day adventure story featuring Paulo's supernatural encounter with angels -- who appear as warrior women and travel through the Mojave desert on their motorbikes. Haunted by a devastating curse, Paulo is instructed by his mysterious spiritual master to embark upon a journey -- to find and speak to his guardian angel in an attempt to confront and overcome his dark past. The Valkyries is a compelling account of this forty day quest into the searing heat of the Mojave Desert, where Paulo and his wife, Chris, encounter the Valkyries -- warrior women who travel the desert on motorcycles, spreading the word of angels. This exotic spiritual odyssey is a rare combination of truth, myth, imagination and inspiration. Ultimately it is a story about being able to forgive our past and believe in our future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33042 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-06
• Original language: Portuguese
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'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 'One of the few to deserve the term "publishing phenomenon"' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people.' THE TIMES

About the Author
Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947. Having travelled extensively throughout Latin America, as well as Europe and North Africa, he was at various times a playwright, a theatre director , and a popular songwriter for some of Brazil's most famous pop musicians. With the publication of his first books, The Pilgrimage (1987) and The Alchemist (1988) he embarked on a career that would establish him as Brazil's best known novelist. His books have sold more than 21 million copies world wide and have been translated into 42 languages. He has received numerous literary awards from a wide variety of countries. His books dominate the bestseller lists in France, Italy, Germany & Greece.

Customer Reviews

magical and poetic
A magical adventure based in the present, this story of acceptance of true love and of following your goals to ultimate happiness is an intricate and powerful read. The poetic and passionate style is intense reading but worth it. There's almost a crescendo of activity in the middle of the book that leaves you compelled to read on. I think viewing the text "holistically" helps, and thinking about the metaphors will let you extract more from the book. It's not my favourite Coelho book but still, I have to admit it is beautifully written and full of hysterical passion. I would recommend it to a friend.

Not Very Impressed
I was expecting this book to be as thought-provoking and meaningful as some of Paulo's other books but it fell far short. The idea of searching for your angel and meeting wild women in the desert to help with this quest was a great concept but I think the way the whole story played out was very wishy-washy and not riveting at all. I appreciate that it was a true story and that it was written in such a way as to portray the journey as it transpired in it's true entirety but I found myself completely unmoved by it. I particularly found Paulo's arrogance off-putting in the sense that he kept referring to himself as a great magus and seemed to undermine others who were not privy to a certain type of knowledge, when spirituality can be sought in many different ways, and not with such an ego. I personally wouldn't recommend this book though I highly recommend The Alchemist and Veronika Decides to Die, 2 of Paulo Coelho's books which I highly rate. Unfortunately, not this one though.

Not in the same league
A semi-autobiographical novel by Coelho with the usual themes of personal growth and spirituality set in the American desert. It's the third Coelho book I have read, and I must admit I did not enjoy it as much as the other two. Perhaps the fact the author is writing directly about his own incredible experiences rather than that of fictional characters dampens his style? Nonetheless it is a book worth reading and a remarkable tale, just not quite as good as some of his others.