Product Description

The story of an independent young woman whose life is changed forever by a chance encounter with a childhood friend. A magical blend of compelling action, exotic locations and intriguing characters, told with Paulo's characteristic power and insight. Pilar is an independent and practical young woman who is feeling bored and frustrated by the daily grind of her university life. Looking for a deeper meaning to her existence, she happens to meet an old childhood friend, now a handsome, mesmerizing spiritual teacher -- and a rumoured miracle worker. As he leads her on a magical journey through the Fench Pyrenees, Pilar begins to realize that this chance encounter is going to transform her life forever. With Paulo's trademark blend of mysticism, magical realism and folklore, Pilar's story is a poignant and deeply inspiring tale

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8225 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-06
• Original language: Portuguese
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
'One of the few to deserve the term "Publishing Phenomenon"' INDEPENDENT OF SUNDAY 'His books have had a life-enancing impact on millions of people.' THE TIMES 'this (is an) exceptional novel.' Laura Esquivel, author of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

About the Author
Paulo Coelho's books have won numerous awards and are permanent fixtures on bestseller lists in Brazil and around the world. Other books by Paulo Coelho include The Alchemist, The Pilgrimage, The Valkyries,, The Firfth Mountain and Verionika Decides to Diie. He and his wife Christina live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Customer Reviews

A spiritual love story
This is a book written for all romantics at heart. Paulo Coelho has written another superb novel based on the power of love, faith and hope. This book is inspirational, and pushes us to believe and learn to recognise the little miracles that appear to us each day. Dreams do take hard work, patience and a lot of tears, but the author teaches us never to loose hope. Paulo manages to move and inspire through this story. Excellent! It made me trust in love again!

For anyone who's ever been in love
Though I did not find this as compelling as The Alchemist, the story of Pilar and her inner conflict with the notion of love highlights universal emotions which anyone who has ever been in love can relate to. Coelho's story-telling technique is simple in prose but conveys a deeper message which may at times be difficult to grasp. I think a re-read is always a good idea as there are subtleties in his message which may not be picked up on straight away. But this shouldn't put the reader off, as it is a relatively short story and easy to read. It is a story of hope, written intelligently by someone who seems to have figured out what a lot of us are trying to find answers for.

all love stories are the same
I had never read Paulo Coelho before this, which I was given by a good friend (although she immediately borrowed it so she could read it again!) It's a very beautiful book with very much hope about love, but also exploring ideas about relationships with God, and coming alive again from a cynical and empty life (similar in this way to "Veronica Decides to Die") It related to so many area's of my life, and i think therein lies it's magic. I'd never read anything that touched me like this before. very, very beautiful.