Product Description

A new novel from Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist. A stranger arrives in the small mountain village. He carries with him a backpack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. Burying these in the vicinity, the stranger strikes up a curious friendship with a young woman from the village -- Miss Prym. His mission is to discover whether human beings are essentially good or evil. In this stunning new novel, Paulo Coelho's unusual protagonist sets the town a moral challenge from which they may never recover. A fascinating meditation on the human soul, The Devil and Miss Prym illuminates the reality of good and evil within us all, and our uniquely human capacity to choose between them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45389 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Devil and Miss Prym is the conclusion to the trilogy And on the Seventh Day which began with By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept and the hugely popular Veronika Decides to Die. Each of the three books focuses on a week in the life of ordinary people faced with a major life-changing force; be it love, death or power, it is Coelho's firm belief that "the profoundest changes take place within a very reduced time frame".

The Devil and Miss Prym sees a stranger arriving in the remote mountain village of Viscos carrying with him a notebook and 11 bars of gold. The first person to strike up conversation with the stranger is the inappropriately named Miss Prym, the hotel barmaid. Unbeknownst to her, Chantal Prym is exactly the subject the man had been hoping to find. The stranger puts a proposition to Chantal and with it gives her the power to prove or disprove a supposition that has tormented him for years--"Given the right set of circumstances every human being on this earth would be willing to commit evil". Should Chantal prove him right, all her dreams of escape to a new life would come true, but proving the stranger right would mean casting aside her deeply ingrained beliefs about right and wrong. So ensues a moral dilemma and a spiritual struggle between good and evil that will impact on everyone in the village.

This slim novel has the timeless quality of a parable. The sophisticated plot blends seamlessly with Coelho's uncomplicated language. As "the story of one man is the story of all men" so the reader is invited to think carefully about the struggle that is taking place within their own soul, to consider whether they would have the courage to stand out from the crowd. This is a truly accomplished novel from the pen of a philosopher and a master storyteller. --Sarah Crawford

Review
"His Books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people" THE TIMES

About the Author
Paulo Coelho was born in Brazil and has become one of the most widely read and loved authors in the world. Especially renowned for The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes, he has sold more than 85 million books worldwide and has been translated into 63 languages. The recipient of numerous prestigious international awards, amongst them the Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum and France's Legion d'Honneur, Paulo Coelho was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2002. He writes a weekly column syndicated throughout the world.

Customer Reviews

Typically Coelho style: fantastic!
Once again, Coelho does not disappoint. His simple style leaves you questionning yourself: do you follow the path of good or evil? A really great book and a must for any Coelho fan.

Paulo Coelho does it again
Another stunning book from this excellent author. As ever, Paulo Coelho has written an easy read with plenty to think about. This time the subject is whether the human race is basically good, or basically evil and if it is posible to make people abandon thier morals if the prize is high enough. Anyone that has enjoyed Coehlos previous books will not be disapointed.

Thought provoking, but not the most memorable of Coelho's books
The fourth of Coelho's books that I've read, and nothing so far rates as highly as The Zahir, which completely took my breath away. In his usual style, it's easy to keep reading this book. There rages throughout a battle between the main characters own personal devil and angel; an analogy that I'm sure we can all apply to our lives! Plot is good - not so complicated that it detracts from the overall moral message. However, I was a left a little puzzled by the ending, especially in relation to the main character Miss Prym. I don't think the ending quite matches the overall tone of the rest of the book? An interesting and worthwhile read, but may not set the world alight!