Product Description

The latest spellbinding novel from one of the world's best-loved authors, Paulo Coelho, now in paperback. This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic, and has taken courses in astrology, tarot, and numerology, but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom, who begin to teach her about the world. Her teachers sense that Brida has a gift, but cannot tell what that is. Meanwhile, Brida pursues her course ever deeper into the mysteries of life, seeking to answer questions about who she is. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, and teaches her about overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world, and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and how to pray to the moon. She seeks her destiny, as she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch. This enthralling novel incorporates themes fans of Paulo will love. It is a tale of love, passion, mystery and spirituality.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5656 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-19
• Original language: Portuguese
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Review
Praise for Brida: 'A wonderfully enjoyable tale which will provide you with an evocative and rewarding read' Irish Post 'A beautiful storyteller, and he (Coelho) turns Brida's tale of self-discovery into a beautiful story' London Lite 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 'The Alchemist is a beautiful book about magic, dreams and the treasures we seek elsewhere and then find on our doorstep.' Madonna 'It's like music, really, the way he writes, it's so beautiful. It's a gift that I envy above all others.' Julia Roberts

From the Back Cover
'But how will I know who my soulmate is?' 'By taking risks,' she said to Brida. 'By risking failure, disappointment, disillusion, but never ceasing in your search for Love. As long as you keep looking, you will triumph in the end.'

This is the story of Brida, a beautiful young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. On her journey she meets a wise man who teaches her about overcoming her fears, and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the hidden music of the world. They see in her a gift, but they must let her make her own voyage of discovery.

As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to transform herself.

A moving tale of love, passion, mystery and spirituality from the master storyteller and author of The Alchemist.

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. Paulo's blog is at en.paulocoelhoblog.com Visit him on myspace: www.myspace.com/paulocoelho

Customer Reviews

"I want to learn about magic."
I have long been a fan of Coelho's work and have long waited for BRIDA to be published in English, so as soon as this was available I grabbed it. Having now finished it the question of whether it was worth the wait is an inevitable one.

BRIDA is the story of a young Irish woman, Brida, who wishes to learn about magic. At the very beginning of the novel, she meets a Magus from the Tradition of the Sun who teaches her about the Dark Night and who recognises that she does have a gift - he is just not completely sure what that gift is. Yet this marks the beginning of Brida's spiritual journey - to find out what her gift is and what her path shall ultimately be.
This path then leads her to Wicca, a woman who commands respect and stirs emotions within Brida that she does not always understand. Wicca takes Brida on as a student, teaching her the Tradition of the Moon.
So, BRIDA is basically the story of one woman's spiritual journey of self-discovery. Along the way she learns how to listen to the hidden music of the world and how she would be able to recognise her Soulmate. Brida also discovers that, as for anyone embarking upon a journey of self-discovery, the things that she experiences and learns have an effect upon not just her but those who are close to her. This, as Coelho tries to empart, is the nature of such a journey - once you have found the right path, to see it to the end and fulfill your destiny is not always an easy ride.

For fans of Coelho's work, BRIDA should be an enjoyable read. For those who have never encountered his work before, BRIDA may be somewhat of a disappointment. As with much of Coelho's work, the reader gets out what they are willing to put into their reading experience. By this I mean you have to be sympathetic to the essence of his work - I would imagine that there would be some people who cannot relate to this book at all, and so they may not take very much away from it. However, if you are open to spirituality in all of its dimensions and are looking for a book that touches upon this area, BRIDA shall be very rewarding for you.

This book is an insult to Wicca/Witchcraft
The central character in this book is supposed to be Irish and and a Wiccan (Witch). As someone who is both, I find the author's depiction of Irishness and Ireland cliched and superficial,and his depiction of Wicca not only totally inaccurate but also quite bizarre.
Coelho is obviously trying to make some points about spirituality and love, and that's quite laudable. However, he chooses to do so by totally distorting the nature of another religion, namely Wicca.
It should be possible to outline the validity of the underlying spiritual tenents of another religion without having to distort the religion itself by making it conform to one's own religious beliefs. Sadly, Coehlo has chosen this route, and the result is a book that makes a travesty of another religion. Coehlo's Catholocism has triumphed over his desire to elucidate spiritual truths.
To depict Witches as only worshipping the Christian God, and of gathering together once a year at a Sabbat in order to read biblical tracts and invoke Jesus and the Virgin Mary would be laughable if it were not so ojectionable to followers of both religions.
Coehlo missed an opportunity to explore Wicca as an alternative spiritual tradition and compare and contrast it with his own. If he had done so, the result would have been a book of some merit, instead he wrote a something that is misguided, laughable, sectarian, and, ultimately, worthless.
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Breathtaking
Have not read Coelho before and this book blew me away! I really loved his theme on intuition and the many insightful ideas for such a light, charming little book.