The Witch of Portobello (P.S.)

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Throughout the novel, Coelho’s words verifies the phrase: “How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves—even if we are unsure of whom we are?” Discuss the world of magic versus the world of science or rationality—especially the belief held by many that, as Heron Ryan puts it, "anything science cannot explain has no right to exist." Where do you stand on this? Mr. COELHO: I think that the critics have to criticize, the writers have to write, the readers have to read, and everybody will be happy, so I'm not criticizing the critics. Whatever they say it is okay. Of those interviewed for this book, whose voice do you trust the most? Who do you identify with the most? Dislike the most?

We women, when we’re searching for a meaning to our lives or for the path of knowledge, always identify with one of four classic archetypes. Mr. COELHO: Because my dream was to be a writer, so success that is a gigantic and I thank God for being so successful. My dream was to be a writer or - then a writer writes books, so I have to write books. Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for The Witch of Portobello:

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Would Athena's life have been more meaningful, more useful, if she had, as Andrea McCain suggests, joined a convent and devoted herself to a life of service to the poor? Athena was certainly provocative. How do you view her—as an inspiried spiritual teacher or as a manipulative opportunist? Or something else? Do you believe her gifts of sight are genuine? Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2019-11-20 05:05:37 Associated-names Costa, Margaret Jull Boxid IA1699720 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier

Has the idea of "witch" changed at all today from when it was used to persecute women during the medieval and up through the early modern ages? Mr. Coelho's latest book, "The Witch of Portobello," is the story of a young Romanian orphan adopted by a Lebanese couple. She opens her heart, gains intoxicating powers and becomes a controversial spiritual leader in London. Our protagonist searches for a path within people, dogmas, and motherhood. Athena finds a sensual spiritual compass by putting herself in her body, integrating a deeper state of presence. She becomes a guru, taking on the persona of Hagia Sophia. Then Athena grows a following that attracts both good and evil attention. The Bible, which contains all the stories and all the guidance humankind needs. ( Bio and interview from Barnes & Noble.)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. ( From the publisher.) Is the world of sight, sound, and touch—the rational world —sufficient for you? Or do you seek another kind of reality, the one, perhaps, that Athena offered? Coelho sets out a framework for thinking about Athena and our own lives through the the character Deidre O’Neill, a doctor also known as Edda and a teacher to Athena. The Virgin (and I am not speaking her of the sexual virgin) is the one whose search springs from from her complete independence, and everyghing she learns is the fruite of her ability to face challenges alone. While the underlying message of this book is exploring the answer to the question "What is Love?" (answer: Love IS.), I found the exploration of the feminine side of divinity, of God to be refreshing and timely in my own life. We have all heard stories of women in particular who possess "abilities." I call it intuition. But why can't we accept these things as natural and beautiful? And why can't we encourage girls and women to strenghten their abilities to serve mankind? And why does dogma seek to destroy the credibility of these gifts?

Athena had the secret desire to become a saint someday. She had everything one can ask for, and yet it didn’t satisfy her restless soul. Her adopted mother, who was always ready to take care of her, give her all the love and comfort she could and want to see her win in whatever she does though didn’t understand her. Early marriage to a man she meets at a London college, her son birth, leaves church on which she had deep faith from her childhood. YDSTIE: In fact, I think some scholars suggest the Virgin Mary and the veneration of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic religion is actually vestigial goddess worship. 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. Walk into any bookstore in the world and the odds are good, you'll find a volume by Paulo Coelho. The 60-year-old Brazilian-born author has written eight novels, two memoirs and several other volumes. He has sold nearly a hundred million books, and his works have been translated into 64 languages.

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Through a series of interviews, multiple characters explained their experience and connection to her. We uncover pieces of who she was through different perspectives. But did anyone really know her? All her life, she felt a constant void that continuously nagged at her soul. The biggest question she consistently pursued an answer to was this: who am I? This the story of Athena, a mysterious woman, the story itself told by many different flesh entities who knew her or did not know her at all. She was born in Romania and her parents, a successful industrialist family of Beirut adopted her, as their much-loved, much-wanted daughter, who grew in wisdom and beauty. From an early age she had a strong religious vocation and knew all the gospels by heart, which was a blessing and a curse. My decision is for anything that I have to do in this life. So if I see this presence of the feminine face of God around instead of trying to follow what the Catholic Church says, I should be more open. I struggle with the disappointment and hurt I have felt at the hands of the Church. I don't know if I will ever be able to understand it and fully embrace the Church again. Yet I want my children baptized Catholic. I suppose I feel that eventually the Church will see the error of their ways.

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... 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. I think that the fact that it is told from multiple narrators really enhances the story. It is interesting to hear the different opinions on Athena and her teachings. I've encountered multiple narration in other books and hated it, but in this book it works very well. My only criticism is that because the characters are never really explored in depth, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the different narrators, however this is a minimal issue.I decided to read this as part of a string of Paolo Coelho novels in a sort of marathon. This is the fourth in a row, and I must say the worst, by far. Nothing could contend her restless soul; nothing could bring her peace of mind, neither even reaching Vertex through dancing or calligraphy. And finally she went to teach people something she didn’t know, that’s when she was bringing the soul to the surface, and speaking what the eternity, depicted as ‘the Mother’ in the book, wants to reveal through her.