Brida: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

by Paulo Coelho (Author)
Key Phrases: Soul Mate, Tradition of the Moon, Tradition of the Sun (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Coelho's brilliant tale of young Brida, an Irish girl who wishes to become a witch, is a compelling and vivid fantasy epic. Sadly, narrator Linda Emond's uninspired and monotonous reading is a disservice to this fantastic tale. Though the story is set in Ireland during the mid-'80s, Emond makes no attempt at a regional dialect or even the slightest shift in tone for any of the characters. Her narrative voice is dull and uninspired, read with a soft whisper that will surely put most listeners to sleep before it ignites their imaginations. The story would be much better served with a narrator more willing to put their performance skills to the test and dive into the story. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 28). (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Booklist
Coelho’s loyal fan base will welcome the U.S. publication of Brida, another mystical pilgrimage from the master of the genre. Readers familiar with The Alchemist (1993), The Zahir (2005), and The Witch of Portobello (2007) will recognize the common themes—mysticism, discipleship, and a quest for fulfillment—that are incandescently woven into the fabric of most of his fiction. Brida O’Fern, a young Irishwoman, embarks on a voyage of self-discovery, ultimately resulting in a spiritual awakening and an acceptance of her own supernatural powers. While seeking initiation into the Tradition of the Moon, an ancient Wiccan ritual, she also discovers her soul mate and learns that love is the most divinely liberating emotion to be recognized and valued on the path to true wisdom and knowledge. Slighter than some of Coelho’s philosophically meatier novels, Brida is still a journey well worth taking; librarians should expect high demand. --Margaret Flanagan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061578959
• ISBN-13: 978-0061578953
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,099 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice introduction to a great writer, July 15, 2008

By	Jackie Blem (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brida: A Novel (Hardcover)

I've never read anything by Paulo Coelho before, so I was rather surprised by the pagan spirituality of this little novel. It's the story of Brida, an Irish girl in training to become a witch. It is full of beautifully worded prose--I found myself making little tics and stars beside many paragraphs to go back and examine again (my apologies to those who get the ARC from me, lol). There is some seriously high minded spirituality folded into this simple book about a woman's quest to learn to use her powers and her heart. I was especially intrigued with the Catholic Christianity woven within the more traditional magical teachings and philosophies. This is, apparently, one of Coelho's earlier works that has finally been translatted from the original Portuguese. I found it a good way to whet my appetite for his other works before I come to a decision of what it is I think of him as a writer.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars El mejor libro, The best book, September 29, 2005

By	Francisco Villalobos (panajachel,guatemala) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Brida (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)

Este es el mejor libro que he leído, Coelho usa un lenguaje simple, facil de entender.La historia de Brida puede ser la historia de todos nosotros(al menos en ese libro pude leer mi historia),como dice otro lector, es un libro para los que creemos que necesitamos a nuestra otra parte para alcanzar la felicidad total en nuestras vidas.Si todos buscaran sus sueños sin importar lo que diga la sociedad,si todos pudieramos vencer nuestros miedos,nuestra noche obscura, y seguir nuestro corazón,nuestros sentimientos en lugar de encasillarnos en una rutina y dejarnos llevar por la corriente del conformismo, este mundo sería diferente, si pudieramos decir no a la rutina y salirnos de la monotonía de la vida para buscar las respuestas a nuestras preguntas, si supieramos entender la diferencia entre el verdadero amor(nuestra otra parte)y la costumbre de estar con alguien, encontraríamos la felicidad eterna que todos deseamos.
Brida is a great story about the search of answers to your questions, about the quest for love and happines, and realizing your dreams by folowing your heart, told in a very clear way and easy to read and understand.I strongly recomend this book to everyone who believes that we need our other half to reach total hapiness.
i would have given it 7 stars if i could but 5 was the top.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Simple, November 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Brida (Paperback)

The fact that it presents something so complicated as love with such a simple explanation as wizardry, makes a person who is not able to read between the lines,think of it as a uninteresting book. I loved the way the book calls to the feelings of each one of the readers to be for or against the beliefs of the character... Read it if you can!