WITCH OF PORTOBELLO

            The Witch of Portobello is one of the books that deeply connects its readers to every characters. It was narrated in a very aberrant way which uses different point of views. I initially think it was a non-fiction story because of the narration. The Witch of Portobello contains the story of a unique character, Sherine Khalil, popularly known among others by the name Athena. Athena was the name she prefers since her childhood.

              As I have mentioned, the technique of the narration was very unique. Coelho narrates through different people, which includes a numerologist (Lella Zainab), journalist (Heron Ryan), actress (Andrea McCain), doctor (Deidre O'Neill), housewife (Samira R. Khalil) , engineer (Lukas Jessen-Petersen), priest (Father Giancarlo Fontana) and many more. These people were able to talk or speak to Athena. Each views contain the impressions of each of the characters to the character of Sherine Khalil. Each characters also mentioned how, why, where and when did they meet Athena. There are views that somehow opposes the main character, however, there are others who admire her for her discovered devotion. Athena, in this story was not only a daughter, she was also a mother, a wife, a friend, an enemy, a lover, a girlfriend, a leader, a staff , a teacher and a student. This book was one of the most intriguing stories I have ever read, and also one of the narrations that completely amazes me. We expect no less from a renowned author Paulo Coelho.

Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian writer known for his best-selling novel, The Alchemist which was translated into different languages and was sold for 35 thousand copies. Coelho was also known to have written the following books: The Pilgrimage, The Devil and Ms. Prym, The Manual of the Warrior of Light and many more. The Witch of Portobello is just one of his many novels that greatly inspired the world of the importance of reading.

The Witch of Portobello is originally entitled "A Bruxa de Portobello" was first published in United States in 2007. It was also originally in Portuguese language and was translated to English by Margaret Jull Costa.

I have listed lines from this book that I deeply connected with and for which I consider very precious:

1. "the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around"
2. "if there is any possible consolation in the tragedy of losing someone we love very much, it's the necessary hope that perhaps it was for the best"
3. But then, how many of us will be saved the pain of seeing the most important things in our lives disappearing from one moment to the next? I don’t mean people, but our ideas and dreams too: we might survive a day, a week, a few years, but we're all condemned to lose"
4. "people who are on a spiritual quest don’t think, they simply want results. They want to feel powerful and superior to the anonymous masses. They want to be special"
5. "Extroverts are unhappier than introverts and have to compensate for this by constantly proving to themselves how happy and contented and at ease with life they are"
6. "An encounter with the superior energy is open to anyone but remains far from those who shift responsibility onto others. Our time on this earth is sacred, we should celebrate every moment"
7. "life, however, had other plans - when fate is very generous with us, there is always a well into which all our dreams can tumble"
8. "Instincts become sharper, emotions more radical, the interpretation of signs becomes more important than logic, perceptions of reality grow less rigid"
9. "Please, God, my Mother, don’t give up until I've taken on the shape that you wish for me. Do this by whatever means you think best, for as long as you like, but never ever throw me on the scrap heap of souls."

These are lines where you could definitely relate too as well. Reading this book is not a waste of time, in fact it was also a form of accumulating knowledge and you better grab it.

There are various book reviews in the web regarding the "Witch of Portobello some of it are:

1. "This is another compelling work by Coelho. As in most of his works, there is an enigmatic main character, in this instance a woman who is dead at the beginning of the book - the rest of the book deals with piecing her life through a series of first-person accounts." - Z Hayes (TX USA)
2. "The Witch of Portobello has woven a very unique and compelling tale. Part of what draws the reader in is the story itself and part is the very unique way it is written. Rather than a straight forward narrative, or a dialogue or even a series of letters this is a unique narrative technique." - Steven R. McEvoy (Canada)
3. Once I started reading I couldn't put the book down!!! He manages to engage the reader's attention, is amazing! -Florcita (USA)