Paulo Coelho
THE WITCH OF PORTOBELLO
BY PAOLO COELHO
"Most of those persons condemned were convicted on the basis of spectral evidence that is to say, prosecuting witnesses declared that they felt the presence of evil spirits or heard spirit voices" (pg. 2, Paulo Coelho). "The Witch of Portobello" by the renowned Brazilian author Paulo Coelho is a novel about love, passion, joy, spirituality, and sacrifice. The circular structure of this story is very fascinating. There are really several narrators that tell the story of Sherine Khalil (better known as Athena) in their own points of view. The main narrators are Heron Ryan (journalist), Andrea McCain (actress), and Deidre O'Neill (doctor, better known as Edda).
"No one lights a lamp in order to hide …show more content…
it behind a door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around. No one sacrifices the most important thing she possesses: love. No one places her dreams in the hands of those who might destroy them. No one, that is, but Athena." (pg. 2-3, Paolo Coelho) This phrase, said by Heron Ryan, is the hook of the story. The deepness achieved by the author is so great, that it really catches the reader to prove it will be an inspiring story. He also gives a sense of mystery Who is Athena? -What happened to her? How did they know each other? Well, as the book goes on, Heron explains that he was in Transylvania because he is sent to investigate about Count Dracula's legend. There, he met Athena as she was trying to track down who her real mother was. He suddenly loses the reader as he says (not explaining the way or place they met) that he loved Athena deeply and profoundly; tragically she was savagely murdered for a still unknown reason and he wants to remember her. Coelho writes: "That love led me to see things I'd never imagined could exist rituals, materializations, trances. [ ] When the meeting in Portobello started to get out of control, we had endless arguments about how she was behaving although I'm glad know that she didn't listen to me [ ] Until finally, she got herself brutally murdered [ ] The perfect crime for we don't know who murdered our joy, what their motives were, or where the guilty parties are to be found." (pgs. 4-6, Paulo Coelho) The author really leaves us wondering who this Athena is and how and why she died, which makes the book a real page-turner.
"It isn't good to speak ill of people who have passed from this life onto the astral plane. However, Athena won't have to account to me, but to all those forces that she turned to her own benefit, rather than channeling them for the good of humanity and for her own spiritual enlightment. The worst thing is that if it hadn't been for her compulsive exhibitionism, everything we began together could have worked out really well." (pg. 9, Paulo Coelho) Still, the reader is not really acquainted with Athena and her life except for the fact that she was definitely not a shy person, and that something in her life went terribly wrong. The quoted phrase is said by Andrea McCain, an actress that proves not to be very fond of Athena. She says that Athena was learning spirituality by teaching without knowing, which she refused to believe, and that she was a woman that exuded sensuality, which seduced her boyfriend. Later on, way back in the book, Andrea tells that she met Athena through some acting classes. Athena could go into trance when she danced, getting in touch with the Mother and becoming possessed by a force that called itself Hagia Sofia. Hagia Sofia could give premonitions, detect illnesses and talk to the dead; she later on decided, since Andrea had a sensitive aura, to make her into her student. They dislike each other very much, but learn a lot about the Mother and spirituality together. Later on, the reader finds out an interesting connection between Heron, Andrea and Athena Heron meets Athena in Transylvania, there he falls in love with her, but he talks about having (an unknown) girlfriend, which it comes to be Andrea, Athena's apprentice.
"The real Tradition is this: the teacher never tells the disciple what he or she should do.
They are merely traveling companions, sharing the same uncomfortable feeling of "estrangement" when confronted by ever-changing perceptions, broadening horizons, closing doors, river that sometimes seem to block their path an which, in fact, should never be crossed, but followed."(pg. 213, Paulo Coelho) The doctor Deidre O'Neill, or better known as Edda is the person behind the quote. She is a very important person in the story because, if it was not for her, Athena would never have been in touch with the Mother. Edda was pretty much Athena's teacher, her mentor. She encouraged Athena to turn herself into a teacher, to be a mentor and spread the ideas of the Mother. At first, Athena finds this very difficult to achieve, until she meets Andrea and the group of actors. They decided that the strange rituals Athena taught them really helped them relax and find an inner peace. Athena and Edda met at the same time and in the same café as Athena met Heron, in Transylvania. Athena started dancing and got in trance, which mesmerized Edda. They exchanged information about each other and meet again a few months later. Edda is the woman; the mind behind
Athena.
The story exposes a follower of a Pagan Goddess and how she was attacked because of having different beliefs. This is related to the world today in two ways. First of all, people now are looking for alternative religions for Christianity; something more spiritual and mystic. Also, there still exists discrimination and acts of hatred towards people that practice different religions. For example, on October 31st , Arsonists set fire to a Roman Catholic Church in central Zanzibar in an act of intolerance.
Athena can be related to me in some ways. For example, we both are very impulsive people that act and then think about their actions. It is something that took Athena to her own perdition and hopefully it will not be the same way for me. The story reminds me to another book I have read, named "Wise Child". This is because Wise Child is an orphan that is adopted by Juniper, a witch that even though she cures people, the village is afraid of her. The village does not believe Juniper is capable of raising a child, just as in "The Witch of Portobello"; the media expresses doubt towards Athena's capability of raising her son.
"The Witch of Portobello" is honestly a captivating novel that really goes deep into your soul. Even though it talks about some sort of pagan Goddess and religion, it still fills you up with spirituality. Still, it is a very complicated book because of its circular manner and how there are different people proving their different points of view all throughout the book, not chronologically. It not only is a painful story about love; it also talks about politics, world-wide disasters, probability, and much more. Paulo Coelho is an amazing, inspiring author that knows how to write masterpieces.
BY PAOLO COELHO
"Most of those persons condemned were convicted on the basis of spectral evidence that is to say, prosecuting witnesses declared that they felt the presence of evil spirits or heard spirit voices" (pg. 2, Paulo Coelho). "The Witch of Portobello" by the renowned Brazilian author Paulo Coelho is a novel about love, passion, joy, spirituality, and sacrifice. The circular structure of this story is very fascinating. There are really several narrators that tell the story of Sherine Khalil (better known as Athena) in their own points of view. The main narrators are Heron Ryan (journalist), Andrea McCain (actress), and Deidre O'Neill (doctor, better known as Edda).
"No one lights a lamp in order to hide …show more content…
it behind a door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around. No one sacrifices the most important thing she possesses: love. No one places her dreams in the hands of those who might destroy them. No one, that is, but Athena." (pg. 2-3, Paolo Coelho) This phrase, said by Heron Ryan, is the hook of the story. The deepness achieved by the author is so great, that it really catches the reader to prove it will be an inspiring story. He also gives a sense of mystery Who is Athena? -What happened to her? How did they know each other? Well, as the book goes on, Heron explains that he was in Transylvania because he is sent to investigate about Count Dracula's legend. There, he met Athena as she was trying to track down who her real mother was. He suddenly loses the reader as he says (not explaining the way or place they met) that he loved Athena deeply and profoundly; tragically she was savagely murdered for a still unknown reason and he wants to remember her. Coelho writes: "That love led me to see things I'd never imagined could exist rituals, materializations, trances. [ ] When the meeting in Portobello started to get out of control, we had endless arguments about how she was behaving although I'm glad know that she didn't listen to me [ ] Until finally, she got herself brutally murdered [ ] The perfect crime for we don't know who murdered our joy, what their motives were, or where the guilty parties are to be found." (pgs. 4-6, Paulo Coelho) The author really leaves us wondering who this Athena is and how and why she died, which makes the book a real page-turner.
"It isn't good to speak ill of people who have passed from this life onto the astral plane. However, Athena won't have to account to me, but to all those forces that she turned to her own benefit, rather than channeling them for the good of humanity and for her own spiritual enlightment. The worst thing is that if it hadn't been for her compulsive exhibitionism, everything we began together could have worked out really well." (pg. 9, Paulo Coelho) Still, the reader is not really acquainted with Athena and her life except for the fact that she was definitely not a shy person, and that something in her life went terribly wrong. The quoted phrase is said by Andrea McCain, an actress that proves not to be very fond of Athena. She says that Athena was learning spirituality by teaching without knowing, which she refused to believe, and that she was a woman that exuded sensuality, which seduced her boyfriend. Later on, way back in the book, Andrea tells that she met Athena through some acting classes. Athena could go into trance when she danced, getting in touch with the Mother and becoming possessed by a force that called itself Hagia Sofia. Hagia Sofia could give premonitions, detect illnesses and talk to the dead; she later on decided, since Andrea had a sensitive aura, to make her into her student. They dislike each other very much, but learn a lot about the Mother and spirituality together. Later on, the reader finds out an interesting connection between Heron, Andrea and Athena Heron meets Athena in Transylvania, there he falls in love with her, but he talks about having (an unknown) girlfriend, which it comes to be Andrea, Athena's apprentice.
"The real Tradition is this: the teacher never tells the disciple what he or she should do.
They are merely traveling companions, sharing the same uncomfortable feeling of "estrangement" when confronted by ever-changing perceptions, broadening horizons, closing doors, river that sometimes seem to block their path an which, in fact, should never be crossed, but followed."(pg. 213, Paulo Coelho) The doctor Deidre O'Neill, or better known as Edda is the person behind the quote. She is a very important person in the story because, if it was not for her, Athena would never have been in touch with the Mother. Edda was pretty much Athena's teacher, her mentor. She encouraged Athena to turn herself into a teacher, to be a mentor and spread the ideas of the Mother. At first, Athena finds this very difficult to achieve, until she meets Andrea and the group of actors. They decided that the strange rituals Athena taught them really helped them relax and find an inner peace. Athena and Edda met at the same time and in the same café as Athena met Heron, in Transylvania. Athena started dancing and got in trance, which mesmerized Edda. They exchanged information about each other and meet again a few months later. Edda is the woman; the mind behind
Athena.
The story exposes a follower of a Pagan Goddess and how she was attacked because of having different beliefs. This is related to the world today in two ways. First of all, people now are looking for alternative religions for Christianity; something more spiritual and mystic. Also, there still exists discrimination and acts of hatred towards people that practice different religions. For example, on October 31st , Arsonists set fire to a Roman Catholic Church in central Zanzibar in an act of intolerance.
Athena can be related to me in some ways. For example, we both are very impulsive people that act and then think about their actions. It is something that took Athena to her own perdition and hopefully it will not be the same way for me. The story reminds me to another book I have read, named "Wise Child". This is because Wise Child is an orphan that is adopted by Juniper, a witch that even though she cures people, the village is afraid of her. The village does not believe Juniper is capable of raising a child, just as in "The Witch of Portobello"; the media expresses doubt towards Athena's capability of raising her son.
"The Witch of Portobello" is honestly a captivating novel that really goes deep into your soul. Even though it talks about some sort of pagan Goddess and religion, it still fills you up with spirituality. Still, it is a very complicated book because of its circular manner and how there are different people proving their different points of view all throughout the book, not chronologically. It not only is a painful story about love; it also talks about politics, world-wide disasters, probability, and much more. Paulo Coelho is an amazing, inspiring author that knows how to write masterpieces.