The Witch of Portobello Author:Paulo Coelho How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves—even if we are unsure of whom we are? That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's profound new work, The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told by the many who knew her well—or hardly at all. A... more »mong them: "People create a reality and then become the victims of that reality. Athena rebelled against that—and paid a high price."
Heron Ryan, journalist "I was used and manipulated by Athena, with no consideration for my feelings. She was my teacher, charged with passing on the sacred mysteries, with awakening the unknown energy we all possess. When we venture into that unfamiliar sea, we trust blindly in those who guide us, believing that they know more than we do."
Andrea McCain, actress "Athena's great problem was that she was a woman of the twenty-second century living in the twenty-first, and making no secret of the fact, either. Did she pay a price? She certainly did. But she would have paid a still higher price if she had repressed her natural exuberance. She would have been bitter, frustrated, always concerned about 'what other people might think,' always saying, 'I'll just sort these things out, then I'll devote myself to my dream,' always complaining 'that the conditions are never quite right.'"
Deidre O'Neill, known as Edda 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.« less
The story is engaging and the wording is exquisite at times, but it was a chore and ultimately, an annoyance, to read this book. I did not "like" many of the characters, especially the main ones. It was pounding you over the head with its excessive use of spiratulism/sacrifice,"mother" worship, etc.
Spirituality! Many go to church seeking it. This book describes how one woman believe that Jesus meets this need where ever we are. The author achieves it by telling the story of Athena who seeks to discover herself. Abandoned as a child by her mother, a Romanian gypsy, she searches for her.
Narrators are those who knew her well and others not so well. âFrom the journalist who fell in love with her to the woman who felt betrayed by her, from birth mother to adoptive mother, from teacher to studentâ narrators describe how âAthena, born Sherine, sometimes called Hagia Sofiaâ affected their lives. Interviews are related as they were given. Some believed her a âwitchâ others a spiritual leader.
How does she view love, passion, joy and sacrifice? How do we? The author shares Athenaâs view. When the Catholic Church let her down she taught love and sacrifice to others one by one and group by group. Not a book to read quickly, the author suggests there is a feminine side to God, giving readers much to ponder and reflect upon.
This is not a biography. Rather it is a reflection on beliefs and how one lives life. It can be empowering, suggesting that the dogma and rigidity of religion should be examined in light of personal beliefs such as love and sacrifice. What is love? Love just IS.
Athena, abandoned as a child, seeks her birth mother: a Romanian gypsy. In the vein of The Alchemist, this is another of is pseudo-religious psychological novels. He will bring you deeply into the realm of the "Great Mother", of the parochialism of racial and spiritual bias, and of the fanaticism of radical minorities.
I did not enjoy reading this as I found it to be a bit silly. Loaded with loosely connected New Age jargon, dripping with a very vague sort of semi-philosophy about something or other -- Hey, somebody must have liked it, but I do not plan to read this author again.
