I love Paolo Coehlo’s The Alchemist and I find many of his quotes inspiring. His most recent novel Adultery took me aback because of the name. Did I want to read it? Was this a subject matter that I wanted to dig into? One of my friends, a big Coehlo fan, wasn’t keen; another read it and loved it. I decided it was time to see for myself. Note, the tag line “Sometimes you must lose yourself to discover who you are” might help those who are on the fence with this one.
Here’s the teaser:
It’s odd how whenever we meet up with school friends, we always think they haven’t changed at all, even if the weakest has grown strong, the prettiest has ended up with a monster for a husband, and those who seemed closest have grown apart and not seen one another for years. (p62)
And another, just because:
There is nothing more important we can give than the Love reflected in our own lives. That is the one universal language that allows us to speak Chinese or the dialects of India. (p123)
Here’s the blurb:
Have you ever looked at your life and wondered, ‘Is this it?’
Linda knows she’s lucky. Yet every morning when she opens her eyes to a so-called new day, she feels like closing them again. Her friends recommend medication. But Linda wants to feel more, not less.
And so she embarks on an adventure as unexpected as it is daring, and which reawakens a side of her that she – respectable wife, loving mother, ambitious journalist – thought had disappeared. Even she can’t predict what will happen next . . .
A novel about discovering who you are, where you’re going, and what matters to you most.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZSNatfTF8s]
♦♦♦
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jenn of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
How does a website help rural fiction authors in Australia and NZ?
© All Rights Reserved 2023 Monique Mulligan | Website Design by Thorn Creative
0 Responses
I don’t really like Paulo Coelho but this doesn’t sound like his usual style or subject matter, it would be interesting to see what he makes of it.
From what I hear, there’s some great character development in there. There’s that idea of “You have everything, you should be happy” that many can relate to, even if they make different choices as they contemplate their life.
I love The Alchemist too but haven’t been as keen on a couple of his other books. The blurb for this does grab me though. Might add it to my list. Thanks for the teaser.
I loved his earlier books, and bought Adultery, but stopped reading after two pages. Not his best writing.
Interesting. A friend said she stopped reading a few pages in as well.
He is a true novelist and observer of the human condition. I love his work
I’m not a fan of adultery being glorified in books, but I try not to make too many assumptions going in. I’d try it. I’d really like to read The Alchemist. Here’s my TT! 🙂
Ooh I do like the sound of this one, your teaser choices clinched it for me!
I started reading it last night. Didn’t enjoy it 🙁
Why not? I didn’t give it much of a chance because I couldn’t get past the character’s ‘voice’. I’m not normally so picky. But so many books, so little time…
I think the voice is emotionally detached, which fits the character’s experience of depression, but like you, it was hard to feel emotionally invested. If I was reviewing the book, I’d have persevered, but like you, “so many books, so little time”.
Lots to think about now. I’ve not read this author before.
My TT – http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/06/02/teaser-tuesdays-117-dont-try-to-find-me-2/
Go for The Alchemist, Laura. I didn’t finish this one – wasn’t keen.
I really disliked this book…. I had to look at my blog to see what I’d said about it. I gave it 2 stars and said the writing was beautiful in places, but it was as if Coelho had something to say about loneliness etc so created a couple of characters through which to do it. It might have almost worked betters as non fiction and him just sharing his thoughts.
I understand what you’re saying. In a way, from what I did read, Coehlo was giving a voice to depression and how lonely that can be. But the detached voice made it hard for me to emotionally invest and I just didn’t want to keep going with it. The only reason I picked it up was because a fellow book clubber said she really connected with it.
Coelho does write beautiful prose, but this one just didn’t strike a chord.