The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

New York Times Bestseller

"An incredibly beautiful read." - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

How do we find the courage to be true to ourselves--even if we are unsure of who we are? A novel of daring and unconventional living by the author of The Alchemist.

The Witch of Portobello tells the story of Athena -- born in Transylvania, adopted, raised across continents -- a woman whose fierce spiritual gifts and refusal to conform made her magnetic to some and deeply threatening to others. We meet her after her death, through the voices of those who knew her: her mother, her ex-husband, her lovers, her disciples, her enemies. Each account contradicts the others. None of them, alone, tells the whole truth.

What emerges is the portrait of a woman on an uncompromising quest to understand the divine feminine -- through dance, through ritual, through the ancient traditions she sought out and embodied -- and the world's complicated response to a woman who lived that openly and that freely.

The Witch of Portobello is a transporting read that will challenge you to find the courage it takes to be true to yourself, even when -- especially when -- you're not sure who that is yet.

The life of PAULO COELHO continues to be the principal source of inspiration for his books. He's flirted with death, evaded crazy, dabbled with narcotics, endured torture, studied philosophy and religion, read voraciously, lost and rediscovered his faith, and experienced the pain and pleasure of love. He has discovered answers to the issues that everyone experiences while searching for his own place in the world. He believes that we all possess the essential strength to determine our own fate. Adultery, his most recent work, was a international bestseller.

His 1988 novel The Alchemist has sold over 65 million copies and has been hailed as an influence by Malala Yousafzai and Pharrell Williams, among others. Paulo Coelho's books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide. His work has been translated into 81 languages, making him the most widely read living author on the planet.