I love Paulo Coelho, I really do...but this, I wanted to throw against the wall. Not necessarily because it was a bad story, but because it - ugh, let me start over with this. There is a disclaimer in this edition that states something to the effect of "do not try this at home." While I appreciate the concern, it gives me some doubts as to how fictional he THINKS it is. Let me tell you that there is ZERO evidence of any kind of Goddess cult surviving for centuries blah blah. It's baloney. Now modern Paganism is a valid religion. But it is modern, not passed down through generations as this book implies. I would have accepted it as Coelho's invention if not for the disclaimer. Being of a Pagan bent myself, it pisses me off because it's misleading and scholastically irresponsible.

Nevermind the plot or the various wisdoms thrown in which are more or less the reason people read his work. Do yourself a favor and read The Witch of Portobello and skip right over Brida. It's not worth the effort.