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The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession (P.S.)
by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads author!)

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1427.The_Zahir_A_Novel_of_Obsession?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession (P.S.)" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1158211518m/1427.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1427.The_Zahir_A_Novel_of_Obsession?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/566.Paulo_Coelho">Paulo Coelho</a><br/><br/>
  <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4854974?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
  rating: 4 of 5 stars<br/>This book gave me a lot to think about.  I found it a little bit "Sohpie's Choice" in that Paul Coelho uses his characters as mouthpieces for ideas and visions.  As characters, they are not altogether believable: when they speak, the dialogue is less important than the master vision the author is trying to convey.  Some of these overarching visions he has for the way people should live in the world were hard to grasp because they are not as accessible to the Western mind... I will have to read this book again to really digest the message.  The idea of forgetting one's personal past- and by forgetting it through reciting it- doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  But some of the messages of letting go and not being afraid of emptiness and seeing the Godliness in those empty spaces did find resonance with me, at least in the recognition of what a poetic concept it is.  This book shows an unrealistic suggestion of how we could live.  I did enjoy the author's claim that obsessively focusing on a goal makes you blind to the signs around you pointing you in the true direction of happiness.  I think in actuality, when you focus so completely on something it becomes a personal excuse for not living the rest of your life and paying attention to the other relationships you could be cultivating- as occurs with the protagonist and his girlfriend Marie.  I'm not sure i buy the "signs" concept, but this forray into the mysterious and the magical was more of a side note on Coelho's part for this novel.  His vision for the way we should live could make us happier, or give us greater understanding, but really it seems that living in the open way the author alludes to would just undermine the foundations of society.  Then again, his point is that this is just what we need.  All in all I thought the book was fascinating and unlike most novels you'll pick up at the airport, which is how I discovered the Zahir.  
  <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/252254?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Jenn's review
rating:
recommended for: philosphers and lovers

This book gave me a lot to think about. I found it a little bit "Sohpie's Choice" in that Paul Coelho uses his characters as mouthpieces for ideas and visions. As characters, they are not altogether believable: when they speak, the dialogue is less important than the master vision the author is trying to convey. Some of these overarching visions he has for the way people should live in the world were hard to grasp because they are not as accessible to the Western mind... I will have to read this book again to really digest the message. The idea of forgetting one's personal past- and by forgetting it through reciting it- doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But some of the messages of letting go and not being afraid of emptiness and seeing the Godliness in those empty spaces did find resonance with me, at least in the recognition of what a poetic concept it is. This book shows an unrealistic suggestion of how we could live. I did enjoy the author's claim that obsessively ...more

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