Reading Paulo Coelho is a spiritual experience and a journey of sorts...I would start with the Alchemist because that's where he started ;) It has left such an impact in my mind that nothing compares. However, 11 Minutes was also a phenomenal book that helped me grow as an individual too. enjoy...wherever you choose to start.

Thanks for the feedback about The Winner Stands Alone... I guess I'll have to go and see for meself if I'll like this books like the ones I've read previously...
It proved just one thing: different folks of different strokes have different tastes... LOLz... :D

jzhunagev wrote: "Merima wrote: "This is one of the greatest writers of all time. I loved The Alchemist of course, but The Zahir is definitely worth of mentioning. Seems like everything he writes turns into pearls o..."

No, but I plan to read it soon :)

Sowmya wrote: "jzhunagev wrote: "Merima wrote: "This is one of the greatest writers of all time. I loved The Alchemist of course, but The Zahir is definitely worth of mentioning. Seems like everything he writes t..."

Well, what can I say, different people - different tastes :))

jzhunagev wrote: "Merima wrote: "This is one of the greatest writers of all time. I loved The Alchemist of course, but The Zahir is definitely worth of mentioning. Seems like everything he writes turns into pearls o..."

Just read it and I didn't like it as much as his other books

No, the Zahir I couldn't relate to at all. Maybe I was over the popular-writing at that time, because I liked Veronika & Alchemist & Eleven Minutes a lot.

But the Zahir I'd definitely not recommend, as nothing happens and it seems he just tries to lift on his former success... I'm not going to read anything he might write in the future, a waste of time (although it easy enough to finish any of his books within a single day).

It's not one of the greatest writers of all time. Definitely. There are far more better authors who also tie in the spiritual. For instance Bahiyyih Nakhjavani and Tolkien J R R. And those writers don't just lift on the fact that their books are so easy to read that you finish them before wondering why you bothered reading them in the first place.

Merima wrote: "This is one of the greatest writers of all time. I loved The Alchemist of course, but The Zahir is definitely worth of mentioning. Seems like everything he writes turns into pearls of wisdom."

Couldn't agree more with you. Had you read his latest? The Winner Stands Alone?

This is one of the greatest writers of all time. I loved The Alchemist of course, but The Zahir is definitely worth of mentioning. Seems like everything he writes turns into pearls of wisdom.

Sowmya wrote: "jzhunagev wrote: "But The Alchemist is a very good book to initiate one to the philosophies of Paulo Coelho..."

I hadn't read that one. Just finished it and its really good. I love st..."

I'm glad you liked it too Sowmya! Another Coelho fan on the loose...

jzhunagev wrote: "But The Alchemist is a very good book to initiate one to the philosophies of Paulo Coelho..."

I hadn't read that one. Just finished it and its really good. I love stories that have luck associated with coincidences and here there is an attempt to explain it, philosophically.

But The Alchemist is a very good book to initiate one to the philosophies of Paulo Coelho...

Lauren wrote: "Lynn wrote: "I've been wanting to read him... Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start? I was thinking Veronika Decides to Die..."

Definitely start with the alchemist, which in my opin..."

It's difficult to suggest a first book because for some, a particular PC book may just not gel. I'd say read any one and if you don't like it, don't give up on him. Read another.

Lynn wrote: "I've been wanting to read him... Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start? I was thinking Veronika Decides to Die..."

Definitely start with the alchemist, which in my opinion is his best, I think I've read about 7 of them...

Misty wrote: "Sowmya wrote: "I agree. I love his books too, however it's the ideas he puts forth rather than the writing which is so amazing."


That's exactly how I feel about him. I find myself thinking about..."

As preachy books go.. I like his style the best though, without making a pretence about it, he states his messages in an interesting way through seemingly real, interesting characters, sometimes drawing on personal experiences.

In Veronika.. for ex. as she is about to die, her emotions are so profound that she is unable to convey them in a simple suicide note .. and (not to be a spoiler) the end result is ridiculous, without meaning to be! That is such a marvellous observation; sometimes words are just not enough.And yet this is one situation where it should definitely be necessary to convey exactly what the matter is. It's the end! And oddly(or not) it's one of the reasons for her depression!

Each of his books are similarly filled with simple universal truths wrapped up neatly in a unique experience. What's unusual is that sometimes the moral precedes the story.
Since English was not the original language the books were written in (I didn't realize that when I posted the comment replied to here) the language is perhaps meant to be utilitarian, a medium to reach more readers.

Sowmya wrote: "I agree. I love his books too, however it's the ideas he puts forth rather than the writing which is so amazing."


That's exactly how I feel about him. I find myself thinking about things beyond the book, or really like some point he raises, but I never feel wowed by his writing. He has a simple style, though, that I think offsets his seriousness well, but he tends toward didacticism, which I don't love.

Rachel wrote: "I've read two books by him, Eleven Minutes and The Alchemist. I thought that Eleven Minutes was completely fascinating because it gets into the head of a prostitute, and she's not exactly your aver..."

I've got to agree with Rachel there.
I first read "The alchemist" and didn't like it at all. I realized why people liked it, but I just couldn't enjoy it.
Then I got my hands on "Elevn minutes" and I loved it. It's one of my favourites, but, I think with Paulo Coelho it's a hit or miss kind of thing. I may read a few other books of his, but I'm skeptic.
And no. I don't think he deserves the nobel prize. But that's just me.

It affected me the same way you did Alicia...

I first read The Alchemist, when I was very young. I don't think I fully appreciated it then, and since have picked up a couple of Cohelo's novels (Eleven Minute & Veronika Decides to Die). I really love his work now. It's a little strange, not your typical book. I really enjoy his books because after I read each one it really makes me think about love, life, the universe, and pretty much everything. I'm not sure if that's the effect they're supposed to have, but it's the effect they give me. To me, they just make me think a lot, so I would highly recommend them to anyone else who is feeling particularly introspective.

The first book I read was '.Witch of Portebello' and right away I was quite impressed. It was touted as non-fiction but as I was reading it I realized Coelho deserves his own Genre.
Since then I've read 'Veronica ..' and 'The Devil and Miss Prym.' all very good reads.
Now I've managed to collect almost all his English translated books into my library (except for the Alchemist) and can't wait to get to it!

I will definitely see the movie.

I have to say that I really didn't like the Alchemist. I don't really know why but Zahir was so much better than the Alchemist. I just though that there wasn't a very coherent message in the Alchemist and it was just a waste of words. My favorite of all of his books so far was the Witch of Portobello which I highly recommend. I still haven't read Veronika though which I will as soon as I find it.

I haven't read all of Coelho's works so far, but from the few that I have read, Veronika Decides to Die is my absolute favorite.

The Zahir was really hard to get into; I didn't bother finishing it. The Alchemist was alright; I wasn't wowed by it. But that was a long time ago and perhaps I need to reread again. By The River Piedra I liked. Eleven Minutes I started but didn't finish.

I loved Veronika (there's actually a movie coming out soon); I thought the message in the book resonated with how I was feeling at the time I read it. But sometimes I just feel like he's writing a message in such a convoluted way and it just gives me a headache, trying to figure out what he's trying to say. Or maybe it's just me?

Lynn, I just finished Veronica decides ... and it is really good. I would recommend it for all PC fans. He shares a bit of his own life, drawing from his own personal experience to share some uncomfortable facts of life.

I am just getting ready to read 'The Witch of Portobello', I had a hard time with the Alchemist, I am hoping this one is better.

So far I have read only 3 Coelho´s books, The Alchemist, Eleven Minutes and The Pilgrimage. The last one because I was preparing myself for my year abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain and I knew the book was about the pilgrimage (el camino) the author did. All of them were great, I am a big fan. Studying Portuguese at the moment, hoping to read some of his work in original in the future. Which one do you recommend as the best one ever?

I really liked Coehlo's deeply personal and heartfelt portrayal of a mental institution, its population, and the main character and plot twists of Veronika Decides to die which I read recently. I would highly recommend it.

I've read two books by him, Eleven Minutes and The Alchemist. I thought that Eleven Minutes was completely fascinating because it gets into the head of a prostitute, and she's not exactly your average narrator.

When I started The Alchemist I liked it, but by the end the writing got boring and the plot got predictable. It felt like I was being pounded over the head with the same idea over and over and over. After all the hype I'd heard about it, I was expecting A LOT more from it than I got. I was left pretty unsatisfied by it.

I can understand why a lot of people love his books so much, but I don't think that a popular writer is or should be the same thing as a Nobel winner.

I have read The Alchemist, one of my favourite :)
The other books are The Zahir, By The River Piedra I sat down and wept, Veronika Decides to Die, The Devil and Miss Prym.

I always like his book....coz its spiritual stories and poetic. I could felt comfort feeling when read his book.

That would be my estimation, jzhunagev. Never been able to take him seriously.

Guys, do you think that one of the possibilities that Coelho may not win a Nobel is that his novels are that simplistic and doesn't have that much literary merit in it?

I have only read two of his books but rank "The Alchemist" as one of my all-time favorites. I have also read "The Fifth Mountain", which was okay but nothing special. I agree with Sowmya that it is the idea I love, and the way it is presented, but not necessarily the writing.

Bishop wrote: "I would not consider Coelho to be a Nobel-caliber writer. If he won, I'd be very disappointed.

That's just one man's $.02...what do I know?"

Ditto that one for me, Bishop.

Bishop wrote: "I would not consider Coelho to be a Nobel-caliber writer. If he won, I'd be very disappointed.

That's just one man's $.02...what do I know?"

I agree. I love his books too, however it's the ideas he puts forth rather than the writing which is so amazing.

I think Lynn it would be great if you start with The Alchemist.

I would not consider Coelho to be a Nobel-caliber writer. If he won, I'd be very disappointed.

That's just one man's $.02...what do I know?

I've been wanting to read him... Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start? I was thinking Veronika Decides to Die...

Any Paulo Coelho fans in this group?
I'm been reading for a while now some of Coelho's internationally acclaimed books, most notable of this (and the one I truly love and liked the most is The Alchemist).
I would just like to know the opinion of those who have read some of Coelho's works, if this author deserves to win a Nobel Prize in Literature...
What's your take on this...?