الزانية

by Paulo Coelho, باولو كويلو

تعي ليندا تمامًا أن حياتها مثالية. تشغل وظيفة رائعة، ولها زوجٌ وسيمٌ متيّمٌ بها وطفلان جميلان. تثير رغبة الرجال وحسد النساء. لكن على الرغم من هذا، يلفّها ضجرٌ لا يوصف، وتشعر أنها على شفير الهاويةّ.

فجأةً، ووسطَ كل هذا الضياع والضجيج، يعترض حياتها حبيبها السابق، وقد أصبح سياسياً مرموقاً. فتخوض معه تجربةً حميمةً وغريبةً، مُجسِّدةً ما كانت تحرّمه حتى مع زوجها؛ تجربة تقلب المعادلات المألوفة، وتقودها إلى عالمٍ آخر. وبلمسة ساحرٍ تعيد الأمور إلى موقعها الصحيح.

تنتفض، وبشجاعة فائقة تواجه ما ارتكبته، لتكتشف في النهاية أن "الحب يجترح المعجزات، ويغيّر معالم الأرض والروح".

فما هو الحبّ الحقيقي؟ وما هي السعادة؟ وهل يتحوَّل الضمير جلّادًاً؟ أسئلة كثيرة تطرحها ليندا بطلة رواية پاولو كويلو الجديدة "الزانية"، تاركةً لنا عناء اكتشاف أجوبتها.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Novels, Contemporary, Philosophy, Audiobook, Literature

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

The Brazilian author PAULO COELHO was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his life completely to literature, he worked as theatre director and actor, lyricist and journalist. In 1986, PAULO COELHO did the pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella, an experience later to be documented in his book The Pilgrimage. In the following year, COELHO published The Alchemist. Slow initial sales convinced his first publisher to drop the novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books of all time. Other titles include Brida (1990), The Valkyries (1992), By the river Piedra I sat Down and Wept (1994), the collection of his best columns published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo entitle Maktub (1994), the compilation of texts Phrases (1995), The Fifth Mountain (1996), Manual of a Warrior of Light (1997), Veronika decides to die (1998), The Devil and Miss Prym (2000), the compilation of traditional tales in Stories for parents, children and grandchildren (2001), Eleven Minutes (2003), The Zahir (2005), The Witch of Portobello (2006) and Winner Stands Alone (to be released in 2009). During the months of March, April, May and June 2006, Paulo Coelho traveled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella in 1986. He also held surprise book signings - announced one day in advance - in some cities along the way, to have a chance to meet his readers. In ninety days of pilgrimage the author traveled around the globe and took the famous Transiberrian train that took him to Vladivostok. During this experience Paulo Coelho launched his blog Walking the Path - The Pilgrimage in order to share with his readers his impressions. Since this first blog Paulo Coelho has expanded his presence in the internet with his daily blogs in Wordpress, Myspace & Facebook. He is equally present in media sharing sites such as Youtube and Flickr, offering on a regular basis not only texts but also videos and pictures to his readers. From this intensive interest and use of the Internet sprang his bold new project: The Experimental Witch where he invites his readers to adapt to the screen his book The Witch of Portobello. Indeed Paulo Coelho is a firm believer of Internet as a new media and is the first Best-selling author to actively support online free distribution of his work.

Reviews

[Agi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Waste of time.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
It is not a story about love. It's a story about adrenaline rush and how bit of excitement and doing something different and new with your husband can save your marriage.
Spoiler alert!
Its a story of egoistic and bored woman who has everything- money, lovely kids, bit dull but understanding and loving husband, respectable job. But she is not happy... Kinda depressed, or maybe not really, she is not sure herself. So she goes off and give this ex boyfriend of hers a blowjob on a whim, after interviewing him (oh, he is respectable politician). This was first moment I thought "WTF?" I would believe her behavior, if there would be dinner and bit of wine involved, spark or something. But just like that, ah, just unzip it and there you go!
And then another weird sex fantasy of mister Coelho- she meets him again in some hotel, dreaming about great sex and all she gets is animal anal sex. Worse- she doesn't like it, feels bad after, and yet she has those romantic ideas in her head, that she is falling in love with him! So, while humiliated, treated like free ride, she goes crazy, texting him, stalking and plotting this absolutely ridiculous plan to get rid of his wife, so she could have him all for herself.
Yeah, but then, she loves her husband. Oh wait, she loves this other guy. Oh wait, she doesn't love this guy, she just want him, it's lust. Oh no, wait, she loves him... And so on.
And then she jump off the cliff on parachute with her hubby, gets this adrenaline rush, catharsis, all good again. Blah...
So- book is very uneven. Nice start, thought it will be a nice journey of bored and unhappy woman to find her inner happiness and purpose of life, with some cheating and sex involved. Very wrong. Coelho is mentioning vaguely something about God, but I'm not even sure why. Then he is mentioning stories for kids, but the way he did it is like our happiness should be delivered by this prince we are waiting for, who never shows up. Like our happiness is depended on someone else, like someone else should make us happy. My thoughts? This woman needs a good slap in the head, a hobby, or voluntary work for poor, a purpose. And adrenaline rush- bungee jumping, mountain climbing, some activity (well, she even felt better after a simple run around a lake:).
This book was a huge let down. Pointless book about nothing really. Cos sure as hell it's not about love.

[Zulma Mayor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so, if you are going to write a review about a book... At least know how to spell!
I don't appreciate the fact that some people take it up to themselves to write a review about a book and give away what the story is about and how it ends.
I think instead, it would be better if you just say it wasn't what you expected and that's it!
Don't ruin it for others please!!!

[Ebony · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like Adultery. I thought I would. I read Paul Coelho. I write about adultery. How could this go awry? Well, it started with the main character. I didn’t like her. I didn’t get her. I didn’t know her. In all of my interviews with women about infidelity, in all my years being a woman, in all my years of having woman friends, I simply did not understand her. It was part nationality, part class, part life circumstance, but mostly it was a woman having an affair as told through the perspective of a man. And I’m not saying that Coelho cannot or should not write about women’s experiences. The Witch of Portobello was one of my favorite books. But Linda was so much of a mess in his eyes. She was a stereotypical, “I found myself obsessing about this asshole and I cannot distinguish love from lust because I cannot distinguish anything in my life because I am a hapless woman in need of antidepressants and one partner who fulfills all my needs because I don’t have friends or my own interests or the ability to imagine life outside of society’s prescriptions.” Seriously. I don’t know any women like this. The religious moralizing was so heavy handed and out of nowhere because the protagonist admits to not being religious. And the random shaman’s evolutionary biology perspective on infidelity removes all agency for women who have affairs and absolves men who are just doing what biology determines when they have affairs. The part of the book that isn’t about adultery, the part of the book that’s about life malaise was also unconvincing but that might be because I’m not rich and I’ve never been in a position to be unhappy about having everything I’ve ever wanted. Maybe this is one of those the grass is always greener when there’s a fence, but I was hoping for something nuanced, something that made me want to rethink my thoughts about life like many of Coelho’s other books have done for me. This book failed to offer me anything new or interesting. I was disappointed. I’ve love to get my money back.

[Amira Mahmoud · Rating 3 out of 5]

لا أبالي ولو مقدار ذرة أن أكون سعيدًا، أفضل أن أعيش حياتي بشغف وهذا خطير لأنك لا تعلمين البتة ما قد يحدث تاليًا

أكثر ما قد يُرعبنا في الحياة، هو أن نقف عند اللحظة التي نجد فيها أن حياتنا ليس لها أي معنى
لا تُزيد للدنيا شيء، أنت فقط ولدت، تتعلم، تعمل، تتزوج، تُنجب
دائرة مفرغة، مستقبل مرسوم مسبقًا
طريق سبقك إليه الكثيرين وعليك السير فيه
أين المغامرة، المخاطرة، الشغف، الهدف
أين كُلّ تلك الأشياء التي تُعطي لحياتك معنى، وتجعل لوجودك سبب ما؟
أين تلك البصمة التي تتركها للعالم؟ أين تأثيرك فيه؟
تأتي وترحل، مرور الكرام

الرواية عن تلك المرأة التي لديها كُلّ شيء
أو بالأحرى حققت كُلّ شيء (معتاد)، النجاح في العمل- الزوج المثالي- الأولاد المثاليين، ماذا بعد؟
لا شيء، هي هنا حققت كُلّ ما يحققه البشر في حياتهم، العمل والتكاثر
من هنا تبدأ حالاتها النفسية تسوء، تبدأ في النبش عن شيء يُعطي لحياتها هدف
تسعى إلى التخطيط له والوصول إليه، تسعى إلى المغامرة والمخاطرة
حتى أنها تخاطر بأكثر الأشياء قيمة لديها وهي العائلة
حتى إنها تخاطر لأجل شيء لا قيمة له؛ حبيب سابق، ثم السعي وراء تدمير زوجته.
لتكتشف في النهاية أن كُلّ ما كان ينقص حياتها هو الحب
حب كُلّ شيء حولها والنظر إليه بحب أكبر وبشغف أكثر

تعلّموا أن تحبّوا بشكل أفضل، حريّ بنا أن يكون هدفنا في العالم: أن نتعلم أن نحب. تقدم إلينا الحياة آلاف الفرص للتعلّم، يملك كُلّ رجل وكُلّ امرأة في كُلّ يوم من حياتنا فرصة مواتية دومًا للاستسلام للحب
ليست الحياة إجازة طويلة، بل مسيرة تعلُّم متواصل.
والدرس الأهم هو أنّ نتعلّم أن نحبّ.

رواية كبيرة الحجم، كان من الممكن اختصار أحداثها
أعجبني فيها كثير من الاقتباسات، تلك التي كان يقوم فيها كويلو بالتفلسف على لسان بطلته
ثاني تجربة لي مع الكاتب بعد روايته الأشهر الخيميائي
كُنت وطنّت نفسي على توقعات شديدة السوء بشأن تلك الرواية
لكنها تجربة لا بأس بها مع صاحب الخيميائي

تمّت

[Cris · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of an existential crisis peppered with porn and religious preaching and ending with a trite conclusion. Not what I expected from Coelho.

[Bea · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you have negative IQ, this is the book for you.

Full review available on Bozhidara's Book Corner

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say this is a book about a woman committing adultery is to miss the whole point of the story I feel. Linda lives in Switzerland with her husband and two children - none of whom are ever named. She has a good life, and an interesting job as a journalist and as a family they are financially secure with domestic staff to look after the children and do the housework. Who could want anything more from life?

But Linda is restless and bored. It would be all too easy to dismiss Linda as shallow but she is far more than that. I'm sure many readers will put the book down in disgust saying she should count her blessings and no one could want more in life. Things are not as simple as that. Linda feels she is plodding along from day to day with nothing exciting in her life - everything is just dull. She wonders if she is depressed but she doesn't think she is. She wonders whether she needs to see a psychiatrist but doesn't think that will work either.

It must be difficult to empathise with Linda unless you yourself have felt that sort of restlessness. I have felt it and it resulted in me turning my life upside down and doing some things which maybe were not a good idea though they seemed the only right thing to do at the time. What lesson you take from this strangely absorbing book - because there are lessons to be learned from it even if your life in no way resembles Linda's - are always going to be personal. But what I think is important is to not let yourself slip into a rut because if you get in too deep then the only way out is going to be to upend your life and those of the people you love.

This is a book which needs the reader to do some hard thinking about their own lives and to be aware that restlessness and boredom can lead to constructive change or it can lead to destruction. Everyone has their own agenda and if you're using them they may equally be using you. Thoughtful and thought provoking - this book may well repay a second or third reading. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

[Faouzia · Rating 1 out of 5]

i did not like at all!! i am disappointed at him!!
Spoiler: I really wanted her to commit suicide at the end, or at least take an overdose of the drugs she bought!!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good friend of mine kept posting quotes from “Adultery” on Facebook, and he highly recommended this book to me. I think this was a test of our bond because, after this read, I would have violently chucked the book at him! As much as I love him, I’ll now take his book recommendations with a grain of salt. I do not belittle Paulo Coelho’s achievements, but he just sinks this novel deeper and deeper into the mud and left it there.

The story revolves around Linda, a 30-something wife of one of the richest men in Switzerland. Her main problem, it seems, is that... she doesn’t have any problems! She is the mother of two children, her husband adores her, she has a great career -- and is such an epitome of awesomeness, that she
“arouses desire in men and envy in women".
But she still hates pretty much every aspect of her existence and finds herself struggling with boredom due to a lack of passion and adventure. To eliminate the predictability of her comfortable routine, she decides to replace her missing joy by having an affair with a former high school boyfriend, Jacob, now a prominent politician running for office. Their paths cross when she has to interview him for an article. Nostalgia hits, lust takes hold, and she sets out on a road that might have life-altering consequences.

You might think it’s these consequences that frame the narrative, but the book never delivers the kind of repercussions that would seem realistic or create the necessary tension to keep the story interesting --nor does it explain why I am supposed to give a hoot about its heroine, a woman who comes off as repulsively self-absorbed and shallow. Linda’s introspection and soul-searching read more like narcissistic ramblings as she tries to justify her actions through the topics of love, depression, joy, self-fulfillment and life in Geneva, while making references to (better) works of literature. The literary allusions and side stories are actually the only things I liked about this book.

Perhaps Linda’s actions and choices would have made more sense if I was given a chance to get acquainted with some of the people around her, but that doesn’t really happen. I find out the bare minimum about her husband, and next to nothing about her children. The only supporting character who is fleshed out is Jacob, but he comes off even worse than she does. A womanizer who has apparently had a string of affairs despite being married to an amazing woman. He just seems like a person who doesn’t have a meaningful connection with anyone.

Why is Linda attracted to Jacob? What exactly is she feeling? And what is she actually going through? She herself isn’t sure, and keeps questioning her own thoughts, troubles, and motives for the entirety of the novel. Meanwhile, there isn’t enough character development or even a strong, convincing arc that would make her a compelling individual. For most of the novel, as the events limply unfold, the heroine doesn’t seem to come out any wiser. When her eventual moment of epiphany does arrive, it feels tedious and overdone. By the novel’s end, I have already slipped into a depressed state similar to Linda’s.

“Adultery” should be shunned just like the act it’s named for, because the book is best exemplified by the darkness it leaves behind. There’s no fulfillment here, no inspiration --just existential whining in the modern world.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe this is written by the same man who wrote one of my favorite novels. Utterly shocking and incredibly disappointing. I read the entire book, because I was waiting for it to get good, but it never happened. Don't waste time, or money on this sell out.

[Ecaterina Leonte · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have rated it ZERO stars it that were possible. Don't waste your time reading this crap, it's not worth it. Glad I didn't waste my money as well, in you're curious just borrow it from someone.

[Sidrah Anum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever life brings me a lot of problems and I am not able to find solution in any of the books I am reading at that specific point, I go directly to read any of Paulo Coelho's books. This book was on my to-read list but I wasn't sure by the name of it, if it could be of some help to me in any way or not. Well, none of my current reads was able to captivate me yesterday, I decided to read some book with less pages and more lesson and trusting Coelho with it, I just picked it up.
And well, this book had more to offer than I could expect. This book doesn't burden your mind and still teaches you a lot.
There's an equal portion of dark and light in a person. And what makes him good or bad isn't the ratio of the dark or light inside him but the amount of control he has over the respective parts. For control, we are provided with mind as a rational part. But to counter that rationality, we are given an equally potent competitor; the heart with it's desires. Many a times, we manage to keep our devils under control. But when encountered with a situation, where the stimulus to provoke our demons is beyond that we could handle, what would one do?? Go with the flow of it or try to counter it? Either way, is it possible to come out safe at the end of it? Can tactic and logic always save you? Should you control it? Or CAN you even control it?
Well, we learn that in this book. How a simple married woman loses all her control, how she gains it back, what was needed to keep her in check, what she looses in the entire process, what she learns and most importantly what love truly is!
I liked this book as the author takes us on a twisted journey of a simple woman with so many lessons to learn.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addition 4/20/2015 To authors or publishers looking for a review - I don't consider Adultery to be erotica. Although the book has a few graphic sexual situations in it, it's not, in my opinion, written with the intent to be erotica or written explicitly to excite sexual natures through reading. Although I'd be glad to give an honest review, I'm not an avid reader of erotica, so I may not be the best person to ask.

Addition 2/2015: This book is a lesson in feminism! A lesson that great books can be written about an ungracious and unpleasant woman. Although I can't say I'm amazed by all the negative comments that this book has taken, I wholeheartedly loved it. I believe many people were upset that the main character was devastatingly shallow and unlikable. Many people may react to this and take it out on the book. Don't make that mistake. She was shallow and unlikable in some ways, and this is what truly makes the book a gem. There are so few great books about REAL women with real flaws. The main character is not a simplistic, nice wife, as so many people expect married woman to be. Married women are expected to be wholesome, kind and wonderfully faithful. Realistically, they're just people, and that's what had so many people claiming the book is shallow. It's not, it's not!
Original review 9/2014:
I will guess that a person who has not withstood and lived through a life-altering event, will never understand this book and will probably not like it. Although I am a generally happy person, and have never suffered with significant depression, this book did touch the occasionally depressed person in me, and also a bit of my adventurous spirit. Don't misunderstand me, this book is not at all in the adventure genre, but it does invoke lots of soul-searching. I also suspect that my own age has something to do with my liking this book. I definitely would not have liked this book in my 20's and possibly not in my 30's, because at that point, I hadn't experienced hardships in the same way I have now. I am not a person who would describe herself as spiritual, but I enjoyed the spiritual components of the story. A person who hasn't experienced intense soul-searching at some point would most likely not enjoy this type of writing. In fact, I will recommend that if you haven't had a life-altering experience, don't read this book until you do.

Attention: The comments below may have vague spoilers in them.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to read a new genre by Paulo Coelho which falls more into literary fiction. As with most of the writers who get famous for a particular genre, readers who are familiar with his earlier works are quick to dismiss and criticize a book where they were expecting a different outcome.

In this story, Coelho shows the monster, that which resides in each of us, coming up with revenge. Through the life of the main character, feelings of dissatisfaction and inadequacy come to surface - if her life is so perfect, why is she so unhappy? Is it because, deep down, she felt there must be something else to all that sense of the perfect life she was living? Letting the monster come out is something forbidden, horrible, and dirty. But through the monster, she returns back from the forbidden adventure as a stronger woman, a better person, a renewed soul.

I read this book in the original native language version (Brazilian Portuguese) and found it a refreshing take from some of Coelho's earlier books. Delving deep into the psyche of a woman whose marriage was routine, he was able to conjure up an interesting tale of redeemed love.

[Bijay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uggh! platitudes, platitudes everywhere…nor very original thing to read (sorry Mr. Coleridge ! but hey there are many good lines for seemingly deep and feel-good but very out-of-context platitudes deduced from scriptures and evolutionary science and whatnots for sharing in facebook; just superimpose them over beautiful pictures that can be easily obtained from google images and voila!). Anyways, the book reads like a diary collection of author’s one-liners and, philosophical and quotable views on love, marriage, depression, passion and romantic ideals, on which he later plastered a plot-less story of bored, egoistical and self-absorbed woman with mid-life and existential crisis (?). The book is chockfull of wallowing internal monologues, some utterly (I like this word) un-erotic porn, some preachy clichés, unrealistic conversations but without the author’s usual lyrical and eloquent prose. What a disappointment from the author of “Veronika decides to die”, “Eleven minutes” and “ The alchemist”.

[Ramzy Alhg · Rating 2 out of 5]

مشكلة الإنسان الدائمة والمتكررة هي الرتابة والملل التي توقعه في شر أعماله ، الألاعيب السياسية والصحفية ، الجنس والمجون ، الشغف والحب والسعادة ، الشقاء والعدالة ، وغيرها الكثير من المواضيع التي تطرّق لها كويلو في هذه الرواية التي جعل من نفسه واعظاً و داعياً فيها.
 
بطلة الرواية روح ضالة صحفيّة مرموقة تمتلك كل مقومات الحياة المريحة والعائلة السعيدة ، تشعر أن روحها بائسة ، يُتعبها الروتين اليومي للحياة ورتابتها ، تنقلب حياتها رأساً على عقب على إثر لقاء صحافي مع أحد الأدباء يتطرّق في حديثه الى الشغف الذي يجب على المرء أن يتمتع به ليمتلك القدرة على تغيّر حياته ، ومن هنا يولم عود الكبيريت نار كبيرة.
 
سطوة الغريزة الجنسية وجنونها الممزوج بالمجون يُسيّطر على بطلة الرواية ، حيث تلتقي حبيبها السابق الذي اصبح أحد أبرز السياسين السويسريّن ، لتتحكم بها الغرائز وتجعلها تسلك الدروب التي لم تكن ترتضيها مسبقاً في الأحوال العادية ، لتقع فريسة رغباتها الجنسيّة المجنونة ومجونها اللامحدود في ممارسة الجنس معه ، مما يؤدي الى اشتعال مشاعرها غيرة من زوجته ومحاولتها وتفكيرها في توريطها في قضية مخدرات حتى تتخلص من هذا الخصم العنيد.
 
كل ذلك وهي تبرّر لنفسها أنها ستجد السعادة المفقودة في حياتها لتُعيد لها التوازن وتكسر تلك الرتابة والروتين الممل الذي يعشعش في حياتها.
 
بعد ذلك تعود الى أسرتها منتهية من استراق تلك المتعة المحرّمة ، لتقرر بدء حياتها من جديد ، وتدرك أنها كانت ستنسف بنيان حياتها وأسرتها في سبيل إرضاء تلك الرغبة المجنونة.
 
لعل عنوان الرواية مستفز وتدعوك منذ البداية لتكره تلك الشخصيات المقبلة على هذه الأفعال الخبيثة.

الرواية لغتها ماجنة قذرة في بعض السطور ، اعتقد أنها مزيجا من رواياته احدى عشر دقيقة ، و عاهراتي الحزينات ، وبريدا.

يختم كويلو روايته ، بمحاضرة مكتوية ممتلئة بالوعظ والإرشاد والنصح اللطيف ، لكنها بالمجمل لم ترق لي.
 

[Harun Ahmed · Rating 2 out of 5]

বইয়ের শুরুটা ভালোই ছিলো। হঠাৎ দেখা গেলো কোয়েলহোর সফট পর্নোগ্রাফি লেখার শখ হইসে।ভালো কথা! কিন্তু উপযুক্ত পরিবেশ সৃষ্টি না কইরা, যথাযথ প্রক্রিয়ার মধ্য দিয়ে না যায়া জীবনের সব সমস্যা জোর কইরা "ইতিবাচক মানসিকতা" দিয়ে মুহূর্তেই দূর কইরা ফেলা যায় এমন আজগুবি (এলাকায় ভাষায় "গাজুরি" বা গায়ের জোরে সমাধান) মেনে নেওয়া সম্ভব না। চাইলাম আর সবকিছু হয়ে গেলো; জীবনটা এতো সহজ না, ব্রাদার!

[Prity Malhotra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adultery is Paulo Coelho's most Intimidating work so far.

I have read some Negative Reviews about this Book. However I think people hate this Book for its Main Character Linda who has PErfect Life, Perfect Husband, Good Career yet commits Adultery to bring some Excitement in her Life. But is it customary for every writer to have a Self-Righteous Lead Character ? Anyways, moving on, this Book talks about a Topic so Raw that most Women would deny even the Existence of such Emotions as potrayed in this Book.It talks about Life of Married Couples, how every day of their life is Same, how Sex which once was Passionate becomes a Duty, It states reasons why Couples engage in Extra-Martial affairs etc etc. Loved the way Author Paulo Coelho dives in the Soul of the Characters of this Book, strips them Naked of Emotions & presents you the very Core of their Existence. The only thing the author begs you to give to this Book is Time. You can only enjoy this Book if you keep devouring each line slowly enough, keeping aside your prejudices. I will Recommend this Book to Every Married Couple !!

[Saadia B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bullshit story of Adultery, which had no basis, no storyline, no thrill, just rambles. Do not recommend it to anyone.

Linda is a journalist while her husband owns a large investment fund in Geneva. They have two children, live in a huge house, basically rich enough to enjoy everything in life. She is bored from her routine but doesn't seem to do anything about it either.

Cheats her husband with Jacob, a politician out of boredom. Later confessed after Jacob insulted her and went on a holiday to set everything.

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[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed “The Alchemist” so much that I looked forward to Coelho’s new novel. What a disappointment. First, the protagonist is beyond unlikeable. Generally, when a character is well developed, the reader sees redeeming characteristics to make a despicable character “human” in their despicableness. I felt Coelho didn’t put much effort is his character development in this story. Adultery is ghastly, and this novel furthers that definition. It’s a dark and ugly story. Would I recommend this novel to even the most avid reader? No. Why did I finish this novel? Stuck on a plane with nothing else to read. Note to self: always bring an alternative book during transportation.

[عماد العتيلي · Rating 2 out of 5]


Well, I think that I liked and hated this book!
It's not awesome. It's not GREAT. It's just good ... and bad!!
There are so many things that I didn't like, and there are things that I really liked.



What I liked is the idea of redemption. Everyone of us deserve a second chance. We're neither Angels nor demons. We're humans, and being a human means being a sinner.

What I didn't like (pretty much hated actually!!!):
1. Spending so many pages talking about other books and providing us with their plot summaries! Such as Frankenstein.
2. Writing an entire book (more than 200 pages) to deliver a very simple message, which could've been delivered in one chapter or even less!

I felt that the last chapter is the most important chapter. It's the chapter that conveys the whole idea. All of the previous chapters seemed a waste of ink and paper to me! That's why I felt that Paulo was probably aiming, not for adding a genuine work of literature to the world's library, but, unfortunately, for MONEY by publishing this book!

[Nadhir Mindfreak · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing this book, i've decided that i'll never follow Goodreads's reviews anymore. This book is a marvelous experience, full of feelings and love. People should give it more than five stars. And please do not judge books based on the reviews. Give it a try you may like what others don't.

[Emma Sandberg Ahmadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the book

"Adultery" follows the narrator Linda. A Swiss women in her thirties, married with three children, who appears to be suffering from a quarter life crisis. As she questions her everyday life and the world and asks "is this it?" she starts to look for something to shake up her world a little. This leads to her starting an affair with a politician.

Pros

I've been a fan of Paulo Coelho's for many years. What I especially enjoy is the modern fairy tale feel his novels have thanks to his beautiful language, even when they're set in a modern urban world. "Adultery" is not an exception.

It starts off energetic, as Linda introduces herself and her world to the reader. I felt immediately drawn in. Coelho paints a vivid picture of her life, and I felt as if I knew her. He also shows me the perfect example of when the main character doesn't necessarily need to be likable to win my sympathy. Although she may came off as sarcastic and negative—which is obviously a result of her crisis—I sympathized with her struggle. While on a conscious level, one might say "what are you complaining about, get a grip" I never for one second felt that way. Things she was "complaining" about may have seemed trivial had they not been explored properly. But her internal struggle was indeed written in such a way that I felt nothing but compassion.

As far as the other three important characters go, they felt round and real (although the husband is always referred to as "my husband" and Linda's name is expressed twice the entire novel). I was also wondering why we didn't see more of her children, as this would have given me a greater sense of what she sacrificed when she decide to have an affair. But this was nothing that bothered me.

Coelho paints a vivid picture of Geneva as well, just like he did with the sexual scenes. Nothing is sugar-coated, and many people would blush reading certain parts of this novel on the subway. He took no shortcuts and it felt real.

Cons

I always know when picking up a Paulo Coelho novel, that it's not going to be just a story. It'll force me to think and many times my eyes are opened up to new views. However, there is a fine line between a self-help book and a novel which incorporates philosophical views. Unfortunately I don't feel that Coelho found a smooth way to share his views this time. At times there were long, preachy internal monologues by Linda and the dialogues between the characters did not sound natrual. The characters seemed more like puppets reading rehearsed lines set up to make it easier for the author to convey his point of view. Some of these ideas also sounded farfetched and at times they were even redundant, when the same views were repeated several times in different metaphors.

The only thing I would complain about in terms of the main character was the generalizing about people in general. Because she was the narrator, I found myself blaming her when she expressed opinions about us humans as if we are all the same, assuming that we all reacted the same way to the same situations, and that we all shared her opinions and feelings about certain things. I wanted to read about her and how she perceived the world—not for her to tell me how the world is. This, in combination with the issues mentioned above, gave it a slightly preachy feel.

Perhaps Coelho's novels have always been like this and that this is what you're looking for when you seek his work. It's been a few years since I last read any of his other novels, so I honestly can't recall.

Conclusion

The title doesn't do the novel justice. It's about so much more than adultery. The adultery is just a result of what this woman is going through, and the novel is about so much more than that. Although my experience this time wasn't as great as reading Coelho's other novels, I would still recommend this book as a valuable read. And I do appreciate his beautiful language, that I am willing to forgive the preachiness.

[Cher 'N Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star - I really hated it.

Once upon a time, a ludicrous married woman with children feels she is bored by being so happy and her life being so perfect (she actually says this). So, to cure herself of this dreadful happiness she begins to randomly have slutty interactions (the author's words, not mine) with other men. Then one New Year's Eve, this vapid, nonsensical character has a sudden epiphany and moment of transcendence in which she discovers the meaning of life and the answer to all of the other age old "big questions".

The conclusion was trite and written in a corny way, sounding like out of place new age fluff, in stark contrast to the salacious drama that is the rest of the novel. To say there was failure to relate would be a massive understatement.

In case you have a completely different literary taste than myself, allow me to share a few snippets of this author's work that are examples of why it was drudgery for me to read it:

My heart! Before I saw a gigantic universe around me; and now the universe seems like a little dot within my heart that has infinitely expanded, like space. An instrument. A blessing. My mind struggles to maintain control and explain at least something that I’m feeling, but the power is stronger. Power. The feeling of Eternity gives me a mysterious feeling of power. I can do anything, even end world suffering. I am flying and talking with the angels, hearing voices and revelations that will soon be forgotten, but that, at this moment, are as real as the eagle before me.

Love. My eyes well up with tears of joy. No one can force himself to love, nor can he force another person. All you can do is look at Love, fall in love with Love, and imitate it.

Men cheat because it’s in their genetic code. A woman does it because she doesn’t have enough dignity.

We should live each and every day with the certainty that this armor will protect us from danger, and then we will no longer be bound to the duality of existence. We have to find a middle path, where there is neither joy nor suffering, only profound peace.

The author did a very poor job of getting inside of a woman's head as this was an extremely unconvincing novel that failed to provoke emotion or engagement from the reader. This was the second novel I have read by this over-hyped author after reading and also not being impressed by The Alchemist. I will not waste time reading a third.
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Favorite Quote: N/A

First Sentence: Every morning, when I open my eyes to the so-called “new day,” I feel like closing them again, staying in bed, and not getting up.

[Taghreed Jamal El Deen · Rating 1 out of 5]

يبدو أن كويلو وضع كل قدراته الروائية في رائعته الخيميائي ولم يبقَ لديه ما يقدّمه ..
نعم هناك رسالة ، لكن القالب الروائي الذي حاول حشرها ضمنه فاشل جدا !
نجمة واحدة للاقتباسات والرسائل الجميلة فقط
أعتقد أنه سيمضي وقت طويل قبل أن أفكر في القراءة لكويلو مجددا

[Rana Abid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Done ❤️❤️❤️
(Learn to love better.
This should be out goal in the world: learn to love.
Life offers us thousands of opportunities for learning.
Every man and every woman, in every day of our lives, always has a good opportunity to surrender to love. Life is not a long vacation, but a constant learning process.)

a novel of a lucky woman, she has everything, wealthy man, kids, and respected work, but instead of being happy she feels disappointed and sad.
she realized that she is not happy after she meet her ex-boyfriend from the high-school, and the journey of adventure started.
We can't live our life without love, care, feelings and someone around us pats out shoulders and tells us everything is ok, i am here, love u and care about u.

But, we can't cheat our husbands and waifs, we can't throw years of marriage in the air just for desire, i still wonder how people, married people, can do this.

I believe in our needing for care and feeling safe, for get out out loneliness and being something for someone, but as we use heart for love we must use brain for balancing and judging on our choices. Love is a decision, love is a commitment, love is a choice.

(Can you train yourself to love the right man? Of course you can. The problem is forgetting about the wrong man, the one passing by who came in a door that was left open without asking permission.)
Start with a man who asked for permission not the man who took advantages of your loneliness and needing for warm arms and true feelings.
When it is refers to love, walk toward it with open eyes and clear mind , when you find your (one), your heart will have wings like butterflies, your eyes will spark like light, your brain will be clear like summer night and your fear will disappear like magic, if only you find the true love.

Until this day, the day you will find the love of you live, love yourself, your friends, your enemies, love the universe and love everything can draw your smile.

The above is what i learned from this novel :) i love it ❤️

[Shaimaa Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the Alchemist lost his Charming Powers!

[يامي أحمد · Rating 2 out of 5]

الرواية سيء نوعًا ما تكرار الموضوع ومشاعرها بصيغ مختلفة كان سيء،
يمكن اختصار أحداث الرواية في 20 صفحة دون أدنى تشويه للحبكة

[Aditi · Rating 1 out of 5]

“To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles.”

----T.F. Hodge


Paulo Coelho, the international bestselling author, has penned a compelling tale of love and infidelity mixed with the good ol' Coelho style of philosophy in his book, Adultery. This story is centered around a married woman who is lucky enough to have a good, rich and loving husband and two beautiful kids and a grand house, yet she still longs for some drama in her marriage to be specific, she needs excitement in her life as well as in her marriage.


Synopsis:

The thought-provoking new novel from the international bestselling author whose words change lives.

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...

Adultery, the provocative new novel by Paulo Coelho, best-selling author of The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes, explores the question of what it means to live life fully and happily, finding the balance between life's routine and the desire for something new.


If Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James was a book to give wet dreams to the bored housewives, then Adultery by Paulo Coelho is the book that put those wet dreams of the bored housewives into motion, to be specific, giving them wings and making them real! So if you want to see those weird fantasies in your life, then do not forget to pick up a copy of Adultery.

Although the author here diligently enlightens his readers to follow the footsteps of the protagonist, Linda, who infidel-ed her way to excitement in her marriage. Well from now, I shall not expect anything from my favorite authors. I mean this was the author who first intrigued me with the word "philosophy" and "faith" when I was in Grade 8 through his debut phenomenal book, The Alchemist. And today, 11 years later, I'm so ashamed of myself that I once found solace and meaning in the words of this author. If every author wants to follow the footsteps of E.L.James, then there won't be any more good authors left on this planet. Let's just say, Adultery was a softer and a decent version of Fifty Shades of Grey, the former being a bit more from the philosophical or religious in its approach.

There is nothing in this story to hold on to. I mean it is not the right way to bring excitement or happiness in one's marriage that has lost its charm, by cheating on your spouse! OMG! Disgrace!
This book is on my TBR since 2014, and due to the book reviews of other readers, it made me to shove the book further down the TBR pile, but now its time to clear my list and hence I had to read this pathetic book. Thank god, I did not buy this book, as it was gifted to me by my friend, anyways, I can't say "NO" to books when it comes to gifts!

The writing is the Coelho style, emphatic yet thoughtful. The pacing as well as narration, both, are perfect for the story. What bothers me is the story, rather say the content, and this is where I'm failing to put words to my feelings that this book must be skipped by each and everyone, even the ones who loves to read erotica. The message of the book is loud and clear, CHEAT YOUR SPOUSE openly and shamelessly.

The author makes the carnal desires of a woman so religious and sacred. Can't believe this! Yes I agree with the author's words that Love is an art but I can not agree on this fact that you need to sleep with someone else to make your love with your spouse artsy! But anyhow, various people can have various opinion on this fact, and I think it is logically not correct. And if you have some conscience, then you will not hurt your loved ones just to make the relationship exciting!

This book disappointed me completely! I do not hate t, but I just don't like the story, as it is crappy, meaningless and selfish!

Verdict: Do not waste a single penny on this book.

Courtesy: Thanks to my once upon a time best friend for this gift!

[Shwan Majeed · Rating 5 out of 5]

في هذه الرواية يدخل باولو كويلو الى عمق حياة الزوجية وبالتفصيل يدخل عالم الخيانة, الذي هي محور اكبر مشاكل الزوجية على مر الزمان في جميع الثقافات, صحيح الكتاب لديه الكثير والكثير من التفاصيل ولكن حسب رأي الشخصي مناسبة جدا ومفيدة جدا في نفس الوقت فأنا (على رغم انه غير متزوج) فأخذت الكثير من الجوانب المفيدة في هذه الرواية للخطوة القادمة في حياة الانسان ونستطيع ان نقول انه درس كبير ومفيد.
على رغم الهجوم الكبير على الكتاب سواء ب وصفه الكتاب الممل او احتوائه على احداث الغير مفيدة (حسب وجهة نظر البعض) والاحداث الجنسية في الرواية, ولكن انا حسب منظوري الشخصي هذه الرواية اذا قراته ب عمق وحاولت ان تتقبل الاحداث (لان اكيد موجودة في الحقيقة) سوف تتعلم من الكثير وتستطيع ان تتقبله ك درس لحياتك لعدم الوقوع في هكذا مشاكل لك وللأشخاص الذي تحبهم.
يبدا كل احداث هذه الرواية وما قد يحصل والى ماذا يؤدي فقط عند هذه اللقاء الصفحي بينة بطل الرواية واحد الشخصيات, هل نحن سعداء في حياتنا؟, هذه السؤال قد يؤدينا الى الطريق الصحيح او الطريق الخطء وطبعا يجب ان نفكر في الجانب الافضل لنكون سعداء بدل ما ان نفكر لماذا صرنا احزان ونكون حزينين أكثر.
صحيح هذه الرواية يجعلك بعض الشيء ممل في السرد ولكن اتمنى ان تقراء الرواية بشكل تحاول ان تتعلم منه واعتبر نفسك تكتشف حالة وتفكر في حل افضل, صحيح انه ليس شرط تكون لدي نفس المشكلة ولكن حاول ان تأخذ الجانب المفيد من هذه الرواية وتعالجه بطريقتك, رواية جميلة وتستحق ان تقراء بأنصاف ونستفاد منه في حياتنا حتى لا نصل لفخ الملل والحزن, قراءة ممتعة.



In this novel Paolo Coelho enters the depth of marital life and in detail enters the world of betrayal, which is the center of the biggest marital problems over time in all cultures. True book has a lot of details but according to personal opinion very appropriate and very useful at the same time I (despite He is not married) I took many useful aspects in this novel for the next step in human life and we can say that it is a great lesson and useful.
Despite the great attack on the book either by describing the boring book or containing the events of others useful (according to the view of some) and sexual events in the novel, but I according to my personal view of this novel if I read it deeply and tried to accept the events (because certainly exist in fact) You will learn from many and you can accept it as a lesson for your life not to fall into such problems for you and the people you love.
All the events of this novel begin and what may happen and what will happen only at this meeting the front of the protagonist and the protagonist of the characters, are we happy in our lives ?, this question may lead to the right way or the wrong way and of course we should think about the best side to be happy instead of what Think about why we have become sad and be more sad.
It is true that this novel makes you a bit boring in the narrative, but I hope to read the novel in a way that you try to learn from it and consider yourself to discover a situation and think of a better solution, it is not a condition I have the same problem but try to take the useful side of this novel and treat it in your own way, And deserve to read in half and use it in our lives so as not to get bored of boredom and sadness, an enjoyable reading.