Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Harpercollins (2001)
Description
A new novel of temptation by the author of the international bestsellers The Alchemist and The Zahir. A community devoured by greed, cowardice, and fear. A man persecuted by his painful past. A woman searching for happiness. In one eventful week, each of them will face questions of life, death, and power, and each will choose their own path. Will they choose good or evil? In the remote village of Viscos, a stranger arrives, carrying with him a backpack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. He comes searching for the answer to the question: Are human beings good or evil? In welcoming the mysterious foreigner, the whole village becomes an accomplice to his sophisticated plot, which will forever mark their lives. Paulo Coelho's stunning novel explores the timeless struggle between good and evil and brings to our everyday dilemmas fresh incentive: to master the fear that prevents us from following our dreams, from being different, and from truly living.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Chotu
Thoughts about doing the right thing. What is the right thing and why? Can you really trust people to do the what's right or should you do the decisions for them?
LibraryThing member curso04
Acclaimed Brazilian author Coelho presents the third title in a trilogy that began with the novels A orillas del Rio Piedra me sent y llore (By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept, Planeta, 1998)
LibraryThing member carmen29
Mostly this book is a discussion about whether people are inherently good or evil, but I like what it has to say about change. How sometimes people, when given a chance to do something they've always dreamed of, freeze with fear of change.
LibraryThing member Grenpen
I really enjoyed this book. It offers a lot of food for thought. It was a quick and easy read, once started it was hard to put down and kept me thinking about it afterwards.
LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
A stranger arrives in a small town in the middle of nowhere, carrying a bag of gold bars. He's struggling with his own personal devil, and wants to know if there is good in the world, of if all people are evil. To find out, he makes a deal with the townspeople - if they murder one of their
I was intrigued more by the style of Coelho's writing, and what went into it, than the story itself. Philosophical dilemmas are very difficult to resolve in a book, and I have to admit to being slightly disappointed by the ending, but otherwise there's a lot that should provoke thought in the reader. The good vs. evil debate is well presented, and the story is so full of parables, metaphors and allegories that I have enough to chew over for the next couple of weeks at least.
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townsfolk, he will give them the gold. If they accept his offer, he will have his answer - that all men are evil - and if they don't, he will know that people are capable of good.I was intrigued more by the style of Coelho's writing, and what went into it, than the story itself. Philosophical dilemmas are very difficult to resolve in a book, and I have to admit to being slightly disappointed by the ending, but otherwise there's a lot that should provoke thought in the reader. The good vs. evil debate is well presented, and the story is so full of parables, metaphors and allegories that I have enough to chew over for the next couple of weeks at least.
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LibraryThing member kbergfeld
A simple fable, with a simple theme, but the impact is anything but simple. The climax may have felt predicable in theory, but the telling of the scene was visceral. "A novel of temptation" is the tag line, but by the end I found nothing tempting, it was simply greed and I understood why. The
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telling made it personal, and I found myself linking the moments of temptation to my own life and examine those choices more carefully. I have already started "Veronika Decides to Die" and I can't wait to start another of Mr. Coelho's books. Show Less
LibraryThing member strandbooks
This novel reminded me of the allegorical style of Pilgrim's Progress and Magical Realism (I think that's what it is called) of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. There are only 2 characters with actual names, all the others are referred to as the Stranger, Landowner, Mayor, Priest etc. It is a fight between
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good and evil, angels and devils, god and satan set in a small South American village that is ripe with its own myths and history. It was a quick read. Pretty enjoyable with some good imagery, but I'm a little surprised it was on the 1001 list. One day I hope to be fluent enough in Spanish to read books like this. I have a feeling a lot gets lost in translation Show Less
LibraryThing member catsears
Good, but some of the story frusterated me.
LibraryThing member pajakupj
Again good and bad ideas are fighting with each others. In this book is again a witch, or belived to be witch like so many other Coelho´s books. Miss Prym goes to a situation which she coudn´t belive to happen to her. She have to decide on behalf of the whole community what to do. And she ended
Easy to read, this book didn´t give me much to think. I read it because I want to see how Coelho writes. I´ve read severala of his books. This is quite good, definitely not his best. You have to read it to get your own oppinion.
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on good decidion .....Easy to read, this book didn´t give me much to think. I read it because I want to see how Coelho writes. I´ve read severala of his books. This is quite good, definitely not his best. You have to read it to get your own oppinion.
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LibraryThing member wendyrey
Another odd story from Coelho, the plot as impenetrable as ever, I’m not that keen on his writing style either which is odd as I usually like sparse writing.
LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
In this novel, Coelho tries to explain good and evil, their many faces and manifestations. While this is a fascinating debate and while the author relates some good stories within the plot, his very complicated and far-fetched scenario involving devils and angels, one-dimensional characters and
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simplistic emotional quandaries is extremely trite and flat. Surely there more creative ways to deal with these moral concepts. Show Less
LibraryThing member averitasm
I really like the simplicity of his books, although they all have exceptional messages. This one will really stay with me and it's definitely something you need to chew on mentally for a while, just what would you do if you were in the same situation as Miss Prym? I'm trying not to give too much
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away , this was a quick read and I liked it, and it did end well. I couldn't help but feel I might have done something else but really what to make sure everything came out alright ( Like kick the stranger out of the village or take one of the bars as a stupid tax for being such an A$$, but in the end it would not have worked out right). Recommendation- it's good read it. Show Less
LibraryThing member dczapka
Paulo Coelho's novel The Devil and Miss Prym has one of the more fascinating high-concept premises in recent memory, and while the book manages to explore its issues with the clarity and profundity you'd expect from Coelho, I for one couldn't help being left with the feeling that this was a good
The novel concerns the temptation of Chantal Prym, a young, attractive barmaid living in a remote mountain village. She is confronted by an enigmatic stranger who makes her a strange offer: he shows her 11 bars of gold and promises that if anyone in her village kills one person, she will receive one bar and the rest of the village will split the remaining 10. Though the deal is slightly complicated as the novel progresses, the offer is primarily a means of gaining access to the mind of Miss Prym, who is essentially being tasked to answer whether human nature is inherently good or evil.
Characterization is the novel's strongest suit. Though Chantal is a relatively simple character, she has feelings and desires that are often in conflict--her boredom with the sleepy village, for instance, drives her to bed most every man that comes through. Her layered personality makes her, appropriately, the ideal choice for the stranger's wager. The eeriness of his pick adds to the stranger's mysterious character: we learn very little about him until later in the novel, and we believe for much of the text, because of the rantings of the old woman Berta, that he is a physical incarnation of the Devil himself.
Unfortunately, Coelho teases these supernatural underpinnings but doesn't see them out to their natural conclusions. Berta's announcement that the Devil has come to town opens the story, and there are moments when the narrator addresses the angel and demon of individual characters fighting it out for supremacy, but the ghostly tone is never fully realized by the end. Granted, the story is ultimately about humanity, but that makes it sadly predictable. Despite all this, the novel is at its strongest when it's closely examining the relationship between the stranger and Chantal, and this suspense does, to a certain degree, make up for what is otherwise lacking.
The Devil and Miss Prym poses a grand answer, and though it's unreasonable to expect that a 200-page novel will provide an unequivocal solution, it nevertheless produces much food for thought. There are few surprises on this journey, but it's a brisk, easy read that is nonetheless worth the investment.
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book that could have, and should have, been great.The novel concerns the temptation of Chantal Prym, a young, attractive barmaid living in a remote mountain village. She is confronted by an enigmatic stranger who makes her a strange offer: he shows her 11 bars of gold and promises that if anyone in her village kills one person, she will receive one bar and the rest of the village will split the remaining 10. Though the deal is slightly complicated as the novel progresses, the offer is primarily a means of gaining access to the mind of Miss Prym, who is essentially being tasked to answer whether human nature is inherently good or evil.
Characterization is the novel's strongest suit. Though Chantal is a relatively simple character, she has feelings and desires that are often in conflict--her boredom with the sleepy village, for instance, drives her to bed most every man that comes through. Her layered personality makes her, appropriately, the ideal choice for the stranger's wager. The eeriness of his pick adds to the stranger's mysterious character: we learn very little about him until later in the novel, and we believe for much of the text, because of the rantings of the old woman Berta, that he is a physical incarnation of the Devil himself.
Unfortunately, Coelho teases these supernatural underpinnings but doesn't see them out to their natural conclusions. Berta's announcement that the Devil has come to town opens the story, and there are moments when the narrator addresses the angel and demon of individual characters fighting it out for supremacy, but the ghostly tone is never fully realized by the end. Granted, the story is ultimately about humanity, but that makes it sadly predictable. Despite all this, the novel is at its strongest when it's closely examining the relationship between the stranger and Chantal, and this suspense does, to a certain degree, make up for what is otherwise lacking.
The Devil and Miss Prym poses a grand answer, and though it's unreasonable to expect that a 200-page novel will provide an unequivocal solution, it nevertheless produces much food for thought. There are few surprises on this journey, but it's a brisk, easy read that is nonetheless worth the investment.
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LibraryThing member ehough75
This was an amazing book. I typically don't read this style of book but after reading The Alchemist I had to read another of Paulo Coelho books. This was not a let down. I liked this book even more than The Alchemist. For a shorter novel the author really does a great job of conveying his message
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as well as showing many sides of the struggle. I have already bought more of his books to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member misibea
I picked up this book from the library after finishing Eleven Minutes. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed reading The Devil and Miss Prym. Like most of Paul Coelho's books I found this book a very easy read. I enjoy the lightness of touch that Paul Coehlo uses in most of his books. And like his
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other book, The Devil and Miss Prym stayed on my mind after I finished it, giving me food for thought. Show Less
LibraryThing member whirled
As a fan of Veronika Decides To Die, I expected to enjoy this book much more than I did. This time around, the story was flat, while the morality was laid on thick as molasses. The Devil And Miss Prym has put me off Mr. Coelho, probably for good.
LibraryThing member mzzkitee
I didn't get very much out of this book.
LibraryThing member theportal2002
Great story. I really enjoy Paulo Coelho's books as he always has a life lesson to be uncovered, very zen like.
LibraryThing member jmoncton
I was hesitant to start this because so many people have found his book, The Alchemist to be life-changing, and I thought it was a beautifully written metaphor, but never quite understood all of the hoopla. I thought The Devil and Miss Prym was an intriguing story. A man walks into a remote village
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and offers it 10 bars of gold, enough to change the life of everyone in the village, if a person in the village dies within the next 7 days. It can be anyone - someone with a terminal illness, someone very elderly... Do they do it? Excellent story of temptation and the battle of good vs. evil. Show Less
LibraryThing member PilgrimJess
A tale of good v evil?
A stranger visits a dying village carrying 11 bars of gold and on meeting Miss Prym makes a strange proposition. If the inhabitants of the village kills a member of their community he will give them the gold thus saving the village for doing so.
In many respects this book reads
It transpires that the stranger has recently lost his family in tragic circumstances and is therefore fighting his own demons and it is interesting that it is mainly the more affluent and influential of the villagers on being told of the proposition are the ones that seem more willing to kill one of their number so perhaps the real question should be, is it the silence of the 'good' majority that allows evil to flourish?
I recently read Coelho's The Alchemist which I thoroughly enjoyed so when I spotted this book I jumped at the opportunity to read it. Now this is not as good a book as the former IMHO but all the same is very readable. The characters are all well drawn and the book is never moralising and as such I would heartily recommend it.
A stranger visits a dying village carrying 11 bars of gold and on meeting Miss Prym makes a strange proposition. If the inhabitants of the village kills a member of their community he will give them the gold thus saving the village for doing so.
In many respects this book reads
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as an elongated parable rather than a novel which asks a couple of simple questions. Just what are you willing to do for wealth and is it better to sacrifice one person to better the lives of the many? It transpires that the stranger has recently lost his family in tragic circumstances and is therefore fighting his own demons and it is interesting that it is mainly the more affluent and influential of the villagers on being told of the proposition are the ones that seem more willing to kill one of their number so perhaps the real question should be, is it the silence of the 'good' majority that allows evil to flourish?
I recently read Coelho's The Alchemist which I thoroughly enjoyed so when I spotted this book I jumped at the opportunity to read it. Now this is not as good a book as the former IMHO but all the same is very readable. The characters are all well drawn and the book is never moralising and as such I would heartily recommend it.
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LibraryThing member JudyCroome
A thought provoking book on the concept of Good vs Evil in the human soul. Coehlo writes a simple but powerful message in an easily accessible style and provides the readers with a glimpse of the human paradox that is the capacity to contain both dark & light in the same soul. Coehlo extends this
The story is translated so one is never sure what has been “lost in translation,” but there are sufficient pearls of wisdom scattered throughout the story to keep one thinking while enjoying an easy, quick read. My favourite comes when the sweet Miss Prym has to make her critical choice: “There are only two things which prevent us from achieving our dreams: Believing them to be impossible, and seeing these dreams made possible by some unexpected turn of Fate. For at that precise moment all our fears surface: the fear of setting off along an unknown road; the fear of a life full of new challenges and the fear of losing everything that is familiar.” (Pg 34)
The morality of the story is perhaps too explicit, but can be excused because it’s presented so simply that one can take it or leave it, depending on one’s personal response to the issue being examined.
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exploration into the similarities between the collective & individual soul, and the need for the individual to rise above the evil of the collective. The story is translated so one is never sure what has been “lost in translation,” but there are sufficient pearls of wisdom scattered throughout the story to keep one thinking while enjoying an easy, quick read. My favourite comes when the sweet Miss Prym has to make her critical choice: “There are only two things which prevent us from achieving our dreams: Believing them to be impossible, and seeing these dreams made possible by some unexpected turn of Fate. For at that precise moment all our fears surface: the fear of setting off along an unknown road; the fear of a life full of new challenges and the fear of losing everything that is familiar.” (Pg 34)
The morality of the story is perhaps too explicit, but can be excused because it’s presented so simply that one can take it or leave it, depending on one’s personal response to the issue being examined.
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LibraryThing member 1morechapter
Most people either love Paulo Coelho’s writing or absolutely hate it. I haven’t seen many who have straddled the fence on this author. I’m in the former category, though I know quite a few people who don’t care for him at all. While some believe his writing is too simplistic, I, on the
One day a stranger comes to Viscos, an idyllic mountain town. The stranger has a plan to tempt the villagers with some gold. They only have to do one thing to get the gold, but that act is contrary to the basic character of the town’s residents. There hasn’t been any trouble in the village for years, and when Miss Prym, the local barmaid, is told of the plan, she is confident the villagers will be able to withstand the temptation.
The story raises the question of whether humans are generally good or generally evil, and also why God, if there is one, would allow evil things to happen to good people.
Highly recommended.
2000, 205 pp.
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other hand, sometimes crave simplicity! I do quite a bit of heavy reading (though not recently), and it’s nice sometimes to curl up with one of Coelho’s books and know that I will probably read it in one sitting. I also believe his ’simple’ books have a much deeper meaning to them, and this story is also indicative of that.One day a stranger comes to Viscos, an idyllic mountain town. The stranger has a plan to tempt the villagers with some gold. They only have to do one thing to get the gold, but that act is contrary to the basic character of the town’s residents. There hasn’t been any trouble in the village for years, and when Miss Prym, the local barmaid, is told of the plan, she is confident the villagers will be able to withstand the temptation.
The story raises the question of whether humans are generally good or generally evil, and also why God, if there is one, would allow evil things to happen to good people.
Highly recommended.
2000, 205 pp.
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LibraryThing member revslick
Coelho is a teller of parables and fables. Sometimes the weave of tales crafts story and character gracefully leading you into an illuminated journey and other times the illuminated journey is like a car attendant with a big flashlight at a country fair leaving little character and story
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development with the feeling of being rushed. Either way there's illumination, but everybody prefers the slow sunrise. This one is a tale of temptation and unfortunately falls into the second category, but it is still worth the read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Athy127
A good book about the ongoing fight in people's minds to do the right thing or to do the wrong thing.
LibraryThing member LDVoorberg
Reminds me of a modern day Nathaniel Hawthorne, with its superstitions, devil incarnate infiltrating a village where some of the main characters are the priest, the mayor, the hotel lady and the landowner -- very ubiquitos titles. Rather explicit, at times, in its discussion of good and evil, and
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seems to work off some different concepts of God and origins of evil than I have. Interesting nonetheless. Show Less