The valkyries : an encounter with angels

by Paulo Coelho

Paper Book, 1995

Status

Available

Call number

133

Genres

Fiction

Publication

[San Francisco, CA] : HarperSanFrancisco, c1995.

Description

A Magical Tale About Forgiving Our Past and Believing in Our Future The enchanting, true story of The Valkyries begins in Rio de Janeiro when author Paulo Coelho gives his mysterious master J., the only manuscript for his book The Alchemist. Haunted by a devastating curse, Coelho confesses to J., "I've seen my dreams fall apart just when I seemed about to achieve them." In response, J. gives Coelho a daunting task: He must find and speak with his guardian angel. "The curse can be broken," he replies, "if you complete the task." Rising to the challenge, Paulo and his wife, Cristina, drop everything, pack their bags, and take off on a forty day adventure into the starkly beautiful and sometimes dangerous Mojave Desert -- where they encounter more than they bargained for. A masterful blend of the exotic locales, dramatic adventure, and magical storytelling, for which Coelho's fictional works are renowned, this true-life account is at once a modern-day adventure and a metaphysical odyssey.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member rayski

Coelho goes in search of his guardian angel, needs constant validation and is never satisfied.

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LibraryThing member ToneM

The only thing that saves this book from a 1 star rating is the accessability of the ideas to the reader, It is a bit immature and at times a bit flat. I think this for the less philosophically inclined this may seem a bit more mystical then it really is, I think it'd be a great segway book to get

one interested in the genre to read much more. There is not the great insight into the writers life and torment as you may see in the writing of Thomas Aquinas for example. It may not be fair to compare a great with an inspiring contempory. I do see it as a great introductory book to mysticism the connections one may feel with god. If you examine it a bit more closely you can see how thin the veil really is. Enjoyable yes, enlightening no. I expected much more.

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LibraryThing member lilywren

I do usually enjoy Coelho's books and often take something inspiring away from them however, with The Valkyries I am not too sure. Coelho tells the story of his spiritual journey and experiences gained travelling through the desert. Throughout the journey we witness Coelho fighting his inner demons

and working towards spiritual enlightenment and self development. We are also introduced to his wife Chris who accompanies Coelho and, in her own way, faces her own inner struggles and spiritual enlightenment.

Throughout the book I found myself sympathising with Chris, becoming annoyed at her husband and following her journey more closely. On some occasions I become frustrated with Coehlo, his sense of importance and, more often, self indulgence. But, having said this, I believe this is what Coehlo wanted to portray and what was involved in his journey of battling against the ego and inner demons.

Coehlo's books often bring spiritual messages that can be inspiring and insightful. However, I feel The Valkyries has nothing further to add except maybe the possiblity of seeing Coehlo stripped bare and laying out his vulnerabilities for all to see which is quite a difficult and admirable thing to do.

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LibraryThing member veranaz22

This follows a journey in search of the Valkyries. I would compare it to some sort of "vision quest" of the main character. The story feels weak compared to the author's other works, but the concept makes the read worth while. I found myself confused at times in the first half, as I didn't know who

he's referring to. The plot gets better in the climax, but gets much weaker toward the end.
This is definitely not a title to read when first reading this author's works.
Two and a half out of five.

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LibraryThing member lesleymc

This was the first of Paulo Coelho's books I have read and perhaps that was a mistake. I found the first half of his journey intriging and compelling but when the Valyries appeared it all seemed to be a bit too much. It went from simple explanations eg the 'second mind' to 'hard to digest' rituals

and characters. I found myself asking 'is this book factual?'. Perhaps if I had read his other works first I would have had more of an understanding of his beliefs and practices.

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LibraryThing member Micalhut

I'm a sucker for spiritual adventure lit. I use the term lit loosely, though I do like his masculine style of serving up a scene with no garnishments. Sucked it down in one evening over Dell Customer Support. Enjoy the term "second voice" for the ongoing conversations we have in our head when we're

not even aware of it.

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LibraryThing member SumisBooks

Was there a story here? If there was then I missed it. The plot is extremely lacking or (at best) very difficult to decern. The conversations are boring as the characters jabber on about nothing consequential. I'm being generous in giving it even 1 star. Ugh, just not a good book.

LibraryThing member JRobinW

I love this book. The story just what I needed today.

LibraryThing member vdt_melbourne

Easy read, with heavy subject. Trust, love. That’s all

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