Love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer... So says Maria, a young Brazilian girl convinced from an early age that she will never find true love. A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, but the glittering life she hoped for was a fantasy. The reality-selling herself to survive-is a dehumanizing grind that pushes her further away from real love, towards a fascination with pure physical pleasure. But when her emotional barriers are tested by a handsome young painter, she must choose between the dark path she ...
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Love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer... So says Maria, a young Brazilian girl convinced from an early age that she will never find true love. A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, but the glittering life she hoped for was a fantasy. The reality-selling herself to survive-is a dehumanizing grind that pushes her further away from real love, towards a fascination with pure physical pleasure. But when her emotional barriers are tested by a handsome young painter, she must choose between the dark path she is on and risking everything to find her inner light. Can she move beyond the meeting of minds or even souls-to a place where sex itself is sacred? A daring modern fable about the nature of love and sex.
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Here is a piece from the book and my thoughts: http://freeheartsandminds.blogspot.com/2009/05/on-kitchen-table.html
bonzo
Jun 28, 2007
insight in darkness
Coelho, a writer of mystical and grand perportions, with sparkling fairy tales suitable for anyone's spiritual journey. This piece, as he says himself, is not of the sort. He tackles a topic of great importance and taboo. Prostitution, the oldest profession in the world, is not commonly looked at through Coelho's traditional story telling lens. Nor is explicit sexuality. Despite the negative connotations that can be put on both these subjects, they are an integral and imperative part of humanity and the human journey. Animal journey. Spiritual journey. Our walk is not all sunshine and roses. And there can be beauty in the grotesque. Coelho does a magnificent job iluminating the importance of the darkest parts of our existance, creating the sublime.
Josephina
Jun 17, 2007
Better than the Alchemist
In high school, I read the Alchemist, and loved it. Then, I tried to find other books by Paulo Coelho, but the blurbs on the back never got me too excited. To be honest, this one didn't either, but I gave it a shot. I loved it. I probably wouldn't have liked it as much in high school as I do now, but it was fantastic. It's a great story about a woman coming to terms with her sexuality and what she wants out of life.
