Brida

Brida de Paulo Coelho

249 pages, éditions Harper Collins, à £11,99

Résumé : This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom, who begin to teach Brida about the spiritual world. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her about overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world; and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and how to pray to the moon. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch. This enthralling novel incorporates themes that fans of Paulo Coelho will recognize and treasure—it is a tale of love, passion, mystery, and spirituality from the master storyteller.

Extraits : « -What made you change your mind ?
-Love. I know a man who makes me feel complete. Three days ago, he showed me that this world is full of mysteries too and that I’m not alone.«

« I need to take risks. I need to feel the fear of failing.. »

Mon avis : Paulo Coelho is very famous for these books where he speaks about spirituality and philosophy, like The Alchemist. He’s wrote many novels and biographies, like L’espionne, a beautiful Mata Hari biography, a Dutch dancer, which arrived at Paris in the XXs to conquer the French capital, but which known an horrific end. I loved this biography, and specifically this woman, fulfilled of courages and forces.

With Brida, Paulo Coelho came back with a feminine protagonist very special : she knows she’s a witch, and she came in the Forest to encounter The Magus, which detain the secrets of magic. She wants to learn The Tradition of the Sun and The Tradition of the Moon to became a real witch. Brida, in contact with The Magus, will understand the secrets of the Universe, and especially what is Love, the most powerful thing in the world.

It’s a philosophic history, and a little strange too. I confess that I doesn’t understand all the scenes, because sometimes, they appeared very odd. I think it’s a spiritual history, which learn to appreciate, feel and experience many sensations. The rythm is slow, like a good yoga session. I have been bored in many times, thanks to the rythmn, but also with the protagonists, who are not interesting, with the global history, which is too many spiritual and not enough realistic.

Thankfully, Paulo Coelho writing is beautiful, and I annotated many passages I adored which will made echoes to many people in others situations. I think they could bring hope, joy and peaceful to many people.