The Witch of Portobello [Paperback]

New York TimesBestseller

“An incredibly beautiful read.” –Seattle Post-Intelligencer

How do we find the courage to be true to ourselves—even if we are unsure of who we are? A novel of daring and unconventional living by the author ofThe Alchemist.

The Witch of Portobellotells the story of Athena — born in Transylvania, adopted, raised across continents — a woman whose fierce spiritual gifts and refusal to conform made her magnetic to some and deeply threatening to others. We meet her after her death, through the voices of those who knew her: her mother, her ex-husband, her lovers, her disciples, her enemies. Each account contradicts the others. None of them, alone, tells the whole truth.

What emerges is the portrait of a woman on an uncompromising quest to understand the divine feminine — through dance, through ritual, through the ancient traditions she sought out and embodied — and the world's complicated response to a woman who lived that openly and that freely.

The Witch of Portobellois a transporting read that will challenge you to find the courage it takes to be true to yourself, even when — especially when — you're not sure who that is yet.

How do we find the courage to always be true to ourselves—even if we are unsure of whom we are?

That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's profound new work,The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told by the many who knew her well—or hardly at all. Among them:

People create a reality and then become the victims of that reality. Athena rebelled against that—and paid a high price.
Heron Ryan, journalist

I was used and manipulated by Athena, with no consideration for my feelings. She was my teacher, charged with passing onl“r