The Witch of Portobello: A Novel [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.

Another uncanny fusion of philosophy, religious miracle and moral parable. -Publishers Weekly

The Brazilian-born author of The Alchemist returns with this masterly novel about Athena, the illegitimate daughter of a Transylvanian gypsy adopted by well-to-do Lebanese parents. -Seattle Times

Spiritualists and wanderlusts will eagerly devour The Alchemist authors firey diatribes about love, fear and the search for all things meaningful. -Washington Post

We fell in love with The Devil and Miss Prym and believe the authors use of different voices contributing to the story line in this new novel [The Witch lc+