I was not really looking for any particular book when I came upon Paulo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello last week. There are times when I just go to a bookstore with the intention to buy a book but without any particular book in mind. I just let the covers of the books on display convince me to pick them up and consider them. I have the tendency to judge books by their cover. I know that I am not the only one, there are many people who let the cover of the book influence their judgment of the whole book. I picked up Paulo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello because of its cover. The image on the cover was me oozing with mystery and intrigue and compelled me to pick it up. The cover seemed to tell a lot of stories about the title of the book, so I bought it.
The promise of the cover deliver what I have paid for. I like how the book started, the way Athena, the central character, is introduced– dead as the book opens and slowly comes to life as different characters talk about her. Why she was murdered is the hook that got me reading page after page. But as the reason why she was murdered is slowly revealed, the weight of the story shifts to how she was a different person to each of those who have encountered her. She becomes more of an enigma as the shroud of mystery surrounding her slowly peels off.
This is the first book I have read from Paulo Coelho, but I safely can say that he is a very powerful writer. The narrative technique he employed in this novel is quite fresh and quite difficult to pull off for a lesser writer.The book is not perfect, it has its weak spots, too. What I do not like is the tendency of Coelho to be preachy. There are things that can come more powerful when not preached. Aside from that, the book is very good.
