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Eleven Minutes A Novel PS Paulo Coelho Margaret Jull Costa Books

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Eleven Minutes A Novel PS Paulo Coelho Margaret Jull Costa Books

I don't recall what I was expecting before I read this book but whatever it was the book wasn't what I expected. There was quite a lot of philosophy around sex and prostitution that some will call rationalization. I often felt as if the protagonist was observing herself but not quite participating in her life most of the time. I suspect that there were points made that went right past me, or at least I hope that there were.
I did enjoy some of her inner monologue and her growth and intelligence. She was a bright woman caught up in a foreign world, often just going with the flow, being trusting, and for the most part her trust was not misplaced. That is if you accept her points of view about being poor and being a prostitute. If reading about that life is likely to repel you then don't read this book. And if you're expecting lots of explicit sex you'll be disappointed, though there is a little of it.
In the end you'll likely have mixed feelings about Maria, if you have any thoughts at all.


Tags : Amazon.com: Eleven Minutes: A Novel (P.S.) (9780060589288): Paulo Coelho, Margaret Jull Costa: Books,Paulo Coelho, Margaret Jull Costa,Eleven Minutes: A Novel (P.S.),Harper Perennial,0060589280,Literary,Brazilians - Switzerland - Geneva,Brazilians;Switzerland;Geneva;Fiction.,Prostitutes - Brazil,Prostitutes;Brazil;Fiction.,BODY, MIND & SPIRIT Sacred Sexuality,BRAZILIAN NOVEL AND SHORT STORY,Brazil,Brazilians,FICTION General,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-Literary,GENERAL,General Adult,Geneva,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Prostitutes,SELF-HELP Personal Growth Happiness,Switzerland,United States

Eleven Minutes A Novel PS Paulo Coelho Margaret Jull Costa Books Reviews

If you are interested at all in understanding the true nature of human sexuality, you should read this story of a young Brazilian woman who chooses a life of prostitution in Europe while she seeks the meaning of true love and its connection to sacred sex.
Exceptionally powerful story - well told. Coelho explores the elements of physical, emotional and sacred sensuality - pain and pleasure, love and lust, joy and despair. In exploring herself, starting as a teen and up through her 23rd year, the protagonist, Maria, gains, loses and regains the ability to love both emotionally and physically. The gains and losees, pains and experiences are those of every person, just with greater emphasis and intensity in the story. She meets the librarian, the professional, those that truly feel, those that act, and those for whom the act itself has little depth or meaning. The vulnerability of all people is exposed, and the psychology of physical intimacy takes on new meaning as Maria plays each part as part of her profession.

The book isn't fully uplifting, and the end is as predictable as Coelho indicates it will be. Nevertheless, the discussion of the sacred and secular elements of love, lust and the physical nature of relationships really resonate as profound. Coelho probably spends a bit too much time on the anatomy, but it doesn't detract from the power of the message.
I bought this book to get a different cultural perspective, and it fulfilled that well. The content of the book does describe the reality of being desperately, poor, rural, and third world, and finding a way to "succeed" in an urban capitalist society. Not the best writing in the world, but that could be the translator, not the original author. I don't read Portugese.
This is the first Paulo Coelho book I have read (I know, right? Not even The Alchemist). As such I didn't know what to expect. I found myself caught up in Maria's story right away though. The allegorical angles came at me much later in the book. That's when I had to slow down - to step back and think about what the story meant; it began to have deeper meanings, layer upon layer.

The author's statements about the background to the book are fascinating! Gives a real sense of the genius who wrote this book, and had to courageously look within to do so.
I'm 60% through this book and STILL waiting for the main character to do something more than just prostitute herself (which BTW doesn't give any specifics on the act itself) and give us her thoughts of how she's going to get rich from doing so. Pretty boring so far, and I think the author is trying to be a "side-chair" therapist via her "diary" and is attemptinng to get us to see the world and handle situations according to his concepts. Not sure if he's a psychologist, but I don't think so. As I said, getting to the point of saying to heck with it unless something happens soon - $10 wasted!
Paulo Coelho is one of my favorite authors. However, Eleven Minutes was really disappointing especially when Coelho referenced his other work (The Alchamist) within the story, it came off as arrogant. The story depicts a woman's fall into prostitution as a means of saving her pride after making some poor life choices. It glorifies the sex industry. Coelho's depiction of the prostitutes experience is in no way convincing, I felt the author's "maleness" in every part of the protagonist which made her a man's ideal porn star (sexy, young, happy, adventurous) and not a tangible human character for this kind of story. Coelho had a wonderful story idea here...something really different that could of set this book apart from all his others... but I feel the story never lived up to the potential of the idea and the author regressed into the themes and styles of his former hit books (which were wonderful), The Alchemist and The Road to Santiago. It was a failed effort to do something new.
I love this book. Its one of my very favorites. Had paperback book 10 years & read it twice. Just got it on kindle good read deal and will read it again!

There are many themes going on and they are all intertwined. In a class they asked our opinion of prostitution and most responded on what a horrible thing it is. Do we not all sell ourselves in different ways? When your boss is not paying you what you are worth, are you not prostituting our talent and time?. If you sell out on something important to you, are you not prostituting your integrity (politicians!) is that not too prostitution, just in a different format. We all sell a piece of ourselves. Some understand that and plan for freedom, others are always chained by it. That's while will read it may more times. For each time it rings true! It seems to got hand in hand with Irving Wallace's book.... Seven Minutes and The Prize.

I have read much of Paulo Coelho's work. This book Eleven Minutes and The Zahir are two of my favorite books ever. The Alchemist great. The Pilgrimage and Veronica Tries to Die are very good. Most of the rest are intersting.
I don't recall what I was expecting before I read this book but whatever it was the book wasn't what I expected. There was quite a lot of philosophy around sex and prostitution that some will call rationalization. I often felt as if the protagonist was observing herself but not quite participating in her life most of the time. I suspect that there were points made that went right past me, or at least I hope that there were.
I did enjoy some of her inner monologue and her growth and intelligence. She was a bright woman caught up in a foreign world, often just going with the flow, being trusting, and for the most part her trust was not misplaced. That is if you accept her points of view about being poor and being a prostitute. If reading about that life is likely to repel you then don't read this book. And if you're expecting lots of explicit sex you'll be disappointed, though there is a little of it.
In the end you'll likely have mixed feelings about Maria, if you have any thoughts at all.