Βαλκυρίες

by Paulo Coelho, Σαλογιάννη Μάτα (Translator)

Ο ήρωας των Βαλκυριών είναι ένας άνθρωπος που θέλει να αλλάξει τη ζωή του και να ακολουθήσει ένα όνειρο: να πάει στην έρημο Μοχάβη για να βρει το φύλακα άγγελό του και να γνωρίσει επιτέλους σε βάθος τον εαυτό του και τον κόσμο γύρω του. Ο Πάουλο ξέρει ότι η έρημος δεν είναι τόσο άνυδρη και άδεια όσο φαίνεται. Κρύβει την ευκαιρία για νέες, μαγευτικές συναντήσεις, όπως του έχει πει ο Δάσκαλός του, ο Ζ. Μακριά από το χάος του κόσμου ζουν ένας νεαρός Δάσκαλος της Παράδοσης και μια ομάδα πολεμιστριών, οι Βαλκυρίες, που διασχίζουν την έρημο καβάλα στ' άλογά τους και θα βοηθήσουν τον Πάουλο να πετύχει το στόχο του.

Σε αυτό το μυθιστόρημα, που, όταν πρωτοεκδόθηκε ήταν πολύ μπροστά για την εποχή του και που ακόμα και σήμερα παραμένει επίκαιρο, ο Πάουλο Κοέλο γράφει με ειλικρίνεια για τη μάχη του με το φόβο και την ανασφάλεια. Περιγράφει συναισθήματα και γεγονότα από την ίδια του τη ζωή και δείχνει τη λεπτή απόσταση ανάμεσα στη μαγική παράδοση στην οποία ανήκει και στον άνθρωπο που πραγματικά είναι ο ίδιος.

Genres: Fiction, Spirituality, Philosophy, Novels, Fantasy, Contemporary, Inspirational

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

The Brazilian author PAULO COELHO was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his life completely to literature, he worked as theatre director and actor, lyricist and journalist. In 1986, PAULO COELHO did the pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella, an experience later to be documented in his book The Pilgrimage. In the following year, COELHO published The Alchemist. Slow initial sales convinced his first publisher to drop the novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books of all time. Other titles include Brida (1990), The Valkyries (1992), By the river Piedra I sat Down and Wept (1994), the collection of his best columns published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo entitle Maktub (1994), the compilation of texts Phrases (1995), The Fifth Mountain (1996), Manual of a Warrior of Light (1997), Veronika decides to die (1998), The Devil and Miss Prym (2000), the compilation of traditional tales in Stories for parents, children and grandchildren (2001), Eleven Minutes (2003), The Zahir (2005), The Witch of Portobello (2006) and Winner Stands Alone (to be released in 2009). During the months of March, April, May and June 2006, Paulo Coelho traveled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella in 1986. He also held surprise book signings - announced one day in advance - in some cities along the way, to have a chance to meet his readers. In ninety days of pilgrimage the author traveled around the globe and took the famous Transiberrian train that took him to Vladivostok. During this experience Paulo Coelho launched his blog Walking the Path - The Pilgrimage in order to share with his readers his impressions. Since this first blog Paulo Coelho has expanded his presence in the internet with his daily blogs in Wordpress, Myspace & Facebook. He is equally present in media sharing sites such as Youtube and Flickr, offering on a regular basis not only texts but also videos and pictures to his readers. From this intensive interest and use of the Internet sprang his bold new project: The Experimental Witch where he invites his readers to adapt to the screen his book The Witch of Portobello. Indeed Paulo Coelho is a firm believer of Internet as a new media and is the first Best-selling author to actively support online free distribution of his work.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 1 out of 5]

This, deemed classic by many semi-biographical masterwork of self-discovery, spirituality and goal-reaching from Coelho, is about one man’s battle with self-doubt and fear on his Mojave desert expedition with his wife ostensibly in search of visual proof of angels, is a companion read to Coelho’s other bestselling and influential books dealing with similar themes, such as The Alchemist and The Winner Stands Alone.

Like The Alchemist, this work just really isn't for someone like me. Maybe I am too much of an idiot or too centred in realism? I am aware of the impact of this work on millions of people, but it may just be a case of different strokes for different folks. Let's get real, I don't even have a spirituality or self-help bookshelf! So why would I re-read a book that I had previously given One-Star to again? Honestly? I'm just working through my Coelho collection :). I rated this a single point higher after this re-read, making it a 3 out of 12, which is still a One-Star read, but a very strong one. Meanwhile, here's the kind of Valkyries that get my attention:

2023 and 2005 read

[May · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay. This may sound like I'm dumb or something, but really, I didn't get the point of this novel. I read from somewhere that the book is about "journey of faith, of trust, of forgiveness, of love, of self-discovery, and of battling the darkness within ourselves, and wanting to change". Okay, so I got these messages, but only vaguely. In addition, I read somewhere that this book is semi-biographical - but is it? Did all those events REALLY happen? I find myself wondering which events were real, and which were fiction. For this matter, I categorized The Valkyries under my "literature-fiction" bookshelf. Moreover, I got disturbed by how the male protagonist treated his wife. I mean, I felt like he was just "taking her for granted". Last but not least, I got bored with the story and how it progressed.

Due to these factors, I didn't finish reading the novel. I finally closed the book shortly after the wife had a battle with the leader of the valkyries. As of this writing, I still haven't opened The Valkyries again, but I'm hoping I will some day. Also, I bought other Paulo Coelho books, and I hope that when I get to read them, I will see for myself why many people like his works.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

What i learned from this book? The reason why we always try to destroy the things/people we love. And what our angels really look like. And how to "broaden our horizons."

They said this was the most "boring" book Coelho ever wrote. I say they're wrong.

[Lily Wren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do usually enjoy Coelho's books and often take something inspiring away from them however, with The Valkyries I am not too sure. Coelho tells the story of his spiritual journey and experiences gained travelling through the desert. Throughout the journey we witness Coelho fighting his inner demons and working towards spiritual enlightenment and self development. We are also introduced to his wife Chris who accompanies Coelho and, in her own way, faces her own inner struggles and spiritual enlightenment.

Throughout the book I found myself sympathising with Chris, becoming annoyed at her husband and following her journey more closely. On some occasions I become frustrated with Coehlo, his sense of importance and, more often, self indulgence. But, having said this, I believe this is what Coehlo wanted to portray and what was involved in his journey of battling against the ego and inner demons.

Coehlo's books often bring spiritual messages that can be inspiring and insightful. However, I feel The Valkyries has nothing further to add except maybe the possiblity of seeing Coehlo stripped bare and laying out his vulnerabilities for all to see which is quite a difficult and admirable thing to do

[Saadia B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best work by Coelho I would say. A good baseline but the story was at times haphazard.

Liked the title very well thought “Valkyries” also served as the temptation which led me to complete this book.

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[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never pay too much attention to the plot of Coelho books because the plot is merely a means of this author to get his point across. The chapters of this book do culminate in to a satisfying climax, however the messages in the book are woven in to the detail of the text throughout rather than the end.

I found the third person narrative quite annoying to begin with, it is very perplexing to me as to why someone would choose to write about themselves in the third person. However writing is a continuous process of experiment so I will cut Mr Coelho some slack. This must have been a difficult book to write, it was certainly a difficult book to read because it was so crammed with wisdom that I wanted to remember every sentence. I would suggest rereading many pages as you go along and taking your time with this piece, you will be rewarded with many great things to churn over in your mind. I read it in six days but I wish I spent ten or more days on it.

I gave this book five stars because Paulo is a gifted thinker and the ideas he produces in his work amaze me at the genius one person can possess. I can understand that many people might be uncomfortable with the topic of angels and associate his work with the oddball wave of the ‘New age’ authors that have surfaced within the past two or three decades but I beg you to go with it nevertheless.

[Jordi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do we ever forget our long conversations with angels as children?

We all grow up and deny wonderful spiritual experiences only to try so hard to find them again as adults.

The book tells of Coelho's journey in the late 80s with his wife in the Mojave desert in search of a band of warrior women dressed in leather preaching about faith called the Valkyries, so he can learn from them how to see his guardian angel.

My favorite part was when the leader of the valkyries told Paulo that he needs not just courage, but the courage of a woman. That was so powerful and amazing!

This book is about the spiritual quest many of us experience in different ways in search of the same thing. Embracing love and light can lead to our finding what we are looking for.

[Howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars for The Valkyries (audiobook) by Paulo Coelho read by Sean Runnette.

I read the Alchemist recently and I thought it was interesting. So I thought I’d give another book by Paulo Coelho a try. I’m a little confused. I was expecting another fictional story about another journey. I didn’t realize till the end of the book, where the author explained that only a little bit of the story was fiction. What? The Valkyries are real?
I liked that the story took place near where I live. I can picture the environment. But I think I’m done with this author for now.

[Mutasim Billah · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only good thing about this book was that it was a relatively easy read. Otherwise, the entire plot and the characters are like the yawn-inducing, bland portraits found in some struggling artist's repertoire. Overused, hipster enigma of fabled tales doesn't work here as well as it did in The Alchemist. The result is boring, colourless and instantly forgettable.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Valkyries feels like you might be reading something important or valuable on the surface, but if you dig deeper it's just a mess. When I got to two thirds of the book I was seriously thinking of abandoning it, but there weren't that many pages left so I was curious to read the ending. Hence, I rate it 2 stars. Now, I want to discuss the content, so beware of spoilers.

I’m sorry, but to put it bluntly, this reads like philosophical musings in a post-nut clarity. I don't need Coelho for that, because I can come up the same musings myself. There was nothing profound or transformative that one hasn't heard on a reel today. It was even ridiculous at moments.

Although Coelho is probably trying to bring back spirituality in people--what is actually spirituality?--these are New Age practices that want to ditch the canonical teachings. Instead of conforming to a traditional, mainstream faith, he concocts inconsistent spiritual musings that in theory should serve the same purpose, but in practice are a differential diagnosis of the moral, spiritual and religious decadence of the contemporary person.

Coelho is writing about mutually inconsistent and poorly explored topics, themes and characters. What do the Valkyries have to do here, warriors in Norse mythology, with the desert mysticism of the American Southwest, the four elements of paganism, and figures like Archangel Michael and Mary of Egypt, characters of Christian mythology. Taken together, these elements have weak thematic connections, and the characters' arcs do not unify them in any meaningful way. If someone wants to sound esoteric, countless such combinations will work just the same.

Long story short, the leitmotif of the book is that of spiritual enlightenment. Every day we have rituals that we need to break off, like going to jobs we hate, or staying in a dysfunctional, sexless marriage. We have made a deal with loss, with failure and we need to stop that. But, we also need symbolic acts that will break us free from those chains and commit to personal transformation. We need to find our agency and help our guardian angel to lead us on our path. They don't manifest literally in front of us, but we acknowledge their presence through coincidences, and other people's help when we are in need, just like a deus ex machina.

I'm not sure if Coelho writes about this literally or figuratively, but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt. There is evidence that chemically induced altered states of mind like with ayahuasca, LSD, or mushrooms do have therapeutic effects and people report spiritual experiences, but this book didn't achieve its goal.

[Rosaria Luisa D'Angelo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mah, mi lascia alquanto perplessa. Continuo a non capire il motivo del successo di questo autore, vive di rendita a quanto pare con l'unico libro accettabile che ha pubblicato l'alchimista (che non ho letto, ma che prometto di farlo vista la sua fama).
Anche questo un libro da dimenticare, come Il vincitore è solo.

[Susana · Rating 2 out of 5]

(review in English below)

Devo ter comprado este livro depois de ter lido O Diário de Um Mago, do mesmo autor, há cerca de 25 anos. Recentemente, e após perceber qual era o tema, decidi "libertá-lo" sem o ler, mas acabei por não resistir e experimentei ler alguns capítulos.

A narrativa revestiu-se de um maior interesse, para mim, depois de ler a Nota do Autor e perceber que este é um relato de acontecimentos que aparentemente foram vividos por Paulo Coelho e pela sua mulher. No entanto, isso não chegou para o ler até ao fim.

Até à página 140 consegui manter-me minimamente interessada na história, contada através duma escrita muito básica mas eficaz. A partir daí comecei a aborrecer-me com tanta parvoíce e finalmente, depois do capítulo que termina na página 179 e que me desagradou particularmente, decidi dar por encerrada a experiência.

Acredito que este relato possa fazer sentido para algumas pessoas e algumas passagens até fizeram algum sentido para mim, daí o benefício das 2 estrelinhas...

I must have bought this book after I read The Pilgrimage, by the same author, some 25 years ago. Recently, upon realizing what the subject really was, I decided to "realease" it without reading it, but I gave in and I tried reading some chapters.

I took more interest in the story after reading the Author's Note and realizing that this is an account of events apparently experienced by Paulo Coelho and his wife. However, that wasn't enough to make me read all of it.

Until page 140 I managed to keep myself slightly interested in the story, told by way of a very primary, yet effective, writing. From there on I started to get annoyed with so much nonsense and, at last, after a chapter which I rather disliked, I decided to end this experiment.

I believe that this narrative might make sense to some people and a few passages even made some sense to me, hence the 2 star rating...

[Nawar · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية مذهلة !!!
لا تخلو أعمال باولو كويلو من ذاك الجزء الخيالي صعب التصديق ، لكن هذه الرواية كانت الأقرب للواقع ،
استطعت الارتباط بمعظم مواقفها و حوارها و أفكارها
ربما لان باولو جعل من نفسه و زوجته ابطال هذه المغامرة
مغامرة تحفز كل شخص لايجاد الأفضل في نفسه ، لتوسيع مداركه ، تعلمه ان لكل شيء حدان
اعجبني أنه أكد أن الإنسان هو وسيلة لارادة عظمى ( الملائكة بنظره ) و أن على الإنسان أن يساعد ملاكه لحمايته ( الأخذ بالأسباب )
و لربما كانت قراءتي للرواية باللغة الانكليزية من اهم عوامل إعجابي بها ^_^

[samin · Rating 3 out of 5]

با خوندن اثار کوئیلو متوجه شدم که شخصیت های اون دنبال نوعی عرفان یا یک جادوی والا هستند و اینم به این معنا نیست که کتاباش شامل ی رده سنی خاصی می شه که واسه سرگرمی باشه ( اینو میگم چون خودم وقتی میخواستم اولین کتابش رو شروع کنم همچین حسی داشتم:) بنظرم شخصیت های کوئیلو بعد های مختلف وجودی اون در هر فصل از زندگیش هستند هر چند که اعتقاد به معجزه و جادو معمولا مربوط به سال های نوجوانی میشه اما تا الان هرچی ازش خوندم این عنصر رو درش دیدم و این نشون میده جادو برای کوئیلو یه مسئله گذرا نبوده و هنوز هم همراهش هست

[Farzaneh]

شيفتگي يعني همين:ساخت تصويري از كسي ، بدون آنكه آنكس بداند آن تصوير اصلا چيست
.
.
.
گمان مي كنم خيلي بيشتر از اين حرفها باز هم شيفته بشوم. احساس گناه نمي كرد. شيفتگي چيز خوبي بود. سرگرم كننده بود، و به زندگي رنگ و بو مي داد.
اما با عشق فرق داشت. عشق به اندازه همه چيز مي ارزيد و با چيزي قابل معامله نبود.

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

اولین کتابی بود که از پائولو خونده بودم و به قلم توانمندش آفرین گفته بودم که باعث این شده بود کتاب رو زمین نگذارم و پیوسته با او همراه بشم و بخونمش , سبک پائولو و نگاهش به دنیا رو واقعا دوست دارم

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Desert Solitaire meets Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but this is not as good as either one.
I see how much Coelho struggles to be a good writer and appreciate his effort to capture something mystical, but it doesn't work... I suppose he can make all the deals with the devil he wants, but the gift of writing has not been bestowed, he was cheated ; p
I wonder if he was very jealous of the success of J.K. Rowling when Harry Potter came out? Much better telling of a sort of similar story, but in a work of fiction. How is Coelho as popular as he is? Perhaps because of the simplistic writing? Can non-fiction and fiction be compared? Overcoming a cursed past is story many of us want to hear about... would be refreshing to get something like that with a "Catholic perspective."
At the end, in the authors note, he mentions that he needed to write so that the story was accessible to all readers, does this mean he lied about using drugs? It seems like he was dealing cocaine in Brazil and probably used peyote or mesclun in the American Southwest desert...
The book Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos came to mind. A well written memoir of a famous children's book author who had a rough start in his teens and early 20's. A real, honest telling of going from a "bad guy" to becoming the famous author of the beloved Rotten Ralph series. Life can be long and trajectories can change, Gantos story is worth reading.

[✨Bean's Books✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was there a story here? If there was then I missed it. The plot is extremely lacking or (at best) very difficult to decern. The conversations are boring as the characters jabber on about nothing consequential. I'm being generous in giving it even 1 star. Ugh, just not a good book.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was more journey than I had thought it would be. It was a personal story of the author and his wife and sometimes I felt uncomfortable by how much was shared. But I also learned more about spiritual quests and how far people can take them. It is like anything else in that it is whatever you want to make it. The story was inspiring for that quest. Some of it was hard to imagine such as the motorcycle group of women touring the US with an intense quest for passing along spiritual knowledge and bonking any man that happens to come along during the process. I love Coelho's books and I loved this one, it is certainly not one that I would recommend to anyone though. It is one that I would recommend selectively.

[James Hewkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, pedantic and pointless. Full to the brim with trivial new-age denial tactics designed to distract Coelho’s fans from their failed lives, miserable vegan diets and god-awful joss-stick stink. I would burn this book if I wasn’t now so afraid of offending the god of fire.

[Lucas Mota · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOTA: 1

Eu não faço parte da galera que rechaça tudo o que Paulo Coelho escreveu só pela galhofa da coisa. Não compartilho do sentimento de aversão crônica a sua figura. Tenho muito respeito por sua carreira como letrista, em especial as colaborações com Raul Seixas. Mas minha boa vontade acaba por aqui.
Li este livro por uma única razão. Ouvi o autor dizer em uma entrevista que "As Valkírias" relatava a história real do grande preço que ele precisou pagar por se envolver com magia. Minha curiosidade falou mais alto. O livro é até curto e não me tomou muito tempo.
A prosa é simples, às vezes simples demais. Mas está longe de ser o problema aqui. O que me deixou irritado é o quão superficial ele se esforça pra ser em absolutamente tudo neste livro.
Não existem metáforas profundas e absolutamente nenhum dos "conceitos mágicos" tratados aqui me soaram como magia, de fato. Tudo parece um esforço coletivo dos personagens em enxergar significado onde não existe.
O pior de tudo é o famigerado "preço alto" a que o autor se referiu na entrevista simplesmente não é explicado aqui de forma clara e suas consequências se resumem a uma pessoa bem sucedida que está infeliz. Não desmereço o poder da infelicidade e a incapacidade do dinheiro em alcançá-la, mas a superficialidade com a qual o tema foi tratado gerou um livro insípido.
Sigo apreciando a carreira de Paulo Coelho como letrista, porque como autor está bem difícil.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

full review and more book reviews at http://themosthappy.me !

The Valkyries is my third Coelho. I asked for it for Christmas, having picked a Coelho title at random, and now that I’ve read it, I think that it’s perfect that I read this one third, after By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept and The Alchemist. This is the incredibly personal, true story of Paulo Coelho’s life journey from Satan worshiper to spiritual magus, to an emotionally frantic man searching for his guardian angel.

To understand this book, you have to have some background knowledge of Coelho’s “religion,” a Christianity-based theology called “the Tradition” that combines spiritual magic and faith in a Christian god. Coelho, in this memoir, recounts his journey to speak to and see his guardian angel. It is a process that involves intense spiritual trials and the ability to challenge your inner demons. It’s about forgiveness, the complexity of the human condition, and the ability to overcome your biggest fears and your most destructive flaws. In these ways, the book excels. It speaks to the human condition in the way it reminds us that each of us has the tendency to “kill what we love the most.” But this is about Coelho specifically, and the book almost never strays into the general: this novel is all about Coelho and his past.

In the beginning of the novel, Coelho meets with his master, a man called J. He receives directions to travel from Brazil to the Mojave Desert, to speak to and to meet his angel in person. This feat is a huge accomplishment for Coelho, and he’s anxious to achieve it. He’s proud and impatient, displaying an arrogance not apparent in the writing style of his other novels.

Coelho brings his wife Christina with him on this 40-day journey, for he fears that his dissatisfaction with married life will be dissolved if he manages to meet his angel and therefore change his flawed personality. Coelho has the tendency to “kill what he loves the most” and before he succumbs to this weakness and leaves his beloved wife because of boredom or childishness, he wants to confront his demons and hopefully reverse the self-destructive path he is on. It’s a brave journey, but it also displays Coelho’s huge weaknesses, and the novel is almost too personal in the way it describes his marriage to Christina.

I have won important things for myself, but I’m going to destroy them, because I tell myself they have lost their meaning. I know that is not true. I know they are important, and that if I destroy them, I’ll be destroying myself, as well.

So where do the Valkyries come in? The Valkyries is a traveling band of leather-wearing, motorcycle-riding women who preach up and down the Mojave Desert and its surrounding areas. Led by a woman named Valhalla, the Valkyries adopt Coelho when they realize he is of their “Tradition” and guide him through the trials necessary for him to finally meet his angel. Valhalla also tests his fidelity and his dedication to his wife. And Christina, who never really believed in her husband’s magic at all, begins to feel her worldview changing and widening, engaging in her own spiritual journey that seemed to me more rich and rewarding than Coelho’s.

They had seen the same mountains, and the same trees, although each of them had seem them differently. She knew his weaknesses, his moments of hatred, of despair. Yet she was there at his side. They shared the same universe.

I thought this novel afforded me singular access to Coelho’s spiritual journey, his personality, his struggles, his magic, and his humanity. His humanity included his many, many flaws, such as his boredom in marriage and his tendency to “kill what he loves the most.” But I appreciated his struggle and that he had the forethought and the self-awareness to break the self-destructive path he was on to preserve those things he knows he will regret abandoning. I felt in the first half of the novel that I had gotten to know Coelho as a man rather than just a novelist or spiritual figure. This novel is like reading a journal. Or a blog ;)

However, I found myself relating to Christina more than Paulo. Her spiritual journey is less about proving her power than it is about discovering herself and who she wants to be. Her journey was graceful, open-minded, and not the frantic, chaotic journey Coelho has. I think that’s the point: Christina is written as an incredibly forgiving, strong character willing to stand by her husband despite her flaws, despite her sense that their marriage is indeed crumbling.

Reading this novel did shatter that blind admiration I had for Coelho after reading those first two novels, but it also elicited a strong feeling of respect. Penning this book required a huge amount of courage and self-awareness, knowing that your personal life and past indiscretions will be read by all your fans. This novel let me discover Coelho the man more than the other two I’d read, and it makes me eager to read his other novels now, knowing what I know about the author. This closeness is what separates Coelho from other authors: the work is almost indistinguishable from the man, which makes for an altogether different reading experience. It is a bit like reading a diary, albeit slightly fictionalized.

In the end, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed The Alchemist because the reader cannot so easily understand the arcane trials and Coelho’s personal “Tradition.” You can’t be the “boy” in this book as you could with The Alchemist. And while the tone comes off as both apologetic and rebellious, I did gain new insight into a new favorite author and found the experience rewarding. More Coelho in future.

[Apokripos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Angels Brought me Here
(A book Review of Paulo Coelho's The Valkyries)

In the Author’s Note at the back of this book Paulo Coelho said: "Anyone who has read The Valkyries, will know that this book is very different from The Pilgrimage, The Alchemist and Brida" — true enough it is.

The Valkyries sets off in Brazil when Paulo’s Master, J., gives him (yet another) a task: "to break the curse" by speaking with his angels. One week later, he and his wife Christina are on the road to the starkly beautiful yet dangerous Mojave Desert to seek "contacts," people that will help and guide him on a forty day quest to look for the Valkyries, leather clad warrior women who cruise around the desert on motorcycle that will show Paulo, and Christina as well, how to converse with their angels.

I believe the book started out quite strong and, to be honest with you, I was moved by the central question it relates to the reader: "Why do we destroy the things we love most?" But as I progress it just become trudging reading for me. Half way through the book I’m still clueless how communicating with angels will truly help Paulo on his spiritual search — and I still am puzzled over it after closing the book. I was taken aback that what the author’s been trying to say can all be just condensed into a simple message in the epilogue of the book.

The main thing why this book just didn’t really work for me is that it lacked the fabulist magic of The Alchemist and failed to capture the simple spiritual teachings that The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom presented. It also seems to me that Coelho talks down to his reader, well not actually him, but this one concerns the Valkyries whose principles I find too preachy and overtly one-dimensional that it all unsuccessfully made an impression to me.

Even so, The Valkyries retains some of the quintessential Coelho elements and has its share of rosy moments: one that really made an impact to me was when Chris learns "to look at the horizon." This for me works as a literal truth and a striking metaphor. A truth as I consider it a rare ability to live in the present, in the now all the while striving to strike a balance in a world that shouts for our constant attention; a metaphor in that it is much harder to attain a broad perspective of one’s life and sense of self. One of the things I consider the book’s strong point is that we encounter a different Coelho in its pages as we see him reveal details on his private life, on his almost failing marriage and in the process makes himself vulnerable, exposed to the judgment of others. As it is, the book is also peppered with nuggets of wisdom here and there, some of which I quote below:

"Someone once said that the Earth produces enough to satisfy needs, but not enough to satisfy greed."

"Faith is a difficult conquest, and it requires daily combat in order to be maintained."

"That’s what infatuation is: the creation of an image of someone, with out advising that someone as to what the image is."

I have faith in The Valkyries core message of “letting go of the past and believing in the future” in that I’m looking beyond this one and hopefully Paulo Coelho’s upcoming book that I’ll read soon will be none such as this.

[Hana Mlsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

اولین کتابی بود که از پائولو کوئیلو خوندم و برام خیلی جذاب بود.به نظرم دست روی چالش ذهنی خیلی مهمی گذاشته بود که این اواخر هم درگیرش بودم.
خیلی رندوم از یه کتاب‌خانه عمومی این کتاب رو برداشتم و خوندم ولی احساس می‌کنم کاملا به موقع سر راهم قرار گرفت و برام الهام بخش شد.

جهان در دست اشخاصی است که جرآت رؤیا را دارند و رؤیاهایشان را تحقق می‌بخشند. هر کس به اندازه‌ی استعدادش، هر کس به اندازه‌ی عطیه‌اش.

می‌دانست اگر همین‌طور ادامه دهد، هیچ چیز در زندگی‌اش چندان دوام نمی‌آورد. کم‌کم داشت می‌فهمید منظور جِی چه بود که می‌گفت:مردم چیزهایی را که از همه بیشتر دوست دارند می‌کشند.

[GeoRG!e · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so taken by this book. I've had it for sometime but with most of Coelho's stories, I cannot get into them unless they seem relevant to my own life.
THere is a page long passage in the epilogue. I believe, my reason for reading this book when I did was to come across this passage. It's starts off:
"The day will come when the problem of hunger can be solved through the miracle of the multiplication of the bread[…]"
Lovely story. And I'm sure Valhalla was the female placing the flowers at the site.

[Apatricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este livro foi simplesmente lindo. Tocou-me de uma maneira bastante própria, tem uma beleza bastante única e a sua escrita adapta-se ao que cada um acredita sobre si mesmo e o universo.
Honestamente não tenho uma maneira para falar sobre este livro, simplesmente que foi uma das leituras mais agradáveis e marcantes que já tive.

[Zainab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I had found the book easily-put-downable. However, there were two things that kept me thumbing through the pages. Firstly, this verse:

And each man kills the thing he loves,
By all let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword.

My first impression to it was, "That's a total lie! It can't be true for everyone." But as I'd turned over the page, I found out that the master (J.) of the protagonist (Paulo) wanted this curse to be broken. And I, in turn, wanted to see how this would be done.

Secondly, it was the character Chris (the wife of Paulo)who kept me riveted to the book. Somehow, in some aspects, I could see a reflection of myself in Chris and so I wanted to know how does she overcome her flaws.

As in all his other books, Paulo invites the readers to love, be courageous, and dream!

[radioparesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتابی از جنس کیمیاگر و کوه پنجم،ولی با یک پیام جدید.
اینکه نشونه هایی توی دنیا هست که به ما این پیام رو میده که دنیا فقط چیزی که میبینیم نیست.و فرشته ها وجود دارن. و باید اونارو پیدا کنیم. و اینکه ما همیشه چیزهایی که دوست داریم رو نابود میکنیم.و باید افق هامون رو گسترش بدیم.
اینکه روی ذهن ثانویه هم تاکید کرد که باید هر روز روش کار کنیم تا وقتی که افکارش خسته بشه و بره جالب بود.
نحوه ی روایت داستان کمی کسل کننده بود( نسبت به کتاب های دیگه ی پائولو) به همین دلیل ۴ ستاره دادم

[Tonkica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teziti ljubavi.. Svima bi nam to trebalo biti vodilja!

[Moujan Taghavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

مثل بقیه اثاری که ازش خوندم نبود