The Witch of Portobello - I didn't find the novel as interesting as The Alchemist. I know it is not a good practice to compare a book with another one. Each has its unique elements and settings. But since The Alchemist was the first book I read of the author, now automatically I compare his author books with the masterpiece so far.
The novel is about a lady - Athena, who is an orphan. She was adopted by a couple without children and since then she is their world. But Athena, on the other hand, behaves weirdly (as it seems) at times. She behaves like a sorceress, spiritual person, or at times too matured for her age. And thus she grows up. At the age of nineteen she marries her boyfriend from college, and persists on having a child soon. Things happen as she wishes. But going forward, he married life ends abruptly. They separate from each other. But she is very much attached and protective about her son - Viorel. Athena meets different people - Heron (a journalist), Edda, Andrea McCain, and so on. She even meets her mother, who had abandoned her. Athena forms a group and starts performing the dance form which she developed, and then becomes Haga Sofia. Her followers increase. Finally, a bishop nearby her place complains to the police and Athena becomes known as a witch. The newspapers write about her as "The Witch of Portobello". Small riots occur and Athena is forced to flee from the place. After a gap of a few years the newspapers carry a news that the Witch of Portobello was found murdered. And the murderer some insane rebel. But one more surprise awaits us when we sad for Athena. The story was a fake. The murder was a plot by Heron to make the world believe that the Witch was dead. He carefully planned the story and made all believe that the unidentified body was that of Athena. So eventually Athena is alive and yes you guessed it right - she likes Heron, who also likes her from a long time.
The author has adopted a different style of narration. The story is not told by the author but by the different people with whom Athena had interacted. They speak out their experiences, which the author collates and puts together for us.
The novel is about a lady - Athena, who is an orphan. She was adopted by a couple without children and since then she is their world. But Athena, on the other hand, behaves weirdly (as it seems) at times. She behaves like a sorceress, spiritual person, or at times too matured for her age. And thus she grows up. At the age of nineteen she marries her boyfriend from college, and persists on having a child soon. Things happen as she wishes. But going forward, he married life ends abruptly. They separate from each other. But she is very much attached and protective about her son - Viorel. Athena meets different people - Heron (a journalist), Edda, Andrea McCain, and so on. She even meets her mother, who had abandoned her. Athena forms a group and starts performing the dance form which she developed, and then becomes Haga Sofia. Her followers increase. Finally, a bishop nearby her place complains to the police and Athena becomes known as a witch. The newspapers write about her as "The Witch of Portobello". Small riots occur and Athena is forced to flee from the place. After a gap of a few years the newspapers carry a news that the Witch of Portobello was found murdered. And the murderer some insane rebel. But one more surprise awaits us when we sad for Athena. The story was a fake. The murder was a plot by Heron to make the world believe that the Witch was dead. He carefully planned the story and made all believe that the unidentified body was that of Athena. So eventually Athena is alive and yes you guessed it right - she likes Heron, who also likes her from a long time.
The author has adopted a different style of narration. The story is not told by the author but by the different people with whom Athena had interacted. They speak out their experiences, which the author collates and puts together for us.
1 comment:
yeah u r right..None of his books lives upto alchemist..its a masterpiece..but anyway comparison is bad..
Post a Comment