Books : The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession (P.S.)

Rating: - Not my Coelho's favourate
The Zahir did not mesmarize me like Coelho's other books. It is not that it is a bad book, not at all, but I just found it to be below my expectation from a book by Paulo Coelho.

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Rating: - A FABULOUS FABULIST COMPELLINGLY READ

British stage, film and TV actor Jamie Glover gives a sterling performance, immediately intriguing listeners with a mesmerizing story of obsession. Told in the first person by a nameless narrator, Glover ably carries us along on a journey, a search not only for a loved one but also perhaps for meaning, answers to the riddle of life.

The narrator is a successful author living in Paris with his wife, Esther, who is an accomplished journalist, a war correspondent. She has just returned from Iraq only to disappear again. It's not known whether she ran away or was kidnaped, whether she is alive or dead. She was last seen with a man younger than she, a man who hid his true identity but was known as Mikhail. Could he be her lover?

According to author Coelho the idea of the zahir stems from the Islamic tradition, it means "incapable of going unnoticed. It can refer to an object or a person, and that object or person gradually takes over our every thought, until we are unable to think of anything else. This could be considered a state of holiness or a state of madness."

We'll leave it to the listener to decide which description is most appropriate for our narrator as he undertakes a journey to find Esther. He knows that she felt a deep unrest and was unsatisfied with her life, although he cannot comprehend why. He was stunned when she announced that she wanted to become a war correspondent, yet he also understood that he could not stand in her way.

Brazilian born Paul Coelho (The Alchemist) is very much a fabulist, an extremely fine one. His works have been published in 150 countries and translated into 59 languages. Obviously, his appeal is immense. For this reader/listener one reason so many are drawn to him is that he causes us to think, to probe deeply within ourselves and perhaps reassess what is truly important and what is not. He seems to be reminding us that we change, life changes.

Whether my assessment is correct or not the works of this author are gifts, radiant, compelling, and utterly fascinating. - Gail Cooke

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Rating: - Outstanding
This is the first book iv read by paulo Coelho and i'm fascinated. Most people conform to the rigid rules of society which really do annoy us but we keep following them because we think they're the only way we can survive in today's world. Coelho writes about leaving those rules to some extent behind us and focusing more on how short life is...how even the smallest thing we do can bring us joy and we should enjoy those small things while we still can. To be passionate, loving and live for every moment in life. A powerful novel which makes you really think. Think about what life really is and whether you are really happy the way you are.

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Rating: - The soul of a writer, the soul of a man
The Zahir is probably the best book by Coelho. Mature, dealing with his own celebrity and talking openly about a History that people insist to hide from us. And, above all, talking about the force that moves stars and planets: love.

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Rating: - An Indepth Look at What it Means To Love
Paulo Coelhos books just get better and better, which is an amazing feat considering where he started. This book is one of the best books I have ever read as it reaches so many dimensions for the reader in it's content. Not only is it a great Novel and a touching one at that but it makes you take an indepth Journey into your own capacity for Love and what it means to you. Just as the main character in the book gets provoked by his wife to contemplate his actions in their relationship, in the greatest detail, so does Esther (the wife of the main character) manage to capture your own heart and start the search..............the search for true love.
Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!