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

Rating: - Boring Zahir
We did this book in a bookclub. The language in the book was a bit rough I thought and it was just plain weird. Would not recommend this book for anyone to read.

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Rating: - One of Coelho's best
I have read every book Coelho has written and this is one of the best. It is richer and more complex than some of his other books. It, of course, talks about self discovery and love. I had been disappointed in "Eleven Minutes" but "The Zahir" ranks with Coelho's great works such as, "Veronika Decides to Die" and "By the River Piedra I Sat and Wept".

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Rating: - Searching
I've returned once again to one of my favorite authors to review his latest work. Paulo Coelho of international fame for The Alchemist, 11 Minutes and The Devil and Miss Prym, has released his latest The Zahir. According to the book, the Zahir in Arabic means present, visible, incapable of being unnoticed. It is something that grabs our thought, mind and spirit and demands our full attention. It is believed to lead to either Holiness or madness. In this book, the Zahir is a woman, an idea of a woman, a longing. Our main character sounds very familiar to our author; in fact our hero is a famous author now living in Paris, with his books being published in nearly every language. (which sounds like Mr. Coelho. This book is being published in 50 countries/languages this year alone. The author writes books that millions love, adore, and claim changes their lives. Yet he appears to have stopped living the type of deliberate life he writes about. He has settled into a complacent life.

Then one day his wife disappears. Over time she becomes his Zahir; he writes a book about love and for a while the Zahir fades. Then he meets the man he believes she had left with and the Zahir returns.

This is a wonderful story about becoming, and remembering who you were meant to be, not who you settled into. It will stir in you a passion to be more than you think you can be, and, to give more, and love more purely. Follow a man who goes in search of an estranged wife, only to find himself.

(First Published in Imprint 2005-09-14 as 'Is your objective very visible?)

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Rating: - Outstanding
It takes a bit to get into, but this is a wonderful tale of relationship from a male point of view. As a woman, it was so enlightening to me. I liken it to a musical "impromptu" -- not a piece with defined limits, but one with a journey. ...and a conclusion! Masterful writing.

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Rating: - a beautiful book
this is such a great story of the journey one person takes to find himself and the meaning of love.