Galley Talk

Jake Reiss, Alabama Booksmith, Homewood, Ala.

by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 4/30/2007

We're having huge sales again this season for The Alchemist, which could be a sign that Paulo Coelho's forthcoming new novel, The Witch of Portobello [HarperCollins, May 15], will break all records as soon as it is released. We fell in love with The Devil and Miss Prym and believe the author's use of different voices contributing to the story line in this new novel even surpasses that beautiful read. The novel is a portrait of an individualist named Athena, dubbed the Witch of Portobello, whose travels, experiences and relationships with men are described from various points of view (her parents, ex-husband, friends and her own). In the end, the reader is left to decide which witnesses were credible and which weren't, because many of the narrators present conflicting visions of Athena. The themes are typical Coelho: spirituality, relationships, destiny and freedom. It's a very fast read. I'm a slow reader, but I read this spellbinding masterpiece in two nights. I think the magical, lyrical and fascinating Athena will immediately become literature's first lady!