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Eleven Minutes: A Novel

Average rating: 4/5

Based on 92 ratings

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Eleven Minutes: A Novel

by Paulo Coelho

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS | March 17, 2005 | Trade Paperback

Paulo Coelho''s astonishingly beautiful writing in Eleven Minutes virtually guarantees it the cult status that The Alchemist already enjoys. But what is the Paulo Coelho phenomenon? How can an author who (only a short time ago) was virtually unknown to most readers have taken the world of books by storm--and without the benefit of glitzy advertising? The answer is simple: quality. Such books as The Fifth Mountain andThe Devil and Miss Prym are enough to explain a considerable following for the author, with their atmospheric prose and involving characters.

Eleven Minutes tells the story of young Maria living an innocent life in a Brazilian village and is played out in a measured fashion, but with all the author''s brilliant scene-setting (very lush here) fully in place. But then Maria experiences love and suffers great pain. From this point, Coelho has us inexorably in his grip. Maria''s disillusionment with love leads her to Geneva where she finally ends up selling her body (Coelho may offer us the beauty of life, but never at the expense of its harshness). Maria''s approach to sex is complex--this is no mere revulsion arising from what she is now doing with her life. And then she meets a seductive young painter, who may or may not offer her a new path in life. But does she prefer to continue on the dark sexual odyssey she has embarked on, at the expense of real love?

There are echoes of DH Lawrence in Coelho''s exploration of the sacred and spiritual aspects of sex and it''s a brave author who tackles a subject that can so easily slip into strained seriousness. That never happens here, and Maria''s journey is one that the reader willingly undertakes; the lesson she learns are lessons for the reader. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Reviews

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 4/5

    Heart touching

    Patrycja Malkowska

    14 months ago

    I have read many reviews about "11 minutes" and surprisingly most of them negative, saying that it's just a cheap story of a prostitute.
    I think it's so much more than that. I agree, it's not a truly Coelho style. There is a lot of hope in the novel, but it's missing the usual spirituality and insight. But there is nothing wrong with that, it just makes the story lighter. I found the story very captivating and finished it in one sitting (it's not very long, just about 200 pages). Unlike other books by Coelho "11 minutes" is not as "audience specific", as it is a little bit of a romance too. I know many people who are not Coelho fans but they enjoyed reading this title.
    So I think it might be a good start if you have never read anything by the author, it will give you a feel of his style but will not be too hard.

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 2/5

    Not Coelho Calibre

    Salma Pardhan

    3 years ago

    I didn't find this as amazing or insightful as some of Paulo's other works that I have read.

    I was a bit disappointed....

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 4/5

    The pain and pleasure of love and sex.

    Chihoe Ho

    • Indigo Employee

    3 years ago

    I must say, "Eleven Minutes" was much more enjoyable for me than "The Alchemist." How many novels do you know whose main character is a prostitute? We get to follow Maria's progression into the profession, the art, gain deeper insights via her diary, and possibly take empathy on her for she herself had no inkling that she would come to this point. She did have a choice, but sometimes our decisions do not take us down the path we hoped for.

    Sexuality doubtlessly is a central theme, and Paulo Coelho does not shy away from the taboo manufactured by society, giving sensual descriptions and discussions of love, pain, pleasure, and sacred sex.

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?
    vivian

    Rating: 5/5

    amazing

    vivian

    8 years ago

    like all of coelho's book, you can't put it down. I began reading and the book just consumed me. it's amazing the plot is well thought out.... u just have to read

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Details

From the Publisher

Paulo Coelho''s astonishingly beautiful writing in Eleven Minutes virtually guarantees it the cult status that The Alchemist already enjoys. But what is the Paulo Coelho phenomenon? How can an author who (only a short time ago) was virtually unknown to most readers have taken the world of books by storm--and without the benefit of glitzy advertising? The answer is simple: quality. Such books as The Fifth Mountain andThe Devil and Miss Prym are enough to explain a considerable following for the author, with their atmospheric prose and involving characters.

Eleven Minutes tells the story of young Maria living an innocent life in a Brazilian village and is played out in a measured fashion, but with all the author''s brilliant scene-setting (very lush here) fully in place. But then Maria experiences love and suffers great pain. From this point, Coelho has us inexorably in his grip. Maria''s disillusionment with love leads her to Geneva where she finally ends up selling her body (Coelho may offer us the beauty of life, but never at the expense of its harshness). Maria''s approach to sex is complex--this is no mere revulsion arising from what she is now doing with her life. And then she meets a seductive young painter, who may or may not offer her a new path in life. But does she prefer to continue on the dark sexual odyssey she has embarked on, at the expense of real love?

There are echoes of DH Lawrence in Coelho''s exploration of the sacred and spiritual aspects of sex and it''s a brave author who tackles a subject that can so easily slip into strained seriousness. That never happens here, and Maria''s journey is one that the reader willingly undertakes; the lesson she learns are lessons for the reader. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Eleven Minutes is the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer. . . ." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness -- sexual pleasure for its own sake -- or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Trade Paperback

320 Pages, 5.3 x 7.96 x 0.78 in

March 17, 2005

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS

English


0060589280
9780060589288

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