The Witch Of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelho, one of the world's best loved storytellers, is back with a riveting new novel set in London. This is the story of Athena, or Sherine, to give her the name she was baptised with. Her life is pieced together through a series of recorded interviews with those people who knew her well or hardly at all – parents, colleagues, teachers, friends, acquaintances, her ex-husband. The novel unravels Athena's mysterious beginnings, via an orphanage in Romania, to a childhood in Beirut. When war breaks out, her adoptive family move with her to London, where a dramatic turn of events occurs… Athena, who has been dubbed 'the Witch of Portobello' for her seeming powers of prophecy, disappears dramatically, leaving those who knew her to solve the mystery of her life and abrupt departure. Like The Alchemist, The Witch of Portobello is the kind of story that will transform the way readers think about love, passion, joy and sacrifice. Discover the enigmatic life of Athena, known as Sherine, and the journey that brought her from Romania's orphanage to Beirut to London. Athena's uncanny ability to foresee the future has earned her the nickname 'The Witch of Portobello.' Engaging and philosophical, Paulo Coelho's novel will challenge readers to reconsider their views on love, passion, happiness, and selflessness.