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    Brida
    Brida
    Brida
    Audiobook5 hours

    Brida

    Written by Paulo Coelho

    Narrated by Linda Emond

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Brida, a young Irish girl, has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her to trust in the goodness of the world, and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch.

    This enthralling novel incorporates themes that fans of Paulo Coelho will recognize and treasure. It is a tale of love, passion, mystery, and spirituality from the master storyteller.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 24, 2008
    ISBN9780061702280
    Brida
    Author

    Paulo Coelho

    Paulo Coelho is the author of The Alchemist, he was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Being the author of 30 books that have sold over 320 million copies in 170 countries, he has become one of the most widely read authors in the world today. Paulo Coelho is the recipient of over 115 awards and honours, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Grinzane Cavour Book Award and the Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur, to name a few.

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    Reviews for Brida

    3.5/5

    675 ratings29 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 5/5
      I loved it. This was definitely a great book..
    • 4/5
      This was an amazing book, Im surprised it caught my attention from the start. It all falls down to the point of respecting yourself, believing and having faith in everything.

      Everything we do needs our ultimate attention to really live the moment and experience the full potentials of the moment and that is by indulging all of our 5 senses.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful book. I just recently started to read Paulo Coelho and I like the teachings that he incorporates in his books. I would most definitely recommend it.
    • 5/5
      Very nice narration. Story is marvelous. Paulo pull every essence of expressions.
    • 5/5
      The way she is searching for more and going for it. That feeling that all humans experience.
    • 5/5
      I really Loved it, so deep and should not missed.
    • 3/5
      Rating: 2 1/2 stars

      Brida is… interesting. I’ve read a few books that are translations from the original language or dialect, but this is the first time I’ve read a work of fiction that was a translation and it just felt… awkward? It’s been a few weeks since I’ve finished reading Brida and I’m still trying to figure out if my feeling of awkwardness comes from the translation or Coelho’s writing style.

      All that being said, Brida is an intriguing character as she is a young woman who simply decides that she wants to be a witch. The story starts off with her quest to find the Magus, a potential teacher/mentor for her to follow on the path of the sun, a spiritual path open to those who choose to study witchcraft. The Magus, however, realizes that the path of the sun is not Brida’s destiny but that she is, in fact, his soul mate. The Magus points her in the direction of Wicca, a teacher of the path of the moon, which seems to fit Brida better on a spiritual level.

      Brida takes an interesting approach to the world of magic be enveloping it in to organized religion and taking it beyond Wiccan culture. The paths of the sun and moon are described as paths to God. The book is a discussion of the “meaning of life” through Brida’s decision to become a witch. She learns to dance to the music of the world, use all five of her senses simultaneously, and ultimately get the most out of life. She goes through a crisis of “faith” or two and doubts her abilities and life choices. Overall, though, I think I was ultimately disappointed because it was about an extraordinary subject but just felt so ordinary and scatter-brained.
    • 3/5
      I am more of a have my two feet on the ground person, so this twilight zone stuff does not click with me. This book does contain some passages of life observations with a certaibn wisdom that one might like to underline. However, as there was little to the plot the plot (a chonical of self-discovery when learning how to be a witch), the most I can say is that I finished it--with some effort towards the end. Overall, the book seemed a bit of nonsense and rather simplistic in execution.
    • 4/5
      After having read several of Paulo Coelho books, Brida is my favorite by far. Combining elements of magical realism with character development and prose that somehow feels more non-fiction than fiction, Brida is the story of a young woman slowly coming to the realization that she is a witch through the study of the Tradition of the Sun and the Tradition of the Moon. She finds her way with the guidance of two teachers, a magus who teachers her to trust in the goodness of the world, and a witch who teaches her to dance to the music of the world. I found much to love about the book, that is until the last few pages. In typical Coelho style, the ending is as anti-climactic and ambiguous as the rest of the book is engaging and delightful. For this reason, i give it 4/5 stars.
    • 3/5
      This book makes you think about relationships, magic and love.It is not nearly what The Alchemist was, but is an easy and good read.Being the story of a woman on a journey of self-discovery, who finds spirituality through magic, this book provides some guidance to those seeking a "Christ-Witch" path.
    • 5/5
      Love, love, love! As all of the books I've read by Coelho have, this one hit all of the right chords for me. The story of a woman on a search for what spirituality is and can be, what form her relationships should take, and the exploration of mysticism in today's world... they were perfectly paired with the concepts of uncertainty and growth.I appreciated the various mentors that came into Brida's life, proving that no one person can be everything for us. No one teacher can explain everything. No one love should be expected to fulfill us. Her experiences showed that momentary love is just as important to personal growth as is lasting and domestic love.The mix of mysticism and Christianity is rare in writing today, and I thoroughly appreciated the way that this juxtaposition was portrayed. Nothing wrong, working jointly, and to the betterment of all those who seek this path.
    • 4/5
      I have been drawn to Paulo Coelho's writing since reading "The Alchemist," and "Aleph." "Brida" did not disappoint. It is a book which I consider to be spiritual; but I can well see how someone else may call it a romance or a book about witchcraft. If you were to summarize it in one sentence it'd have to be that the book is about finding yourself and your place in the world.
    • 3/5
      Anyone who has read Paulo Coelho knows that his stories are often fantastical tales that center on the mysteries of the spirit. Brida is the story of a woman on a journey of self-discovery who finds spirituality through magic. There were some definite surprises in this book. For example, sex is used as a means of obtaining spiritual power. After having read his explanation in the afterword I guess I can understand where he was going with that but it was a bit of a shock to the system when I actually read it in the context of the story. Without giving too much away I can say that there are two different sides to the 'magical coin': The Tradition of the Moon and the Tradition of the Sun. By studying either of these the individual is opening themselves up to God and all that He created. I liked it but in my opinion The Alchemist was far and away more powerful. If you're interested in his take on magic vs spirituality vs religion then I encourage you to give this book a try but if you're only reading it because you liked The Alchemist (oops) then you might be in for a shock.
    • 5/5
      On the surface, the is the story of Brida and her quest to learn magic. I’m sure there are as many interpretations of this book as there are readers, but I read it as the story of a young woman trying to find love and her place in the world. Along the way she has to make some tough decisions about who she loves and what place love has in her life as it becomes filled with her focus on magic.This book is like 1Q84 in many ways. Both are translated fiction. Both are magical realism. And both were like nothing else I’ve ever read in so many good ways. If you told me I’d like these books before I knew I liked them, but after I knew what they were like, I would tell you that you were crazy and that they were sure to be too literary. They are literary and they share with the classics a resonating exploration of human nature. However, Brida is practical and intelligent and fits the plain, down-to-earth narration perfectly. Although she discusses big concepts, she wonders about them in a way that is relatable rather than too literary. We learn about her hopes and dreams and feelings in such a way that she can’t be too literary. She’s just a girl with questions we all wonder about from time to time.The magic lends the novel a surrealness which, paired with our protagonists easy acceptance of the incredible, gave this book the delightful feel of a fable. I definitely don’t think the author has a moral in mind for you, but the book will give you much to consider as you draw your own conclusions. This was a beautiful novel that speaks to the deep human need to find love and to understand our purpose in life. Vicariously through Brida you’re able to experience one person’s path to doing just that. I loved it, loved it, cannot say enough times how much I loved this book. Just read it :)This review first published on Doing Dewey.
    • 3/5
      Wonderful Book
    • 5/5
      Although not familiar with a Wicca or a Magus, I became comfortably accepting of their presence in Brida's journey. Brida is a witch. She comes to the Wicca and the Magus to widen her circle of wisdom and knowledge. Her growth path became exciting and stimulated my imagination. Paulo Coelho easily strengthens those without understanding not to fear but to take up a blue cloak of bravery and to dance in your aura.I especially enjoyed his call to nature. I know with more surety that the sky, flowers, meadows are God's free gift to me. All I have to do is drink it in. Shame can not keep us from experiencing it. Mistakes can not keep us from experiencing it because shame, mistakes are all a part of the goblet we must drink from without hesitation to enjoy the dance of life.Nothing is bad in life. All is good that comes to us.I loved the part where Brida dances naked. She's totally free and unashamed welcoming love into her life. In Brida. Love is shared in one way or another page by page. When Brida dances without inhibition she is welcoming love. Love is "the bridge to the visible and the invisible".As for the Magus, he will meet his soul mate again and again through the magical turning of the universe. So Brida had to leave and return to her other soul mate, Lorens. I was afraid to read Brida. I started it. Then, restarted it. I had to relax my mind, body and spirit. Then, the story just flowed. I read it with a sense of peace. I think it is impossible to read Paulo Coelho with an anxious spirit. His novel, Brida, definitely can not be read with a spirit of hate or bitterness. It must be read with a spirit of 'I will accept what is here.' This is not difficult because his hand is open with generosity to feed your spirit just as the Wicca and the Magus fed Brida.I feel more bravery now after reading Brida. I feel more self acceptance, and "That's a good thing." I feel reading Brida will help me find my rightful gift. The author encouraged me by writing every person has a special gift. That gift is an instrument to be used for God's glory. I am looking forward to my next journey inside myself with this author, Paulo Coelho.
    • 2/5
      Made me realize that I should have stuck with The Alchemist (and possibly Onze Minutes). Coelho is confused.
    • 2/5
      This book was a huge disappointment. I always hesitated to read it, but didn't know why. Now I do. Yes, Coelho is a skilled writer. Beautiful phrases, great one-liners too... BUT: a book about witchcraft, witches, the traditions of moon and sun, a character called Wicca and not even one time the goddess is mentioned?! The god that is talked about is not the pagan god. I'm sorry to say, but this story has nothing to do with witchcraft as I know it.
    • 1/5
      because of the Tradition of the Moon you can geuss the interior of a shop window? Either this book is too deep for me or it is just all made up and makes no sense. I usuallly love his books but this is not one I woudl recommened.
    • 3/5
      I picked up Brida because I am absolutely in love with The Alchemist, and I was a little disappointed. I thought Brida was a very good book, but it is much more heavy-handed in its life lessons, whereas The Alchemist doles out evenly along with story. All in all, it was a little more ethereal than my taste generally runs, but I still enjoyed the book.
    • 2/5
      I really liked this at first. It raised several questions I had never thought about before. Then it just became tiresome. It didn't move along at a very good pace and I found myself just wishing it would end. 
    • 2/5
      I seek out books where the story is set in Ireland, but I have to say that this book was a disappointment. All fluff, no substance.
    • 2/5
      Young girl is seeking for hers identity and she founds wicca as the way of life. There are information of wicca traditions and I have to seek for more of it in books of Scott Cunninghamn. Brida is written same way, what Cunninghamn tells in his books. I´m not sure what is the meaning of Coelho´s book. Is he telling us the tradition of wicca, or is he telling us the growing of young girl? Ofcourse finding your identity goes in a way Coelho tells to his readers. In Brida´s life love, sexuality and other things exists. My opinion this book is very thin in it´s ideas. The wicca as motive is quite popular in the world and maybe this motive sells good. As a reading experiance the motive and plot is very thin.
    • 2/5
      I was always snotty about Paulo Coelho and I take it back, he's perfectly readable, even if he is no Turgenev - he's not a bad writer. Book very boring though, unless you're interested in magic, and even then it warns, that magic rituals are described out of context and must not be imitated, rather, tuition sought. So why waste the second two thirds on descriptions of magic rituals? It's fine, if not my bag especially, until then, then it gets boring. As I hadn't heard of it but I have many of his other books, and as the problem is the plot dead end, I imagine some of his other books are a good read, so try 'The Alchemist' or something.
    • 2/5
      a different kind of writer. a different style. but too much religious matters to be dealt with. while reading the book i had the uncertinity of the world of wicthcraft to explore. does it still exist. please somebody help me to find the answer.
    • 3/5
      I liked it, its a light read. The pacing is not that fast. As the author Paulo Coelho dwells more on life's stories and self discoveries. You will still find this an interesting read and learn something from the story as the characters are torn into decisions on goal-setting, destiny, love, responsibility.
    • 4/5
      This was a strange little book, a peculiar and sometimes flat story of a young woman seeking out two spiritual advisors on two not entirely different paths. It was a story of students and teachers, of searching, faith and soul mates. I've read some angry reviews over the mix of Wicca and Christianity used in this story, but I've known people who considered themselves to be following both paths, so that didn't throw me too much. This wasn't a wildly inspiring story or a page turner at all really, but it was still somehow a satisfying read in a way I can't quite put my finger on. One of the teachers in this story uses a technique with her student where she sets her focus, and then rambles on and on in a quiet and mundane manner, setting the student's mind adrift in a sort of hallucinatory meditation or scrying exercise. It seems that Coelho does the same for the reader with this book, setting up a few ideas and then pulling the reader gently through a quiet story while the subconscious is encouraged to wander. The book didn't leave me with any profound concepts, ideas or revelations, but then it hasn't really left me yet either. It was a strange but not at all unpleasant read.
    • 3/5
      Not nearly as brilliant as The Alchemist, I enjoyed Brida but left feeling disappointed after his Coehlo's brilliance in some of his other books. Brida is a young Irish woman on a quest to find her true self which leads her to the practice of Wicca and modern day witches. I suppose the point of the story was really about soul mates and true love but it didn't have the punch I was looking for.
    • 5/5
      At times it felt like I was reading about myself and my personal journey and the constant battles I encounter on staying on my path. All of Paulo books are written with compassion and insight which never ceases to touch my soul.