This is a dramatic story of love, life and death and shows us that life is only as good as you make it.  As with all Coelho’s novels it is written with sparing prose that is as ever cleverly crafted.

Synopsis

Veronika has everything she could wish for – young and pretty, with plenty of attractive boyfriends, a steady job, loving family. Yet Veronika is not happy and one winter's morning takes an overdose of sleeping pills, only to wake up some time later in the local hospital. There she is told that although she is alive, her heart is now irreparably damaged and she has only a few days to live…

This story follows her through these intense days as she starts question all her ideas about life. Soon she comes to realise that every second of existence is a choice we all make between living and dying. This is a moving and uplifting song to life, one that reminds us that every moment in our lives is special and precious

Reviews

'Coelho's writing is beautifully poetic…He gives me hope and puts a smile on my face.'
THE EXPRESS

'His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people.'
THE TIMES

About the Author

Paulo Coelho was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 1947. He attended law school there but abandoned his studies in 1970 to travel throughout Mexico, Peru, Bolivia and Chile, as well as Europe and North Africa.   Two years later he returned to Brazil and began writing popular music lyrics. After a brief imprisonment in 1974 for alleged subversive activities against the Brazilian government, Coelho worked for five years for the recording departments of Polygram and CBS. Between 1981 and 1986 he studied with the order of RAM, an ancient, religious Spanish society. Now a literary phenomenon, he has sold over 65 million books world-wide and has been translated into 60 languages. He has received numerous literary awards from a variety of countries and his books have become permanent fixtures on the bestseller lists of countries as diverse as Brazil, the UK, the USA, France, Italy, Germany and Greece.   Click here to download Paulo Coelho's podcasts about his books.   Author photo © Paul Macleod 2007   More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation