A Novel of Temptation (P.S.) - The Devil and Miss Prym

I have read the Alchemist and 11 Minutes, and read the summaries of some of the

other stories, such as Veroncia Decides to Die. All have good life lessons, BUT has

anyone noticed that the lead female characters seem to be either heavily depressed,

only able to make a living selling them selves, or easily swayed into doing evil? But

the character in the Alchemist, is a boy and he is successful, smart, and he is to

pursue his dreams above all else, while his future wife sits at home in the desert

doing nothing? I really, enjoyed the message and all the hidden symbolism in Coelho; books, but I could not help noticing that he really lowers a woman's status in the process. And out of respect for the Women in his own country of Brazil

and South America, there are many many successful women. And men who recognize this and find it admirable.(yes, i have been to South America, Brazil and Chile, Argentina)

Coelho is one of my favorite writers; The Alchemist is one of my favorite books (ever). However, he really dropped the ball with The Devil and Miss Prym. I've read 11 Minutes (and judge it a 3.5 out of 5), By the River Piedra (4 of 5), The Pilgrimage (4), The Zahir (4.5), Veronika (4)--so you can tell that I love the man and (most of his books). But this one I'm not even going to finish; there are too many great books waiting to be read. I threw Fifth Mountain away after trying to get into it (if you're really, really Christian, or Jewish, maybe it will do something for you) and I'll return this one to the library having read only one-third of it.

Unlike most other Coelho books, the story is overly contrived, but, more importantly, its characters are lifeless. The characters seem like apparitions of real characters, and this is a weakness almost unknown for Coelho.

I'm not sure what he wanted to achieve with this book, but I hope his next one reads more like his previous novels.

I love Paulo Coelho. He really hits a homerun with his literary skills. This particular book is more introspective; hence some people could fid themselves slightly bored. But as with any good novel, it's what the reader puts into it that allows something to be taken away. That's the way this book is.

Loved this book. I had read 'the alchemist' first and loved that book as well, so I gave this a try. Coelho has a way of teaching without preaching. Dialogue is fun, the characters are interesting, and I couldn't put the book down. a very satisfying read

in essence, my belief of human beings is this: they are basically good and evil. which this book confirms, considering a long shot. it's a fast read, and really a thinker-book, Coelho goes into deep imagination, and limits himself to no limit. but i wasn't fully satisfied, something was missing, probably a love story, or a stronger will from Chantal to get off the town.

After reading the Alchemist (which was recommeneded to me by four people) I wanted to read more by this author. This is the best book I have read in a while! It made me reflect on human nature and will stick with me for years to come. The book explores whether people are naturally good or evil. I was drawn in from the beginning and stayed interested until the conclusion. It is a quick and thought proviking read. I then read Veronika Decides to Die. That was also a good book. I just ordered three more of his books, he is a facinating author.

This book has three main faults. First, the "Stranger" who comes to town to test the villagers' morality is totally inconsistent. One minute he wants them to pass the "test," the next minute he wants them to fail ... and you get the impression that the author doesn't even notice. Thus, the Stranger says initially that "if I leave the village with my eleven gold bars intact"---i.e., if the murder does not take place---"then everything I wanted to believe in will have proved to be a lie. I will die having received an answer I would rather not have received, because I would find life more acceptable if I were proved right and the world is evil." (In other words, he wants the world to be evil.) But midway throught the book, he tells Miss Prym that "If compassion exists"---i.e., again if the murder does not take place---"I will accept that fate was harsh with me, but that sometimes it can be gentle with others. That...will drive away the devil that's always with me and give me some hope." (That is, he wants the world to be good.) He spends the rest of the book waffling between these two extremes. This could be intentional, but it is written so clumsily that it really just seems like sloppy writing (and thinking) on Coelho's part.

Second, Miss Prym rails against the cowardice of the villagers for 150 pages; she and the Stranger both reflect at length on how people are ruled by their fears, and what a pity this is, and if people would only stop acting out of cowardice, how much better the world would be, etc.; but then she is suddenly blessed with a revelation from angels that will save everyone---and what is this revelation? A blatant appeal to the villagers' cowardice! "If you take the gold, you'll be investigated & thrown in jail!" This is the angelic message? Miss Prym is simply manipulating the villagers' fear. The town doesn't choose to do good; it merely loses its incentive to do evil as the promise of riches turns into the threat of certain prosecution. Thus the disgust she felt with human cowardice at the beginning of the novel is completely inconsistent with the peace of mind she feels at the end.

Third, if the Stranger were ever in earnest about his challenge, then at this point (when Miss Prym alerts the villagers to the money complications) he would immediately offer to go to the bank himself, and exchange the gold for them. Instead he says nothing. But surely he wanted to see what they would do with the promise of real wealth before them? He didn't come all the way to that remote village to test their savvy against modern bank security.

The plot is therefore faulty: Coelho tries to show some truth about human nature, but all he has really shown is the nature of currency-exchange safeguards. (I didn't need a book to tell me that people won't commit murder for no money: I could have figured that out all by myself.) But what's annoying is that he still tries to pass it off as a Deep Study Of The Human Spirit. He would be a mere hack but he makes himself a quack. His book is too self-contradictory to have any real theme; it's just a feel-good experience for those who aren't really paying attention.

Thought provoking, riveting and powerfully written. I've had it for months where it was alternately sitting on my bookshelf or nightstand. I finally decided to read it, choosing from among dozens also waiting to be read and then left it for several more days in the living room. I finally got to it and feel renewed and refocused on enjoying life, being thankful and not letting FEAR torment me. It came to me to be read right when I needed it, reaffirming the messages in the book, thank you. An empowering and enjoyable, highly recommended read.

one of the best descriptions of the human condition I ever read. Direct, interesting, full of examples, and instead of trying to have a manicheistic end, leaves to the reader the conclusion. This is what is brillant in this new Coelho title - no easy solutions, but at the same time no complicated pseudo-philososophical speculation. It is up to us to use self-control to avoid some natural human destructive instincts

"The Devil and Miss Prym" is a thought provoking book. Talks about coexistance of good and evil in human nature and how life circumstances can change us each time into either good or a bad people. Talks about how religion and politics can rule humanity over fear. Virtue is one of fear's faces.

For me, a deep thought provoking book stays with me for at least a few days or even weeks after I've read it as I think about the story and the questions raised. I liked this book and it's a fast read but it's not a book that stayed in my thoughts for more than a day after I finished it. Maybe it's just me.

After loving The Alchemist (worth five stars), I bought a few other books by Coelho, hoping that I would be equally inspired. Alas, I haven't found it yet. While The Devil and Miss Prym is better than The Pilgrammage (I'd rate that one at a one or two), it still lacks the hopeful and positive spirit of The Alhemist. The stories within the story are good and the writing is clear.