Book review- Brida by Paulo Coelho

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Who I Am

                                         
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Disclaimer- This book review is majorly a self-contemplation. The personalized meaning derived from the book vis-à-vis life experiences. The quotes are used directly from the book.

I read this title from Paulo Coelho in the year 2007. This is one of those novels which retained a peculiar outgrowth of my contemplation scrutinizing life and its very purpose. And I found this book when my life was about to take a 360-degree change. It was during those times when I had to decide the course(in the literal sense) of my life this book became a navigation guide. I had left it to destiny to render me the alternative to begin forward. It was either postgraduate in microbiology or Masters in Business Administration. It does not matter what I opted for, the point is... this book became an anchor to hold me during those disorganized transition junctures of my life. This book confirmed faith in the "magic of life" and solidified the thought of "living the life" as it presents… one-day-at-a-time.

This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search directs her to people of great wisdom, who begin to teach Brida about the spiritual world. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her about overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world; and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and how to pray to the moon. 

As Brida seeks her destiny, she strives to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become something in life. This enthralling novel incorporates themes of love, passion, mystery, and spirituality from the champion storyteller.

To me, this book is about exploring and seeking out life, discovering to connect with one’s truest self, finding one’s soulmate in life, and feeling "complete". It’s not the story in itself as much as its elements – the progression of the human soul, with all its elements (feelings, memories, experiences, people around us, thoughts, actions, choices) through time, is portrayed like a charcoal sketch – black and white, stark, with elements of the distinct unknown in various shades.

This book (read thrice since 2017) always bestows me a buffer to de-stress a bit when all uproar of this earthly chore whack my head and heart, it grants me substance to introspect my thought process. Each read prompts me to find answers to questions like "who I am" and "what is my place in the world".

Few of the selections of my liking from this book- 
"Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day."
"When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are the tools God uses to show us the way."
"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle."



Comments

  1. Stuti GaurMarch 27, 2021 at 9:56 AM

    Nice👍🏻

    ReplyDelete
  2. Capt SangwanMarch 28, 2021 at 10:19 AM

    Dear Ekta,
    As you have quoted that personally you have experienced those tough times when you are at decision making point this book helped you in understanding the entire concept of life and to take the things as it comes in your stride. I believe that couple of sayings such as nothing is completely wrong and even a stopped clock is right twice a day. secondly once you find your path one should not be afraid of disappointments and failures because these are the tools of God to show you the path. I can correlate these instances and words directly with my life when we were undergoing the training for the mission mount Everest and at couple of times I felt that it's becoming difficult due to restricted mobility. but once again I believed that if I had to do it, then I must be ready to pass any test any hardship, any hurdle, any pain in my journey. these motivating words kept me moving hard and ensured through god's will then I am selected in the final team while being trained for the the expedition. there were certain critics also which we all felt incorrect at that time, but once again the words that everything cannot be wrong always and that even a stopped clock is correct twice a day helped me in understanding viewpoint of the critics and ultimately helped in improving aur performance. I am glad you have chosen this wonderful book of Paulo Coelho in your blog and given us an opportunity to correlate and contemplate our real life situations with the story in the novel. god bless you. keep fighting and writing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ekta | wisdomektaMarch 28, 2021 at 10:25 AM

      Your life is itself an inspiration. Thank you for sharing the life incident, sir. 🙏🏼 keep checking the blog for new posts.

      Delete

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