The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels

I found Paulo Coelho's The Valkyries a bit of an enigma. I suspect the author at least partly intended it to be so. In a nutshell, the author seeks to discover new aspects of his psyche, to develop new angles on his existing skills. After a consultation with his mentor, he and his wife set off for a jaunt in the Mojave Desert to find what it is that they seek. Our author is in engaged in a quest, a search for his personal Angel. The reader, I am sure, will be convinced from the start that she accompanied him throughout.

They wander off in full sun one day, take their clothes off (for some reason) and have to be rescued by Gene, who has seen it all before. He reassures the travellers that they will find their valkyries. And they do. They turn out to be a band of leather-clad women on motorbikes, ladies who have profound mystic powers which they practise amidst their regular partying.

I was a bit perplexed by the narrator who claimed to have trained as an engineer in one breath and then discussed the existence of the universe in terms of ancient Greek elements. I suspect that the high performance motorbikes relied on a rather more complex analysis of matter. But honing the skills of a magus apparently requires the application of ancient knowledge, no matter how wrong, whatever the context. And sure enough the revelations come flooding in and lives are duly transformed. I have just a suspicion that there is something in the observation that no matter what one does with reality, spirituality is necessarily a personal experience, its significance purely internal, even when shared with others.

The Valkyries has all the Paulo Coelho elements. There are short scenes presented in a variety of literary shorthand. The text is suffused with magic, religiosity and self-realisation set in an earthly medium. It's a quick and easy read but ultimately a satisfying one, even for someone like myself, who cannot suspend belief long enough to share in the book's experiences.

But Paulo Coelho is a magus and a magician of the highest order. He has sold over 90 million books and, as a writer myself, I will read more of his books in the hope that I might discover his magus touch, his waft of a wand that will reveal his secret. Even without sympathy for the detail, it's a lovely, rhythmic read.

disappointing (1/1 people found this helpful)

I was disappointed with this story. I found it in places to be hard going and quite repetitive. There was definately morals to be found and it was thought provoking as with all his other books but something was lacking for me with this one. I would recommend that someone read it but there are other books in his series that are worth a look first.....

Not Very Impressed (2/2 people found this helpful)

I was expecting this book to be as thought-provoking and meaningful as some of Paulo's other books but it fell far short. The idea of searching for your angel and meeting wild women in the desert to help with this quest was a great concept but I think the way the whole story played out was very wishy-washy and not riveting at all. I appreciate that it was a true story and that it was written in such a way as to portray the journey as it transpired in it's true entirety but I found myself completely unmoved by it. I particularly found Paulo's arrogance off-putting in the sense that he kept referring to himself as a great magus and seemed to undermine others who were not privy to a certain type of knowledge, when spirituality can be sought in many different ways, and not with such an ego. I personally wouldn't recommend this book though I highly recommend The Alchemist and Veronika Decides to Die, 2 of Paulo Coelho's books which I highly rate. Unfortunately, not this one though.

Not in the same league (10/12 people found this helpful)

A semi-autobiographical novel by Coelho with the usual themes of personal growth and spirituality set in the American desert. It's the third Coelho book I have read, and I must admit I did not enjoy it as much as the other two. Perhaps the fact the author is writing directly about his own incredible experiences rather than that of fictional characters dampens his style? Nonetheless it is a book worth reading and a remarkable tale, just not quite as good as some of his others.

not too many flowers blooming in this desert. (14/18 people found this helpful)

Although I read the whole book in one day, I would say that the characyters are one dimensional and some interesting adventures are glossed over...I hated the sermonising tone of the epilogue. It lacks the tenderness of 'The Alchemist', and if you're looking for a book that deals with the issues of mysticism, deserts, spiritual testing and motorbikes, you should check out Boston Teran's excellent 'God is a Bullet' instead.

The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels

Paulo Coelho

Reader Reviews:

A review of The Valkyries by Paulo Coelho (0/0 people found this helpful)

disappointing (1/1 people found this helpful)

Not Very Impressed (2/2 people found this helpful)

Not in the same league (10/12 people found this helpful)

not too many flowers blooming in this desert. (14/18 people found this helpful)

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