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[0] checkbox [#] position [cover] cover [author] author Coelho, Paulo * [isbn] isbn 1101874082 [isbn13] isbn13 9781101874080 [asin] asin [num pages] num pages 272 pp [avg rating] avg rating 2.98 [num ratings] num ratings 14,222 [date pub] date pub Apr 2014 [date pub (ed.)] date pub edition Aug 19, 2014 [rating] Elise's rating 5 of 5 stars [my rating] my rating 1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars add to shelves [review] review I am reluctant to admit how deeply I connected with Linda, since so many readers seem to have written her off as shallow and petty. But, title of the I am reluctant to admit how deeply I connected with Linda, since so many readers seem to have written her off as shallow and petty. But, title of the book aside, her affair (which was perhaps shallow and petty), to me, was a very, very minor part of a beautifully written story. The affair itself was really a platform for Coelho to explore the great human condition of loneliness. That is what I connected to. In Linda, I see a woman who followed society's rules perfectly. She performed the way she was expected to - secure career, routine family life, proper social engagements, well-dressed and well-groomed, right home in the right neighborhood. She recognizes joy in her mothering, has moments of fulfillment in her work, but is underwhelmed by life in her 30s and has grown to feel disconnected from her husband and friends. I don't think Linda's "perfect life" is a reason to dismiss her as a serious character. I felt Coelho created her with a "perfect life" to expose a very real truth about modern society - that it is so easy to project perfection (think social media - which I thought he directly alluded to in Linda's refusal to take a camera paragliding with her and her remembrance of her father telling her that her experiences can't fit in a snapshot and she should take pictures with her heart), so easy to compare ourselves to others' projections of perfection, but to be empty and lonely and even dead on the inside. His ending was beautiful and moving and actually brought me to tears. She connects to God (described as the hand that created the world she experiences while paragliding), she accepts that her experience is her's and does not need to be understood or validated by others to make it meaningful, and in a bittersweet way she understands that she can love her husband and still be lonely because they can feel & live through the same experiences SO differently. As someone who struggles deeply with perfectionism and loneliness, Coelho's story felt like a brilliant, poetic weaving of how the two go hand and hand. Only in accepting her imperfections was she able to connect with her husband, her world, humanity and relieve a bit of the loneliness. Perhaps adultery was a risky topic to base this story on. But seeing past the affair, a minor part of the book, we see a woman beginning to appreciate a life she has previously taken for granted, allowing her to deepen her connection with herself and her loved ones. Living through the consequences of some bad decisions - hopefully not as dramatic as adultery - seems to be a primary way that we develop the humility it takes to accept our life and connect with those we are blessed to have in it. ...more [notes] notes Notes are private! [recommender] recommender none [comments] comments 0 [votes] votes 0 [read count] # times read 1 [date started] date started not set [date read] date read Mar 28, 2015 [date added] date added Mar 28, 2015 [date purchased] date purchased [owned] owned [purchase location] purchase location [condition] condition [format] format Hardcover [29] actions view (with text) [title] 
title Adultery
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