Veronika Decides to Die: A Novel of Redemption (P.S.)

SUMMARY: Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything -- youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning, she takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. But she does -- at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live. Inspired by events in Coelho’s own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity. In his latest international bestseller, the celebrated author of The Alchemist addresses the fundamental questions asked by millions: What am I doing here today? and Why do I go on living? Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything she could wish for: youth and beauty, plenty of attractive boyfriends, a fulfilling job, and a loving family. Yet something is lacking in her life. Inside her is a void so deep that nothing could possibly ever fill it. So, on the morning of November 11, 1997, Veronika decides to die. She takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting never to wake up. Naturally Veronika is stunned when she does wake up at Villete, a local mental hospital, where the staff informs her that she has, in fact, partially succeeded in achieving her goal. While the overdose didn't kill Veronika immediately, the medication has damaged her heart so severely that she has only days to live. The story follows Veronika through the intense week of self-discovery that ensues. To her surprise, Veronika finds herself drawn to the confinement of Villete and its patients, who, each in his or her individual way, reflect the heart of human experience. In the heightened state of life's final moments, Veronika discovers things she has never really allowed herself to feel before: hatred, fear, curiosity, love, and sexual awakening. She finds that every second of her existence is a choice between living and dying, and at the eleventh hour emerges more open to life than ever before. In Veronika Decides to Die, Paulo Coelho takes the reader on a distinctly modern quest to find meaning in a culture overshadowed by angst, soulless routine, and pervasive conformity. Based on events in Coelho's own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Poignant and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity.

twenty-three-year-old Veronika Seems To Have Everything She Could Wish For. She Goes To Popular Night Spots, Dates Attractive Men, And Has A Caring Family. Yet Something Is Lacking In Her Life. So On The Morning Of November 11, 1997, Veronika Decides To Die.

after She Awakens From An Overdose, Veronika Finds She Has Only Days To Live. The Story Follows Veronika Through Those Intense Days As, To Her Own Surprise, She Finds Herself Drawn Into The Enclosed World Of The Local Hospital She Is Staying In. In This Heightened State She Experiences Things She Has Never Allowed Herself To Feel: Hatred, Fear, Curiosity, Love, And Sexual Awakening. Gradually She Discovers That Every Second Of Her Existence Is A Choice Between Living And Dying. Paulo Coelho's veronika Decides To Die, Based On His Own Moving Personal Experience, Is About People Who Do Not Fit Into Patterns Society Considers To Be Normal. It Is About Madness And The Need To Find An Alternative Way Of Living For People Who Face Prejudices Because They Think In A Different Way. In veronika Decides To Die, Paulo Coelho Invites The Reader To Discover The World That Lies Outside The Routine And Addresses The Fundamental Question Asked By Millions: What Am I Doing Here Today? And Why Do I Go On Living?

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from The Celebrated Author Of The Best-seller the Alchemist, Comes A Very Interesting, Thought-provoking, And Gripping Work About One Woman's Search For Meaning In A World Ruled By Apathy And Indifference. Dazzlingly Complex, Full Of Lyrical Whisperings, And Confessional Asides, It Deals With The Most Fundamental Questions Of Life. The Ending Took Me By Surprise. So True In So Many Ways. Get This Book To Oprah.

“A highly original, moving, and ultimately life-affirming book.” – Sunday Mirror (London)Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything – youth and beauty, boyfriends and a loving family, a fulfilling job. But something is missing in her life. So, one cold November morning. She takes a handful of sleeping pills expecting to never wake up. But she does—at a mental hospital where she is told that she has only days to live.Inspired by events in Coelho's own life, Veronika Decides to Die questions the meaning of madness and celebrates individuals who do not fit into patterns society considers to be normal. Bold and illuminating, it is a dazzling portrait of a young woman at the crossroads of despair and liberation, and a poetic, exuberant appreciation of each day as a renewed opportunity. "Another of Coelho's spiritual journeys, this time by the 24-year-old protagonist who, after a failed suicide attempt, rediscovers in an insane asylum in Slovenia the preciousness and precariousness of life. Costa's translation is competent, but cannot save Coelho's novel from its by now familiar and conventionally inspirational tone and message"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58 SHE PICKED up the four packs of sleeping pills from her bedside table.