Eleven Minutes: From the Bestselling Author of The Alchemist (P.S.)

“One of Coelho’s strongest.”—Kirkus Reviews“The book casts a curiously sweet spell.”—Entertainment WeeklyFrom the author of beloved international bestseller The Alchemist, a daring philosophical novel that explores the sacred nature of sex and love and invites us to confront our own prejudices and demons.In this poignant coming of age story, Eleven Minutes tells the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that “love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer.” A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune, yet ends up working as a prostitute.In Geneva, Maria’s despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this spiritual journey and odyssey of self-discovery, Maria must choose between pursuing a path of darkness—sexual pleasure for its own sake—or risking everything to find her own inner light and the possibility of true love.“Sensual . . . [An] adults-only fairly tale.”—Washington Post“[This] Brazilian wizard makes books disappear from stores.”—The New York Times Read more