About this title: This gripping and daring new novel by the author of the million copy bestseller "The Alchemist" sensitively explores the sacred nature of sex and love and invites readers to confront their own prejudices and demons.
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Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. 2006-Paperback----Used-Acceptable-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Very Good. 0060589280 **Softcover**--Exact ISBN Match--Mild shelf wear. No personalizations, writing or marks in the text. Absolutely no spine creasing. Ships Quickly-IN STOCK-Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 3/29/2005
ISBN-13:9780060589288ISBN:0060589280
Description: Fine. 0060589280 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Perennial
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780060589288ISBN:0060589280
Description: Good. Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall; Good Softcover w/average shelfwear, some shelf smudging. Some edge/spine wear/chips. Text free of notes, binding good. Mar on front cover from sticker removal. A couple of ink spots on back cover. Confirmation on all Domestic Orders! read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
"I am a huge fan of Paulo Coelho; his novel The Witch of Portobello is one of my favorite books, and The Alchemist is one of the books I can't keep in my possession because I keep lending it out. So when I ran out of books half-way through my trip to Indianapolis, this book was an obvious choice.
Eleven Minutes is the story of Maria, a young woman from Brazil working as a prostitute in Switzerland. The story utilizes Maria's relationship with love and sex to explore the spectrum of sexual relations from banal and punishing to sacred and loving sex. I must admit, I do not agree with some of Coelho's final assertions. Despite providing some sex positive examples of prostitution, sado-masochism, and alternative sexual acts, Coelho's final message ends up being the same hetero-normative, sexually conservative, love-is-the-answer drivel that is paraded everywhere. The only difference in Coelho's work is the notation that sex can be a good thing, sex can be sacred. He even offers, briefly, an example of "sacred prostitution"; however, this high point is quickly dismissed as no longer existing, and the good sex = love point is driven home once more.
Overall, while I disagreed with the final message, Eleven Minutes did make me think. While far from perfect, it does offer some beautiful prose, and the first paragraph may just beone of my all time favorite book openers."
"This could possibly be the single worst book I have ever read and what made it worse is that three people, three people I actually enjoy, all men, of course, "loved" this book. Besides, the juvenile writing and the overuse of dictionary.com's thesaurus, let's look at the plot. A young brazilian girl (every man's sick fantasy, point one) is duped into sex slavery in europe, who cares what country it is there are no distinguishing descriptive features given by the author, that would involve you in the place anyway. Yet, somehow instead of being horrified, scared and violated, she is indifferent, "o the hell with it" and gets philosophical. So philosophical, she can prostitute for a sociopathic sadist and feel honored and enlightened (another sick fantasy, point two). Then she falls in love, in an unattached, hard to believe and unlikely fashion with some generic painter and they have tantra-esque sex moments, until they finally get it on and have the best sex of her life(sick fantasy, point three) and how do they do it, by bending her over an end table, for like ten seconds (sick fantasy, point four). Best sex? Unlikely. So this "novel" if one can call it that is little more than a bad sex book, looking for a tingling in the loins? You'd get more satisfaction from lady chatterley's lover written eons ago and you'd get a good story between jacking off. I hope this ridiculous male chauvinist of an author stops thinking he can write from the perspective of a raped young woman and moves on. It's insulting."
"Some of my friends were raving about Coelho's "The Alchemist"; however, my first encounter with his writing is this book. I'm a little bit disappointed, though, because I expected more.
My friends said that Coelho writes simple topics but with philosophies that could give new meanings on the subject--and some enhancement to the readers. I do agree on the philosophical thingy, but for my point of view, it doesn't quite fit in this book.
Maria, the prostitute who became the main character in this book, is too sophisticated--way too sophisticated and too philosophical to the point of sounding false. Although the first part was engaging enough when Coelho describing Maria's desperate life in the small village in Brazil, he became too preachy when he started to explain the reasons of why Maria finally ended up being a prostitute, with the many false justifications on the many things she decided or thought of, including on the spiritual side.
I could just say that Coelho did a fine research, though, on the sexual subject."
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