(Book 52 from 1001 books) - O Demônio e a Srta. Prym = The Devil And Miss Prym, Paulo CoelhoThe Devil and Miss Prym is a novel by Paulo Coelho, first published in Brazil in 2000. For almost fifteen years, old Berta had spent every day sitting outside, watching over the little village of Viscos and talking with her deceased husband. She is waiting for the devil to come, as her husband predicted. One day a stranger with a tragic past arrives with the intention of staying one week in the village an...

This is one of those books where “this book was about ___,” is not nearly as important as “this book made me think about ___.” And because of the book’s popularity, you probably already know what it’s about anyway. If not, here’s a refresher: it’s about the battle between good and evil. There are angels and devils, a rogue wolf, an arms dealer, a bar wench and it all takes place in a rural community, purportedly in Brazil. I’ve read some critiques of this book and one of the complaints I keep se...

To be honest I got lost when reading this book. I don't understand what is the essence of the story.But this book is better than the 'by the riviere piedra i sat down and cry'. After reading this book of him (the 4th book that I read), I decided to stop buying his book. He created a master piece, the alchemist, but that's it. The other books are not even close to it. So rather than keep dissappointing and spending money for nothing, I better read other writers' books.Au revoir M Coelho!

I just love, love, loveee this book. My 4th re-read and each time I never failed to be amazed the message delivered in the book. There is no straightforward answer as to whether human beings are good or bad, but instead it is a matter of individual choice. In terms of conclusions about Good and Evil, its up to the reader to decide. It would seem the way a reader see the subject of God and religion will determine the conclusion.

Billed as a novel of temptation, it is about a small town and a man who has lost everything (a la Job) who offers the villagers money to murder someone in an attempt to answer the question once and for all, are humans inherently evil or good? about half way through, i stopped to inform the author that no matter what he wrote, i still believed that people were inherently good, and that the majority of us would not commit murder for money.the struggle was realistic; there are all sorts of reasons

I really don’t like Paulo Coelho’s books, at least not the ones I read. While he obviously has a good writing style, his writing is too didactic/moralistic. It’s like he is a teacher who wants his students to understand a point and writes a book to explain it. Some people might like it, but for me there really is too little interesting to like.

*WARNING FOR SPOILERS*Are human beings inherently good or evil? "The Devil and Miss Prym: A Novel of Temptation," by famed author Paulo Coelho, is intended to be an exploration of this theme, with various legends introduced into the conversation throughout the book. One of these legends involves a man traveling with his horse and dog when he is struck by lightning and killed. Not realizing he is dead, the man continues his walk, but eventually the group becomes thirsty. They come across a gatewa...

I'm going to be honest...I didn't like this book one bit! I don't know if it's just that I dislike Coelho's writing style in general, the translation (Spanish), or if it's just the particular books that I have chosen to read from this author (The Alchemist). When i read the short summary in the back of the book and also some general reviews I thought I was in for a treat about a struggle between good and evil tied in with some suspense or some drama. It had the morality struggle but I found that...

The Devil and Miss Prym was published in 2000, but it reads like a morality play from the 16th century. The basic premise is that a stranger comes to a small town. He speaks to Miss Prym, the local barmaid and tells her his plan. He wishes to offer the villagers enough gold to improve their lot for generations. All they have to do is murder one of their own. How the villagers choose will answer for the stranger whether people are basically good or basically evil. Miss Prym struggles with whether...

The small village of Viscos is dying. All the young have moved to the city, leaving middle-aged shepherds and farmers with a hotel dependent on seasonal tourists. Then a stranger comes to town with the devil who old Berta can only see. The stranger invites Chantal Prym a waitress at the tavern for a walk in the woods. He shows her two burial spots—one contains a single bar of gold, the other ten bars. It is a test for the town, and Chantal is the one he has chosen to offer the town the gold. The...

I never know just what to think when reading Paulo Coelho. In a way, his books remind me of Aesop's Fables just expanded. This book is actually more enjoyable when compared to his more popular book, The Alchemist. The characters are fun and quirky, the subject matter is grittier, and you get a greater sense of the culture.Thinking of the culture, it reminds me of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez. I liked the book. It has many "truths" in it, but I didn't love it.

Three stars, just. It's an intriguing story and I was curious how it would play out. But it is also a story that tells us what the moral is, in detail, and then spoon feeds it to the reader. There's this whole angel/devil battle for the souls of humans going on here, and it became rather trite. Fear is also a big player in this story, and while I am not immune to fear I believe that it doesn't so much keep us from doing evil, but is more likely to keep us from doing good. The characters' reactio...

I loved each and every page.

Not as great as The Alchemist, a bit naive plot with religious overtones. It is a sentimental novel that tries to explore the notion of good and evil. Not very deep. It is a fast read, and the language is simple and without over exaggeration.

Paulo writing has a unique air to it. He picks up a perfect situation like we do in physics or maths and define a phenomenon over it. Like a proof under perfect conditions. Even if the conditions are perfect that proof hold under all conditions.This book was 201 pages of philosophical proof that "it is all matter of control and choice. Nothing more. Nothing less" horrible, unkind and unfathomable things happen they happen to many but it is what we do in their response is what that defines us peo...

Where do I even begin with this book? A range of adjectives come to my mind, the most favorable being boring and bland, and the strongest patronizing and utterly exasperating.I could not read it for entertainment, because the plot line is so predictable. If you want to read about a village killing an old woman, go read The Lottery, which is extremely haunting and a staple in the curriculum at least in North America. It also has the benefit of being a short story, so you wouldn't have to suffer t...

Reading this novel was like reading an allegorical tale. The moralistic element of the novel is quite very obvious because I guess that is exactly the purpose of this novel. Though the story makes use of familiar symbolical meanings and archetypes, the story as well as the characters are fully developed.

2.5 ★sThe Devil and Miss Prym is the third book in the On the Seventh Day series by Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho. It is translated into English by Amanda Hopkinson and Nick Caistor. As old Berta sits on her verandah watching, a stranger arrives in the town of Viscos, a man who comes to stay a week, and brings the devil. Chantal Prym, barmaid at the only hotel in town, is intrigued when the stranger wants to show her something in the woods. The gold bar buried near the Y shaped stone would let

Are humans naturally good or bad? We all struggle with the same question every single day in our daily dealings with people. Between angels and demons, people who help us and those who hurt us, we still cannot find the answer.Chantal Prym is stuck in one man's struggle to justify his loss and his wager with the devil. It all falls on her shoulders to not only save her village, prevent her people from committing a crime they have deemed justifiable, but to bring back the light of angels and defea...

Life can seem either very long or very short , according to how you live it . Paulo 💙🙏