Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Veronika Decides to Die
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Veronika Decides to Die (Paperback)

by Paulo Coelho (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


2 new from £2.60
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 25 used & new from £0.42
Paperback (Film Tie-in Ed) £7.99 £4.97 79 used & new from £0.01
Paperback (Large Print) Order it used

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept

By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept

by Paulo Coelho
4.0 out of 5 stars (21)  £4.46
The Devil and Miss Prym

The Devil and Miss Prym

by Paulo Coelho
3.5 out of 5 stars (14)  £4.98
Eleven Minutes

Eleven Minutes

by Paulo Coelho
3.4 out of 5 stars (49)  £5.98
The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels

The Valkyries: An Encounter with Angels

by Paulo Coelho
3.5 out of 5 stars (11)  £5.86
The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession

The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession

by Paulo Coelho
2.9 out of 5 stars (48)  £5.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; New edition edition (6 Aug 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0007222564
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007222568
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,153,934 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

"On 11 November 1997, Veronika decided that the moment to kill herself had--at last!--arrived": so begins Paulo Coelho's extraordinary new novel, Veronika Decides to Die. Renowned for the international success of The Alchemist, Coelho has secured his reputation as an outstanding storyteller and a key figure in world literature (his work has been translated into over 40 languages). Translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa, Veronika Decides to Die is a compelling story of a woman's struggle with and against life, told with Coelho's wit, subtlety and economy. On the track of whatever it is that makes life worth living, Coelho plots Veronika's fate with infinite care, weaving the mystery of her decision to take her own life into the themes of national identity--Veronika is a citizen of Slovenia, "that strange country that no one seemed quite able to place"--and madness.

Veronika does not die; instead, she wakes up in Villette--the "famous and much-feared lunatic asylum"--only to be told that, having damaged her heart irreparably, she has just a few days to live. What she faces now is a waiting game and the strange world of Villette: the rules and regulations which govern the lives of its inmates and the doctors who treat them. Coelho's question may be a familiar one: crudely, who, or what, is mad? But his fiction is a remarkable, sometimes chilling, response to it. "Everyone has an unusual story to tell" is the starting-point of the new treatment initiated at Villette by the enigmatic Dr Igor; it's also the insight from which this book takes off to explore the impact of a "slow, irreparable death" on a young woman and the mad men and women around her. --Vicky Lebeau --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

'An exceptional writer.' USA TODAY 'His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people.' TIMES 'One of the few to deserve the term Publishing Phenomenon.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'Coelho's writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts! he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face.' DAILY EXPRESS
See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(17)
(9)
(7)
(6)
(4)
(4)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(2)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Veronika Decides to Die
73% buy the item featured on this page:
Veronika Decides to Die 4.1 out of 5 stars (73)
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream
15% buy
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream 3.7 out of 5 stars (295)
£3.99
By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept
5% buy
By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept 4.0 out of 5 stars (21)
£4.46
Eleven Minutes
3% buy
Eleven Minutes 3.4 out of 5 stars (49)
£5.98
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

73 Reviews
5 star:
 (42)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (6)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (9)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (73 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars thought-provoked by clear message and simple style, 26 July 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Veronika Decides to Die (Paperback)
Most of the reviews here compare 'Veronika' to 'the Alchemist', and I think that the comparison is a valuable one. Coelho's message in both books is one of being true to yourself, seeing and accepting the beauty of your own life. This is indeed a deeply personal lesson worth learning. However, I think it's better expressed in 'the Alchemist' than here. Coehlo writes in simple and accessible prose, which gives his message a certain charm. But I think really if you've read one Coelho book, then unless you appreciate the style more than the message, then there's no need to read any more. 'The Alchemist' is enough Coelho for me. If the message of self-realisation interests you then I'd recommend Hesse's 'Siddharta' instead of 'Veronika'. Having said that 'Veronika' is not a bad read, just a re-hashing of the same ideas Coelho has expressed before.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
21 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the Alchemist, 23 Feb 2004
By William Sharkey (Glasgow) - See all my reviews
  
This review is from: Veronika Decides to Die (Paperback)
I picked up this book not knowing what to expect sometime after reading the Alchemist (which i found rather average compared to what people had told me about it). Much to my supprise, this book was instantly enjoyable and did not hesitate in getting into the "story", we are taken through the last few days of what remains of Veronikas life and we discover what Veronika (and a lot of us) discovers, which is, there are a lot of good things worth living for in this life which we seem to have forgotten about as it is so easy to concentrate on the bad. This book is beautiful, poetic and best of all very easy to read. The book does not fail to inspire the deepest of Sceptics and the hardest of men. A book for all to enjoy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars images and ideas linger long after the book is finished, 25 Dec 2003
This review is from: Veronika Decides to Die (Paperback)
Veronika decides to die - but then realises how very precious life is. Although she's a young girl with everything to live for, Veronika is not happy and feels that the only remedy for her malaise is suicide. But she survives and wakes up in the local lunatic asylum, only to be told that her heart is damaged and she has just days to live. More like a fable than a story, the main theme of Veronika Decides to Die is that life is worth living. Paulo Coelho's writing is simple but not simplistic and his images and ideas linger long after the book is finished.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars veronika decides to die
after reading the alchemist and reasonably enjoying it, i was interested in reading some other books by coelho which werent as well known, as i felt that the hype over the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bina

3.0 out of 5 stars A jolly little tale
Paulo writes fairy stories for grown-ups. It's very commercial and written for a female audience I suspect, because the majority of fiction readers are women. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Justice Peace

4.0 out of 5 stars Just ignore the title!
Forget the title! This is a great philosophical tale of living life to the full. It makes you want to go out and have fun!
Published 6 months ago by Scotties List

3.0 out of 5 stars A question of sanity...
I always enjoy Coehlo and more often than not I find that I can take words, sentences and paragraphs that resound. Read more
Published 6 months ago by M Worthington

5.0 out of 5 stars A true joy to read
I took this book with me on holiday and finished it on the first day. It was so good, I read it on the plane coming back again and was just as good the second time round. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. S. M. Mccormack

4.0 out of 5 stars deep and meaningful read
I must admit that I didn't find the alchemist a brilliant read. It was enjoyable but it didn't leave any lasting impressions. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jonathan

5.0 out of 5 stars Another inspirational book by Paulo Coelho.
The first book i read by Paulo Coelho was the Alchemist after being given a copy from a fellow traveller at the time. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Nick

1.0 out of 5 stars A poor novel on so many levels
Having run out of books on holiday, I started on other people's leftovers. One of them was Veronika Decides To Die - and in the normal run of things, I wouldn't have lifted it... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mister Hobgoblin

4.0 out of 5 stars Bitesize philosophy
That is a little crude, but it was the first title that popped into my head. This is a captivating, beautifully written (albeit short) story of a young woman who decides to... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Femmielala

4.0 out of 5 stars Will tomorrow always be there?
A complicated story of a girl, who decides to die. It is far from corny, and is in reality much more insightful. Read more
Published 19 months ago by E. Exintaris

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject









i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.