Twenty-four-year-old Veronika seems to have everything she could wish for: youth and beauty, pleny 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.
ISBN:61015016
Author:COELHO PAULO
Winnie –
Some books you read. Others you feel.
Forced Reset is one you feel.
Knowing the author personally makes this book even more powerful for me. I have witnessed her journey, the quiet resilience, the professional evolution, the courage to step into unfamiliar spaces and grow beyond them. To now see her put those lived experiences into words feels deeply moving.
This book is not written from theory. It is written from lived transformation.
There is something incredibly brave about pausing, reflecting, and sharing the lessons that come from life’s unexpected resets. And there is something even more powerful about choosing growth over bitterness, clarity over confusion, and purpose over fear.
Reading Forced Reset felt like watching someone I deeply respect step fully into her voice.
I am not just impressed, I am incredibly proud.
Proud of the growth.
Proud of the vulnerability.
Proud of the leadership she embodies through her story.
This book will resonate with anyone who has ever had their plans interrupted and wondered what next. It is a reminder that sometimes a reset is not an ending, it is refinement.
Congratulations on this milestone. The growth is evident. The impact will be lasting.
lydis.kay –
Forced Reset is of those books that feels like a conversation with a friend who truly understands how unsettling unexpected change can be. Leonora writes with so much honesty and compassion, especially for anyone navigating a career pause or life reset they didn’t plan for.
What I appreciated most is that she doesn’t rush you to “fix” everything. Instead, she helps you pause, reflect, and rebuild with clarity and confidence. She is practical but gentle, exactly what you need when things feel uncertain.
If you are going through a transition or know someone who is, this book is comforting, empowering, and very real. Highly recommend.
Lydia Kilonzo –
Forced Reset is of those books that feels like a conversation with a friend who truly understands how unsettling unexpected change can be. Leonora writes with so much honesty and compassion, especially for anyone navigating a career pause or life reset they didn’t plan for.
What I appreciated most is that she doesn’t rush you to “fix” everything. Instead, she helps you pause, reflect, and rebuild with clarity and confidence. She is practical but gentle, exactly what you need when things feel uncertain.
If you are going through a transition or know someone who is, this book is comforting, empowering, and very real. Highly recommend.
Lydia Kilonzo –
Forced Reset is of one those books that feels like a conversation with a friend who truly understands how unsettling unexpected change can be. Leonora writes with so much honesty and compassion, especially for anyone navigating a career pause or life reset they didn’t plan for.
What I appreciated most is that she doesn’t rush you to “fix” everything. Instead, she helps you pause, reflect, and rebuild with clarity and confidence. She is practical but gentle, exactly what you need when things feel uncertain.
If you are going through a transition or know someone who is, this book is comforting, empowering, and very real. Highly recommend.