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
ngoya4lyfe –
The Cave of Adullam is one of those books you wish every man could read. Most, if not all men, will at one time in their lives enter the crucible of refining. What is it that makes some come out as gold and others burn to ash? This book takes us on an odyssey into the lives of several men who had their cave experiences like David and how any man can also navigate the fiery furnace without being consumed. I loved that at the end of each chapter there is some homework to do: questions to ponder, Journal prompts and Action steps, including some scripture references and a prayer. It’s not just a read, it is a call to enter the Forge and be transformed.
S Kioko –
Practical book with great insights to equip men in this journey of life
Crouching Tiger –
A must read for all men seeking to better understand their true selves.
Titus –
Loved this book. Was encouraged rebuked and challenged
Sydney Nderitu –
A book for all men, especially getting it in the early 20’s it creates awareness during those critical college/ graduate years going through that cognizance and realization for the rest of your years. Well done Don for this pour out into our lives.
Pauline Otieno –
A must read for all especially men to help them able to meet the challenges of life and their important place in the family and society. I recommend this book for men’s groups to use for discussions.