Book Nerds Across America

This is the story of Brida, a young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic but is searching for something more. Her search leads her to people of great wisdom, who begin to teach Brida about the spiritual world. She meets a wise man who dwells in a forest, who teaches her about overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world; and a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and how to pray to the moon. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to become a witch. This enthralling novel incorporates themes that fans of Paulo Coelho will recognize and treasure—it is a tale of love, passion, mystery, and spirituality from the master storyteller. (from Goodreads)

 I loved The Alchemist -- if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it -- and have always been meaning to pick up another Paulo Coelho book. Brida just happened to be on sale at the library, so I scooped it up and put it on my TBR pile, where it remained for several months. I brought it back up again when I found the audiobook at the library and decided to give it a listen.

The most interesting aspect of this book for me was the interplay between witchcraft and Christianity. As a Christian, I must admit I never really thought the two shared similarities. But Coelho did a great job of drawing parallels between the two on several points throughout the book. He really made me stretch my mind, look at something I thought I knew about in a new way, and examine my own beliefs. I always love when a book can do that.

~Flo~