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Eleven Minutes: A Novel (P.S.)

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Eleven Minutes (Paperback)

By Author :

Paulo Coelho

Language :

English

3 Stars

14 Ratings

6 Reviews

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Published by HarperCollins Publishers on April 1, 2005

320 pages

ISBN-10:

0060589280

(

ISBN-13:

9780060589288)

Retail Price:

Rs. 878

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Rs. 685

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Eleven Minutes is the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer. . . ." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this od...

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6 Reviews of Eleven Minutes (Paperback)

Community Reviews

Muzna Sayed

Jun 16, 2012, 4:17 am

Eleven Minutes : A Novel is a critically applauded by the legendary writer Paulo Coelho. Eleven Minutes tells the tale of a young girl called Maria who lives in a Brazili.. More details

Eleven Minutes : A Novel is a critically applauded by the legendary writer Paulo Coelho. Eleven Minutes tells the tale of a young girl called Maria who lives in a Brazilian village. She is left heartbroken after her first romantic encounters come to a sad end. At a very young age, she comes to think that she will never be able to find the true love of her life ever again and starts believing that “ love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer..” An accidental meeting in the town of Rio takes her to Geneva where she hopes of fulfilling her dreams and hitting a fortune. Her harsh views towards love are challenged when she encounters a suave, handsome young painter. In the journey of self-realization, Maria has to make a firm decision and choose between risking everything she has to find her ‘inner light’ and a path of darkness on the other hand filled with gratifying her sexual urges. Hide details

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Atiya Aram

Feb 18, 2012, 12:02 pm

Rated this book

The description about the characters and the way the story takes turns is simply amazing. The author has written the book in such a way that you feel like reading the boo.. More details

The description about the characters and the way the story takes turns is simply amazing. The author has written the book in such a way that you feel like reading the book at once. The way the lead character Maria who is a prostitute thinks and behaves has been revealed in an unmatched way. Hide details

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Rohit Nanda

Dec 15, 2011, 3:40 am

Rated this book

Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes (Onze minutos) is based on the experiences of a young Brazilian prostitute called Maria. Maria, a young girl from a remote village of Brazi.. More details

Paulo Coelho's Eleven Minutes (Onze minutos) is based on the experiences of a young Brazilian prostitute called Maria.

Maria, a young girl from a remote village of Brazil, who experiences innocent brushes with failed love at an early adolescent stage. Her hatred for love sets her to seek her fortune in Switzerland, only to find that reality is a lot harder than she expected.

After working in a nightclub as a samba dancer for a brief period, she realizes that this is not what she wants. After a heated discussion with her manager one night, she storms out and begins to look for a career in modeling. After a long unsuccessful search for a position in that field, and as she starts running out of money, she engages herself for 1000 francs for "one night" with an Arab man. Delighted with the easy money and after compromising with her soul she lands in a brothel on Rue de Berne, the heart of Geneva's red-light district.
There she befriends Nyah who gives her advice on her "new profession" and after learning the tricks of the trade from Milan, the brothel owner, she enters the job with her body and mind shutting all doors for love and keeps her heart open only for her diary. Quickly she becomes quite successful and famous and her colleagues begin to envy her. Months pass and Maria grows into a professionally groomed prostitute who not only relaxes her clients' mind, but also calms their soul by talking to them about their problems.

Her world turns upside down when she meets Ralf, a young Swiss painter, who sees her "inner light". Maria falls in love with him immediately and begins to experience "true love".
What follows thereafter is worth reading and experiencing!
The author explores the meaning of "true love" and "sacred sex" and how the two mingle to provide bliss.
It makes for a great read. Hide details

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guddu grover

Aug 11, 2011, 6:17 am

Eleven minutes by Paulo Coelho is the story of a young girl Maria, who chooses to be a prostitute as for her it is a way of amassing wealth easily. She aims to return to .. More details

Eleven minutes by Paulo Coelho is the story of a young girl Maria, who chooses to be a prostitute as for her it is a way of amassing wealth easily. She aims to return to her native place as a person who has succeeded in life. Her beauty and shrewdness helps her climb up the ladder. Her first paid sexual encounter happens by chance when she was called on by a modeling agency for a photo shoot with a guy, who was only interested in having her. She accepts the offer as the money was big for her. Later she lands up in a brothel house named Copacabana.

Maria though succeeds as a sex worker she decides never to fall in love. But she cannot stop herself when she meets Ralf, a painter who falls for the light in her eyes. But soon she realizes the nature of true love and finds everlasting happiness with Raif.

Few beautiful, timeless quotes of Paulo Coelho on sex and love in the book Eleven minutes:

• When I had nothing to lose, I had everything. When I stopped being who I am, I found myself."

• The strongest love is the love that can demonstrate its fragility."

• "When we meet someone and fall in love, we have a sense that the whole universe is on our side. And yet if something goes wrong, there is nothing left! How is it possible for the beauty that was there only minutes before to vanish so quickly? Life moves very fast. It rushes from heaven to hell in a matter of seconds."

"Anyone who is in love is making love the whole time, even when they’re not. When two bodies meet, it is just the cup overflowing. They can stay together for hours, even days. They begin the dance one day and finish it the next, or--such is the pleasure they experience--they may never finish it. No eleven minutes for them."
• "But something always went wrong, and the relationship would end precisely at the moment when she was sure that this was the person with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. After a long time, she came to the conclusion that men brought only pain, frustration, suffering and a sense of time dragging."

• "Really important meetings are planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other."

• "Human beings can withstand a week without water, two weeks without food, many years of homelessness, but not loneliness. It is the worst of all tortures, the worst of all sufferings."
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Neha Poonia

Aug 30, 2010, 4:12 pm

What happens when an innocent young girl with dreams of making big in the world finds herself in a foreign nation with no means of making it back home or even surviving i.. More details

What happens when an innocent young girl with dreams of making big in the world finds herself in a foreign nation with no means of making it back home or even surviving in the country for a couple of days? The sad truth is that many women faced with this dilemma are forced to enter the flesh trade if not by other people then by the circumstance they are in. This is the story of Maria, a young Brazilian girl, whose faith in love is shattered at a young age. With dreams of earning enough money to come back and settle comfortably in her native country, she leaves for Geneva to become a model. On getting there she realizes that her work is that of a dancer in an exclusive club. After getting into a heated altercation with the clubs manager on night she storms out. With no way of getting back and rapidly dwindling funds, she offers herself to a businessman for a night and discovers that it’s a very lucrative career and thus begins her descend into depravity.
Her moral dilemma begins when she falls in love with a young, dynamic painter. Now she must pick between leading a life of sexual decadence or be courageous enough to explore her inner light by being with someone who she loves. This novel has Paulo Coelho stamped all over it. While this time round he explores the angle of spiritual sexuality, he still writes in a manner that is very non-judgmental and non-committal on issues; that’s gets the readers to contemplate and mull over issues and form their own opinions. Hide details

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Harsha Ram

Aug 27, 2010, 7:03 pm

This riveting and audacious novel by Paulo Coelho explores the venerated nature of sex and love sensitively and with perceptivity. It tells the story of Maria, a young gi.. More details

This riveting and audacious novel by Paulo Coelho explores the venerated nature of sex and love sensitively and with perceptivity. It tells the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first naive brushes with love leave her forlorn. At a tender age, she becomes certain that she will never find true love and chooses to believe that "Love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer" A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of achieving fame and fortune. Instead, she wounds up working as a prostitute. In Geneva, Maria drifts further away from love and becomes increasingly attracted to sex. However, in due course, Maria's despondent view of love is tested when she meets a handsome young painter. In this journey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness and mindless lust, or risking everything and taking a leap of faith to find her own "inner light" and the prospect of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.

This novel challenges readers to question various boundaries of societal codes of morality and righteous living. It’s bold and does not shy away from exploring the difference between sex and love-making. This book will not appeal to everyone and has to be viewed objectively and with an open mind so that it can be enjoyed.
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