Drawing on the rich experience of his own life,
bestselling author Paulo Coelho takes us back in time to relive the dreams of a
generation that longed for peace and dared to challenge the established social
order. In HIPPIE, he tells the story of Paulo, a skinny Brazilian with a goatee
and long hair, setting off on a journey in search of a deeper meaning for his
life.
He travels on the famous ‘Death Train to Bolivia’,
then on to Peru, later hitchhiking through Chile and Argentina. In the famous
Dam Square in Amsterdam, he finds young people playing music while discussing
sexual liberation, the expansion of consciousness and the search for an inner
truth. There he meets Karla, a Dutch woman in her twenties who has been waiting
to find the ideal companion to accompany her on the fabled hippie trail to
Nepal. Together with their fellow travellers, they embark on a trip aboard the
Magic Bus, heading across Europe and Central Asia to Kathmandu.
For everyone, the journey is transformative. For Paulo
and Karla, it is a life-defining love story that leads to choices that will set
the course of the rest of their lives.
About
the Book
In Hippie, the most autobiographical novel to date,
Paulo Coelho takes us back in time to re-live the dream of a generation that
longed for peace and dared to challenge the established social order –
authoritarian politics, conservative modes of behaviour, excessive consumerism,
and an unbalanced concentration of wealth and power.
Following the “three days of peace and music” at
Woodstock, the 1969 gathering in Bethel, NY that would change the world
forever, hippie paradises began to emerge all around the world. In the Dam
Square in Amsterdam, long-haired young people wearing vibrant clothes and
burning incense could be found meditating, playing music and discussing sexual
liberation, the expansion of consciousness and the search for an inner truth.
They were a generation refusing to live the robotic and unquestioning life that
their parents had known.
At this time, Paulo is a young, skinny Brazilian with
a goatee and long, flowing hair who wants to become a writer. He sets off on a
journey in search of freedom and a deeper meaning for his life: first, with a
girlfriend, on the famous “Death Train to Bolivia,” then on to Peru and later
hitchhiking through Chile and Argentina.
His travels take him further, to the famous square in
Amsterdam, where Paulo meets Karla, a Dutch woman also in her 20s. She
convinces Paulo to join her on a trip to Nepal, board the Magic Bus that
travels across Europe and Central Asia to Kathmandu. They embark on a journey
in the company of fascinating fellow travellers, each of whom has a story to
tell, and each of whom will undergo a transformation, changing their priorities
and values, along the way. As they travel together, Paulo and Karla explore
their own relationship, an awakening on every level that brings each of them to
a choice and a decision that sets the course for their lives thereafter.
My
Take on the Book
I love Paulo Coelho, I love his works, I mean, who doesn't?. Right from his first
book, till the book which I read today, I have nothing, but only good thing to
say about him. And, like every year, I anticipate and wait for his new releases so
that I can devour his beautifully written art and sing the praise of his work.
I am also glad that the last time he noticed me was because of the book review
I wrote on his then-new release book ‘The Spy.' And I was overwhelmed when he
retweeted the same on his profile. (Surreal). And, just like a school girl lost
in a candy store, I was beyond excited when he announced his latest book, ‘Hippie’
which I am going to review today. Obviously, I am going to give an honest and
unbiased review.
Hippie is unlike any book which Paulo wrote before.
The book is all about drawing experience based on his own life. And, just like
how it is mentioned in the blurb, Hippie is his most autobiographical novel to
date. The bestselling author “take us back in time to relive the dreams of a
generation who longed for peace and dared to challenge the established social
order.” The book is written in a third person perspective, and it tells us the
story of Paulo a skinny Brazilian boy with long hair and a goatee. He set off
on a journey in search of a deeper meaning of his life. The story is based
purely on a personal experience, just that he has changed the names and details
slightly. The book delves on Paulo deciding to travel on the famous “Death
Train to Bolivia, then on to Peru, thereafter, hitchhiking through Argentina
and Chile. He then met Karla, a twenty-something Dutch Woman who was waiting
for an ideal companion to accompany her on the fabled hippie trip to
Nepal. They both embarked on a journey
made on the Magic bus from Amsterdam to Nepal, heading across Europe and
central Asia to Kathmandu.
I genuinely enjoyed reading and understanding more about the
cultures of Hippie (Although I couldn't relate with it). The famous Dam square in
Amsterdam where he finds young people playing music, discussing sexual
liberation, the expansion of consciousness and the search for inner truth. The
emotional journey of Paulo in search of meaning was expressive. However, since
I am not from the Hippie era (like I mentioned), it was lil difficult for me to
understand the philosophy, but Paulo being an exceptional storytelling, defined
it beautifully. This book is about the journey embarked in the company of fascinating
fellow travellers where everyone has a story to share, where each undergoes a
transformation, changing their values and priorities on the way.
For everyone, the journey
is transformative, at least for us. But for Paulo and Karla,
it is a life-defining love story that leads to choices that will set the course
of the rest of their lives.
Book Details:
Title:
Hippie
Author:
Paulo Coelho
Price: Rs
212 (Hardcopy)
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781786331595
ISBN-13: 978-1786331595
My Rating: 4/5
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