Hippie

Another beautiful story told by a great human being who understands human nature at a fundamental level. He mentions how “dancing transforms everything... and judges no one.” Do you “have the key but have no desire to open the door and go out?” This book may give you the inspiration that you need, through a fascinating narration based on this particular travel experience, to free yourself from your own mental prison and get on the bus that will lead you to your own destiny. Great read.

This book is based on Coelho’s experiences as a young hippie in 1970. It begins as Karla meets Paulo in Amsterdam and persuades him to accompany her on the “Magic Bus” to Nepal. The story vacillates between several points of view in the group traveling on the bus but as soon as I became invested in a character’s story, it switched to someone else seeming never to complete each story. Still, I found it an interesting and enjoyable read. Free love, drugs, freedom, searching for meaning, and being judged for being non-conventional in appearance and life choices immerses the reader in a blissful, innocent, and fleeting moment in time. Where have all the hippies gone? We sure could use some love and peace, generosity and acceptance.

A story of exploration in life, love, and being open to your next chapter w/o expectations. I would recommend it.

I'm a Paulo Coelho enthusiast. I've read all the books available in English and taught several of them in my college classes. I've been hoping for some time to see newer works that matched the quality and impact of his earlier ones. Coelho's new book, Hippie, comes close to this. -- beginning about half-way through its 284 pages.Without giving too much away, I would advise readers to begin this book on page 183 (not all pages are numbered; you'll need to find 184 and who back one!) Beginning here, the book truly gets interesting in terms of the personal/spiritual journey of its main characters. In some places , it approaches The Alchemist in terms of insight and beauty. But the previous 100 pages or so verge on the tedious. Yes, as someone who lived through the hippie era, it was interesting to see Coelho's take on it, especially as a participant. But that wore thin rather quickly. This is another journey story, and unlike The Alchemist or The Pilgrimage or other such tales, we see little to engage a reader in the day-to-dayness of this journey. The vicissitudes of hippie life, both in urban centers and on the road, have bee already explored to death over the decades since, and Coelho adds nothing new to this; neither do we really experience much of an inner journey -- until page 183. The rest of the book is stunning in places, engaging throughout, moving in its conclusion, and leaves a reader asking, "Where was all this on the ride here?"Coelho's characters often comment on the tedium off their ride on the Magic Bus, once the initial fascination had worn off. In this book, we get just the opposite -- the tedium comes first, and then the magic happens. Still, I found this book well worth reading, but for best affect, start in the middle and go to the end. By then, the characters and their experiences will matter to you sufficiently to want to know their route to arriving there, no matter how mundane and repetitive it might seem.

Anyone who lived in the 1960’s, or simply understands a great romance will love this book. Coelho is one of the great writers of our time, published in 80 languages with millions of copies sold around the world.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m about 15 years too young to have been a real hippie and this book gave me some Insight info the spiritual way of being. It wasn’t all sex drugs and rock and roll but deep contemplation on how to truly connect with all that is in all our act

The story goes a little bit too deep into the various characters' lives for me. These side stories became confusing and slowed down the action. It's still a pretty damn good read. I also found it disappointing that the main character "chickened out" from going on to Kathmandu for the Hippy Trail. I realize that "Hippie" is semi autobiographical but its a little depressing and maudlin. I wish Cohelo would return to the lyricism of the Alchemist, which I absolutely loved. I must admit that I co-wrote the recently published, "Wanderer, The Ultimate Hippy Trail Journey" which I think is more action oriented, and a better exemplification of the Hippy phenomenon. Steve.

Excellent book