Words of Wisdom from ‘The Spy’. (Book Review #23)
Posted On December 10, 2016
Paulo Coelho is one of my favourite authors. Not only is he a brilliant story teller but his words touch the soul. Even if it is a biography kind of a novel, he puts in such brilliant insights that leave you pondering about the many mysteries of life and of course, life itself.
‘The Spy’ is the life story of Mata Hari. It is based on her real life. She was a dancer. Later on she was convicted of being a spy and working for two countries at war. And Paulo Coelho really made the story interesting to read. Her life is portrayed in a wonderful and colourful way because of which you cannot keep the book down. Even so, I did not like it as much as his other books. But, some of the words in this book became my favourite the moment I read them. I’ve given it 2/5 stars on Goodreads.
Anyway, here are some of the parts which I liked the most. They’re really worth thinking about.
“My first piece of advice is the hardest, and it has nothing to do with your performance. Never fall in love. Love is a poison. Once you fall in love, you lose control over your life – your heart and mind belong to someone else. Your existence is threatened. You start to do everything to hold on to your loved one and lose all sense of danger. Love, that inexplicable and dangerous thing, sweeps everything you are from the face of the earth and, in its place, leaves only what your beloved wants you to be.”
“Are we never to be able to see the true fave of love? And I understand what the Greeks meant by this: Love is an act of faith and its face should always be covered in mystery. Every moment should be lived with feeling and emotion because of we try to decipher it and understand it, the magic disappears. We follow its winding and luminous paths, we let ourselves go to the highest peak or the deepest seas, but we trust in the hand that leads us. If we do not allow ourselves to be frightened, we will always awaken in a palace; if we fear the steps that will be required by love and want it to reveal everything to us, the result is that we will be left with nothing.”
“It is a shame that what happens today already happened yesterday, and will happen again tomorrow; it will continue to happen until the end of time, or until man finds out he is not only what he thinks, but mostly what he feels. The body tires easily; but the spirit is always free and will help us get out, one day, from this infernal cycle of repeating the same mistakes every generation. Although thoughts always remain the same, there is something stronger, and this is called Love.
Because when we truly love, we know others and ourselves better. We do not need words, documents, minutes, statements, accusations or defenses.”
Hope you liked it! Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.