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A review by brughiera
Hippie by Paulo Coelho
3.0
The description of Hippie as "his most autobographical novel to date" is apt but also misleading. This is hardly a novel as there is no plot, but neither is it an autobiography as it is written in the third person and although the character and main narrator, Paulo, is clearly a version of the author, the time slice covered is limited. The book is rather an exposé of the hippie movement, seen from the inside by participants in the culture. As such it is of historical interest as a rather personal record which aims to capture the spirit of the time. Coelho is ideally situated to do this, not only because he did participate in the movement but also because that spirit of freedom and quest for personal meaning has been central to his own life.
The main story starts in the notorious Dam Square in Amsterdam, where Paulo meets a Dutch girl, Karla. After some incidents with Hare Krishna and drug dealers, Paulo is enticed to join Karla on a trip on a 'magic bus' to Kathmandu. The other travellers on the bus have their own stories which are gradually revealed in the course of the journey. The one which resonated most with me was that of the French businessman who, still bewildered by the student demonstrations in Paris in 1968 in which his daughter had been involved, resolved to leave behind his successful career to find meaning in his life. But all the stories involve personal quests and the journey on the magic bus is a means to those ends. Paulo himself does not get as far as Kathmandu but stops in Istanbul where he finds a Sufi whose disciple he wishes to become. The book ends when he leaves his travelling companions who are continuing their journey. Not a very satisfactory ending but perhaps necessary due to the autobiographical sources used.
The main story starts in the notorious Dam Square in Amsterdam, where Paulo meets a Dutch girl, Karla. After some incidents with Hare Krishna and drug dealers, Paulo is enticed to join Karla on a trip on a 'magic bus' to Kathmandu. The other travellers on the bus have their own stories which are gradually revealed in the course of the journey. The one which resonated most with me was that of the French businessman who, still bewildered by the student demonstrations in Paris in 1968 in which his daughter had been involved, resolved to leave behind his successful career to find meaning in his life. But all the stories involve personal quests and the journey on the magic bus is a means to those ends. Paulo himself does not get as far as Kathmandu but stops in Istanbul where he finds a Sufi whose disciple he wishes to become. The book ends when he leaves his travelling companions who are continuing their journey. Not a very satisfactory ending but perhaps necessary due to the autobiographical sources used.