Paulo Coelho is one of the most celebrated writers in the world, he has written some really amazing books one of his bestselling works is, Eleven Minutes.

Eleven Minutes, tells the story of Maria who is a girl form the interior of Brazil. She goes to Switzerland seeking her fortune, but she finds that the reality is much harsher than what she expected. Her fate takes her to work in a brothel on Rue Du Berne, which is the heart of Geneva's red-light district.

The book mainly deals with issues related to things like, sex and sexuality, like sacred sex, prostitution and sex viewed in the context of love. The novel has described everything in graphic details that is why it has been described as "erotic".

Coelho has put a note in a short after word of the book. The note is about the censorship by Irving Wallace and is called The Seven Minutes. Coelho states that he originally wanted to use the story of a prostitute from Zurich, who was known as Sonia. He discovered her story through an unsolicited manuscript. Finally, Coelho says on the note that the true inspiration for the story is a woman whose real name is Maria, living in Lausanne with her husband and two daughters.

In this novel, Coelho has changed his writing style slightly here she reverts from a direct, coherent and chronological narrative. Instead he uses a slightly more disjointed, much progressive approach. According to the most literary standards, this style is not particularly progressive but Coelho thinks of it as progressive in his terms.

It is one of the rare books by Coelho that does not have an optimistic message. Release din 1970’s this book is still very popular and it can easily be bought in both paperback and hardcover versions.

One very interesting thing about Paulo Coelho's books is the quotes he give. one of my personal favourite is " if you desire something with passion, the whole universe conspires to get it to you".

Hi Shama,

that is a nice analysis. I think the book stands out because Coelho provides some excellent insights into a woman's world of eroticism. This is also a source of wonder for me, for the small pearls of wisdom he distributes throughout the novel could hardly have been picked up by him from the commonplace sex manuals. It is this sensibility of Coelho that makes this books stand apart.

BTW, if you like, you can read my review of the book at Eleven Minutes- Paulo Coelho