The Devil and Miss Prym

The Devil and Miss Prym is the conclusion to the trilogy And on the Seventh Day which began with By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept and the hugely popular Veronika Decides to Die. Each of the three books focuses on a week in the life of ordinary people faced with a major life-changing force; be it love, death or power, it is Coelho's firm belief that "the profoundest changes take place within a very reduced time frame".

The Devil and Miss Prym sees a stranger arriving in the remote mountain village of Viscos carrying with him a notebook and 11 bars of gold. The first person to strike up conversation with the stranger is the inappropriately named Miss Prym, the hotel barmaid. Unbeknownst to her, Chantal Prym is exactly the subject the man had been hoping to find. The stranger puts a proposition to Chantal and with it gives her the power to prove or disprove a supposition that has tormented him for years--"Given the right set of circumstances every human being on this earth would be willing to commit evil". Should Chantal prove him right, all her dreams of escape to a new life would come true, but proving the stranger right would mean casting aside her deeply ingrained beliefs about right and wrong. So ensues a moral dilemma and a spiritual struggle between good and evil that will impact on everyone in the village.

This slim novel has the timeless quality of a parable. The sophisticated plot blends seamlessly with Coelho's uncomplicated language. As "the story of one man is the story of all men" so the reader is invited to think carefully about the struggle that is taking place within their own soul, to consider whether they would have the courage to stand out from the crowd. This is a truly accomplished novel from the pen of a philosopher and a master storyteller. --Sarah Crawford

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not as good as the rest - Rated
While I loved the Alchemist and Veronika Decides to Die, I found this book a little dissapointing. It didn't move me as deeply or profoundly as the former two. While a nice story, it lacks what the others have

Page Turner - Rated
Paulo Coelho has written a wonderful book on good versus evil. I bought this book whilst boarding onto my flight and as soon as I started to read this book I had to get to the end of the plot. The book was excellent and when I finished I was just about to arrive to my destination...!

The book was beautifully written and had some wonderful quotes. His books always seem to teach a good lesson.

different.... - Rated
I read this one after the alchemist and veronika decides to die so it was a very different read. I found it quite long winded in places and it dragged a bit but definately full of shocks and it does make you think alot about how you can react to situations in life. Its worth a read, as with all his books but everyone will have their own favourites. This wouldnt be mine....

Thought provoking, but not the most memorable of Coelho's books - Rated
The fourth of Coelho's books that I've read, and nothing so far rates as highly as The Zahir, which completely took my breath away. In his usual style, it's easy to keep reading this book. There rages throughout a battle between the main characters own personal devil and angel; an analogy that I'm sure we can all apply to our lives! Plot is good - not so complicated that it detracts from the overall moral message. However, I was a left a little puzzled by the ending, especially in relation to the main character Miss Prym. I don't think the ending quite matches the overall tone of the rest of the book? An interesting and worthwhile read, but may not set the world alight!

Dull - Rated
From the 'blurb' on the back cover, I expected great things. However, I found this book dull, short, and totally un-inspiring. The characters are shallow and very 2-dimentional. I found it hard to place the story in terms of geography and time (present? past? where?) and this didn't really help me feel any empathy with the characters.

Altogether not worth the money.