Beautiful, thought provoking story about finding your soul mate, through discovering your own true nature and being true to yourself. Paulo Coelho reveals a bitter sweet story about love, soul mates and our destiny in Brida. This story will provoke you, but also give you strength to stay true to yourself and your destiny - even when it hurts. It is most definitely a book that I will read again. Unlike many other readers I much prefer Brider over The Alchemist, but then again, I was rather disappointed when I read the Alchemist, and did not feel that it lived up to my expectations. I would chose books like Veronica Decides to Die, The Devil and Miss Prym and The Pilgrimage any day over The Alchemist, whereas I would put Brida in the same league as the before mentioned books. Would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys Paulo Coelho's powerful writing.