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Hippie

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In Hippie, his most autobiographical novel to date, Paulo Coelho takes us back in time to re-live the dream of a generation that longed for peace and dared to challenge the established social order – authoritarian politics, conservative modes of behavior, excessive consumerism, and an unbalanced concentration of wealth and power.

Following the “three days of peace and music” at Woodstock, the 1969 gathering in Bethel, NY that would change the world forever, hippie paradises began to emerge all around the world. In the Dam Square in Amsterdam, long-haired young people wearing vibrant clothes and burning incense could be found meditating, playing music and discussing sexual liberation, the expansion of consciousness and the search for an inner truth. They were a generation refusing to live the robotic and unquestioning life that their parents had known.

At this time, Paulo is a young, skinny Brazilian with a goatee and long, flowing hair who wants to become a writer. He sets off on a journey in search of freedom and a deeper meaning for his life: first, with a girlfriend, on the famous “Death Train to Bolivia,” then on to Peru and later hitchhiking through Chile and Argentina.

His travels take him further, to the famous square in Amsterdam, where Paulo meets Karla, a Dutch woman also in her 20s. She convinces Paulo to join her on a trip to Nepal, aboard the Magic Bus that travels across Europe and Central Asia to Kathmandu. They embark on a journey in the company of fascinating fellow travelers, each of whom has a story to tell, and each of whom will undergo a transformation, changing their priorities and values, along the way. As they travel together, Paulo and Karla explore their own relationship, an awakening on every level that brings each of them to a choice and a decision that sets the course for their lives thereafter.

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Paulo Coelho

279 books135k followers
The Brazilian author PAULO COELHO was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his life completely to literature, he worked as theatre director and actor, lyricist and journalist. In 1986, PAULO COELHO did the pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella, an experience later to be documented in his book The Pilgrimage. In the following year, COELHO published The Alchemist. Slow initial sales convinced his first publisher to drop the novel, but it went on to become one of the best selling Brazilian books of all time. Other titles include Brida (1990), The Valkyries (1992), By the river Piedra I sat Down and Wept (1994), the collection of his best columns published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo entitle Maktub (1994), the compilation of texts Phrases (1995), The Fifth Mountain (1996), Manual of a Warrior of Light (1997), Veronika decides to die (1998), The Devil and Miss Prym (2000), the compilation of traditional tales in Stories for parents, children and grandchildren (2001), Eleven Minutes (2003), The Zahir (2005), The Witch of Portobello (2006) and Winner Stands Alone (to be released in 2009). During the months of March, April, May and June 2006, Paulo Coelho traveled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostella in 1986. He also held surprise book signings - announced one day in advance - in some cities along the way, to have a chance to meet his readers. In ninety days of pilgrimage the author traveled around the globe and took the famous Transiberrian train that took him to Vladivostok. During this experience Paulo Coelho launched his blog Walking the Path - The Pilgrimage in order to share with his readers his impressions. Since this first blog Paulo Coelho has expanded his presence in the internet with his daily blogs in Wordpress, Myspace & Facebook. He is equally present in media sharing sites such as Youtube and Flickr, offering on a regular basis not only texts but also videos and pictures to his readers. From this intensive interest and use of the Internet sprang his bold new project: The Experimental Witch where he invites his readers to adapt to the screen his book The Witch of Portobello. Indeed Paulo Coelho is a firm believer of Internet as a new media and is the first Best-selling author to actively support online free distribution of his work.

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5 stars
5,934 (22%)
4 stars
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3 stars
8,416 (31%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,229 reviews
Profile Image for Ivana - Diary of Difference.
589 reviews923 followers
July 28, 2024
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Hippie is the autobiography by Paulo Coelho, written in third person. This is a story about people that travel the world, wear funny clothes and flowers in their hairs, and believe in peace, love and freedom.

I have read many of Coelho’s books, even since I was a teenage girl. And all of them share something in common – the path of finding yourself. After reading Hippie, I believe that this is the the best one that covers this subject quite perfectly.

‘’He was a human being, with all the fragility that entails, he didn’t understand everything that happened in his life, but he truly wished to believe he was travelling in search of the light.’’

The book is a story of two people, Paulo and Karla. Paulo, a Brazilian guy, searching for freedom and travels. Karla, a lady born and living in Amsterdam, wanting to find herself so badly in the world. When she hears that a hippie bus is going all the way to Nepal, she is willing to go if she meets her ideal companion.

‘’She wished they could see her for her beauty, but all anyone ever saw was the hurricane, and they never sought shelter from it. They preferred to flee to safer ground.’’

Their adventure begins in such an adorable way, only hippies can relate to. Their search for what they want and need feeds with every stop and every destination. A beautiful story about friendship, love and travel.

I actually wished that they had spoken more about the travels and less about some individual stories that didn’t quite correlate to the plot. I also wished that they actually reached out the final destination the way they are supposed to (this was not a spoiler).

‘’Our travels teach us everything we need to know for the rest of our lives, as long as there’s no need to explain this to our parents.’’

Even though a sad end, it is a realistic story about a way of life before, where people loved to be free, and were free to find love, in a world of peace, love, marijuana and travels. A place where no one cares what you look like.



Right now, hippies are a normal thing, people that we all secretly enjoy reading about, and listening to their stories, but in the past, these people fought so hard to change the system of how people’s minds worked, the system people were stuck in, to make people realise that they have the freedom to believe in anything they think is right, to do anything that makes them happy, to be happy, and share this with the world. To live in a world full of happiness, love, peace, to travel and see places, discover places and people, see new cultures, explore people’s minds and customs.

‘’The sun had come out, as though to say that finally the Renaissance was making a return, to change everyone’s habits and customs – and one day very soon, people would no longer depend on the opinions of others but rather on their own ways of seeing life.’’

The one thing that I couldn’t enjoy was the constant religion mentioning in this book. All religions were mentioned, and with such intensity, that peace and love and freedom and the hippie meaning started to be in relation to religion, which is something I personally don’t want to put together. I am aware that lots of hippies believe in God in their own way, but I also think that love and peace should gather them together as a group, not religion. And this point was clearly states a lot of times throughout the book. Not enjoyable, at least for me.

For all of you out there, the hippies, the ordinary people that love travelling, love, life, happiness, music – this is a book for you. Another amazing Paulo Coelho novel, full of wisdom and quotes to underline.

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Profile Image for Celia.
1,340 reviews203 followers
September 13, 2018
I have read two other Coelho books and was spiritually influenced by both. Both were full of wisdom and abstract concepts. Loved them both (The Alchemist and Manuscript Found in Accra).

To me this book beat them both. Why? It is the most autobiographical book written by Coelho and it is grounded in reality. Perhaps, too, because I lived in the 60's, during the 'hippie' era, it means a lot to me.

I also learned things about Coelho I did not know.

This is what he said:

The stories that follow come from my personal experiences. I’ve altered the order, names, and details of the people here, I was forced to condense some scenes, but everything that follows truly happened to me. I’ve used the third person because this allowed me to give characters unique voices with which to describe their lives.

The story centers around a trip made on the Magic Bus from Amsterdam to Nepal. Paolo and Karla, who he met in Amsterdam, travelled together for the 'princely' sum of 70 dollars each - travel only. We meet fellow travellers and other personages along the way. We learn much from them and
what wisdoms they share.

Do you want to know what a 'hippie' is?

"So, we know that it’s a movement without prejudices, based on drugs, music, huge open- air concerts where anything goes, travel, absolute and total disregard for those who are fighting at the moment for an ideal, a free, a more just society, those trying to liberate the oppressed, denounce injustice, take part in the essential class struggle, in which people give their blood and their lives so that the only hope for humanity, socialism, might no longer be mere utopia and instead become a reality.”

Why wasn't I a hippie?

5 stars
Profile Image for Jennifer Blankfein.
385 reviews658 followers
October 12, 2018
I loved The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and was hoping his new book would feel as important. In Hippie, Paulo Coelho writes a story based on his own life experiences, his relationships, political views and personal values, and his adventures of travel and terror of kidnapping. Throughout this book he has injected his thoughtful ideologies and gives us a description of the ways of the world in the 1970s.

Even though Coelho had gotten himself into trouble often as a young man, it seems as if he was a deep thinker.

“We don’t choose the things that happen to us, but we can choose how we react to them.”

Paulo embarks on a journey from Bolivia to Peru, Chile and Argentina and then to Amsterdam, where he meets Karla, a young girl looking for a travel companion to Nepal. They take the Magic Bus across Europe and Asia to Katmandu. We learn about their relationship and the other travelers on the trip. With no formal plans for the future, what today we might see as a lack of responsibility, the idea of free love and the benefit of simplicity of travel, Paulo communicates his experiences that enriched his life and helped him on his search for meaning.

I particularly enjoyed reading about his discovery of dance and his transformative experience with Hare Krishna dancing and singing in the street.

“Dancing transforms everything, demands everything, and judges no one. Those who are free dance, even if they find themselves in a cell or a wheelchair, because dancing is not the mere repetition of certain movements, it’s a conversation with a Being greater and more powerful than everyone and everything. To dance is to use a language beyond selfishness and fear. ”

Even though I enjoyed learning a little more about Paulo Coelho, his rebellious stage and his emotional journey to find the meaning of life, for me, Hippie fell flat. Written like a story, but based on his real life, I didn’t think it portrayed Coelho’s vibrant youth and his travels in a compelling and powerful way. There were tidbits of insight and lessons but the characters were not developed enough for me to care. The politically charged, free thinking sex, drugs rock and roll hippie attitude was described but not written completely enough to evoke emotion. I get the feeling that this piece of writing is more meaningful to Coelho than to readers. But maybe that is just me…
Profile Image for Kate Vocke (bookapotamus).
630 reviews126 followers
September 18, 2018
OK, so I'm a fairly big Paulo Coelho fan. I loved The Alchemist and several of his other writings. His prose is lyrical and thought provoking and I just love that it's like nothing else I've ever read, no matter what the subject. I went into this with two thoughts in my mind:

1. That it's sort of a memoir of his life in the 70's, or at least based on experiences he's had. Who wouldn't want to see what experiences shaped this brilliant writer?

and,

2. Although I was born in the late 70s, i was a little bit young to experience the hippie culture and revolution that took place at that time - although I WISH I was... I love hippies! My parents were hippies and I loved the clothes, the free thinking, the music, all of it!

But, well... I was really bored reading this. There are two stories of "Paulo" here that don't really mesh - one of a scary kidnapping and the other a journey to Nepal - but also interspersed are a few backstories of secondary characters (some you don't even care about, nor know anything about except they are on a bus with Paulo) and a lot of nothing happens.

I know its supposed to be a sort of love story, while also following a group of hippies trying to find their place in such a tumultuous world (which mirrors today's world, I suppose) but to me it just fell flat. It could have been written by anyone. I didn't feel like I was reading Coelho, and I didn't really enjoy much of it.
Profile Image for Nur.
30 reviews8 followers
August 8, 2018
Paulo Coelho is an excellent writer for sure, and apparently this is a half autobiographical book from his side but i feel like for some reason it's left in the middle. We read about the journey of Karla and Paulo, how the relationship is growing and turning into something else. Towards the end (no spoilers) Paulo finds some answers but i feel like it happens too quickly and we're not really sure what's going on as readers. And all of a sudden, the book ends.
I like the first half but then it was kinda underwhelming.
Profile Image for Shwan Majeed.
200 reviews172 followers
October 22, 2018
هذه الرواية الجديدة من قبل الكاتب باولو كويلو استطيع ان اقول انه جزء من سيرة الذاتية للكاتب ولكن بشكل رواية وطبعا به اللمسة الخاصة للكاتب وأسلوبه الجميل في كتابة رواياته والتعمق القوي فيه, استغل الكاتب باولو كويلو في هذه الرواية ايامه في الهيبية ورحلته في معضم بلدان العالم وهو شاب من الهيبي وتكلم لنا عن مغامراته وافكاره وما كان يشعر ويفكر به في ذالك الايام بطريقة جميلة وممتعة جدا.
هذه الرواية تأخذك لرحلة جميلة جدا في اكتشاف الذات وخاصة اذا انت مقبل على اكتشاف العالم وما حولك والاهم اكتشاف نفسك, صحيح الاحداث تعود لزمن السبعينيات والبعض من الستينيات ولكن خلال قراءتك للكتاب لا تحس ابدا بأن الاحداث قديمة او صارت لا تتأقلم مع هذا الزمن, فقد دخل باولو كويلو على عادته الى اعماق النفس البشري واكتشاف الاشخاص و الاشياء من حوله.
سوف تعجبك جدا الرواية وخاصة تركز الاحداث على الاشخاص المسافرين لهذه الرحلة ولماذا اخذوا هذه القرار, لأن مثلما نعرف لكل شيء هناك سبب وعلينا معرفة هذه الاسباب واتخاذ القرار الصائب في حياتنا, رواية مليئة بلأحداث والاشياء الممتعة.
هناك شيء جذبني كثيرا في الرواية انه لما تقراء كتب باولو كويلو السابقة وخاصة النسخة العربية هناك مقدمة لكل كتاب, الشيء الجميل في هذه الرواية انه سوف تكتشف لماذا واين خطر للكاتب ان يكتب هذه المقدمة, وعندما تكتشف هذا سوف يسعدك هذا الشيء.

بعض المقتطفات:
"الحلم أمر لا يمكن التنبؤ به, وهو خطير على اولئك الذين لا يتحلون بالشجاعة ليحلموا"
"إذا أردت أن تتعمق في معرفة نفسك, ابدأ بأكتشاف العالم من حولك"


This new novel by the writer Paolo Coelho I can say that it is part of the biography of the writer but in a novel and of course by the writer's special touch and his beautiful style in the writing of his novels and deep in it, the writer Paulo Coelho used in this novel his days in Hippy and his journey in the world's countries A young man from the hippie and talked to us about his adventures and ideas and what he was feeling and thinking about in those days in a very beautiful and enjoyable way.
This story takes you for a very beautiful trip in self discovery, especially if you are coming to discover the world and around you and the most important discovery yourself, true events dating back to the seventies and some of the sixties, but during your reading of the book never feel that the events are old or not adapt to this time, Paulo Coelho on his habit to the depth of the human soul and discover the people and things around him.
You will like the novel very much, especially the focus of events on the people traveling this trip and why they took this decision, because as we know everything there is a reason and we have to know these reasons and make the right decision in our lives, a novel full of events and fun things.
There is something very attractive in the novel that when you read the old Paulo Coelho books, especially the Arabic version, there is an introduction to each book. The nice thing about this novel is that you will find out why and where the writer is going to write this introduction.

Some excerpts:
"The dream is unpredictable, and it is dangerous for those who do not have the courage to dream"
"If you want to delve deeper into yourself, start discovering the world around you"
Profile Image for Jessaka.
959 reviews198 followers
October 29, 2023
He has this most beautiful name, this Paulo Coelho. End He writes beautifully when he speaks of God, but I am not there with him. I left those beliefs behind me long ago But not that of God.

He begins his story in 1970 when He becomes a Hippie. He describes the scene. In 1970 I was hanging out in Berkeley. I was leaning against a building on the street, Waiting For the city bus. I was wearing my ex husbands blue work shirt over my blue jeans. I had embroidered the women's symbol over the pocket of my shirt. In red. A car slowed down, stopped and snapped a photo of me. Was I a hippie? No, but they liked the scene. That was a fun shirt.

He traveled with a woman all over the world. In Amsterdam he wanted to know why some places were called House of the Rising Son. When a house was pointed out to him, he went inside. It was a drug den. Heroin. He talked to a man who was getting ready to shoot up. And in the process he almost didn't get out of their alive.

I was on another date with a man named matt. I will never forget his name. He wanted to go to his friend's house. I thought, fine. There was maybe 7 people in the house, and matt and I said at a table.2 men walked in, went over to a young girl, and then they began to shoot her up with heroin. I turned to mat and said, I want to leave. He said, Stay. You will learn something. I became afraid, but I stayed. After she slumped over I walked out the door. I was surprised that I got out of there alive.
Profile Image for Ramzy Alhg.
449 reviews211 followers
March 18, 2023
حاول باولو كويلو في هذا الكتاب أن يستعيد قصة ذلك الكاتب الشاب الحالم دائماً بالسفر حول العالم هرباً من الديكتاتورية العسكرية البرازيلية، والحياة الضيقة، وكافة النظم ألتي تحرم الإنسان من إنسانيته.

الهيبي صاحب الشعر الطويل والذقن المشعثه غير المهذبة بالملابس الصارخة، والذي يُحب الموسيقى الصادحة، والمتحرر من جميع القضايا، أو المعاييّر سوى التحرر الكلي.
حيث حاول الإندماج والإنغماس بكل ما أوتي من قوة في عقائد الحب والبحث عن الذات للوصول إلى العمق الروحاني من خلال إيجاد الرب، عبر السفر حول مدن العالم الآسيوية والأوربية.

وقد حمله القدر عبر الحافلة السحرية للتوجه ألى نيبال، حيث التقى في طريقه أشخاص مثله يعشقون السفر على ذلك الباص السحري، وعلى رغم بساطتهم إلا إنهم لم يكونوا أشخاص عادييّن، بل كانوا مدراء وأطباء وجامعيين وعارفين وخبراء بشئون الحياة والإنسان، يتشاركون نفس الحلم، ليبدء أيضاً بسرد تفاصيل حياتهم والسبر في اغوار وأعماق أنفسهم البشرية كلُ على حدى.

عرج على أحداث سياسية كثيرة حدثت في ذلك الوقت ومنها أيلول الأسود ومحاولة إغتيال الملك الحسين ابن طلال رحمه الله.

تحدث بعمق عن حبه للصوفية وتعلقه بها ومحاولته تعلّم طرقها وأساليبها، حيث قضي مايقارب السنة في تركيا يحاول ذلك من خلال الدراويش، وهذا مايبرر الزج دائماً بهوسه الصوفي في جميع كتبه وأصداراته.

ما أزعجني بحق هو عدم الإشارة البته الى تلك المقاطع المنقوله والمدموجة من كتاب ألف ليلة وليلة ضمن متن الكتاب وخاصة عندما تحدث عن الصوفية، دون توضيح ذلك في الحواشي أو التوضيحات، وهذا يُعاب على كاتب كبير مثل باولو كويلو سواءً كان ذلك بقصدٍ أو من غير قصد.

"قد تكون هنا لكن روحك في مكان آخر، إذهب بحثاً عن روحك".

"الدين أفيون الشعوب، هي جملة سخيفة أثبتت أن قائلها لم يكن يفقه شيئاً عن الشعب، ولا عن الأفيون".
Profile Image for Faith.
2,047 reviews608 followers
September 12, 2018
Karla and Paulo are two twenty somethings who meet in Amsterdam and travel together. They do not meet until about the 25% point in the book, and but then I was already bored by these vapid people. I lived through this period of time and, looking back on it, the hippies actually were pretty boring, pretentious and self involved. The author's autobiographical nostalgia trip wasn't really interesting to me and I stopped reading. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Profile Image for Ahmad AlHamadi.
81 reviews14 followers
January 11, 2019
I always read Paulo’s books very quickly, his writing style is easy to read and most of his books are good. Including this one just as good as the others. this my 9th book that I read by him, And as I expected It is different from the other stories. and that ending we must take it as a lesson.
Profile Image for Naddy.
319 reviews44 followers
December 9, 2018
I tried so much to like it but despite multiple efforts, this book failed horrendously, i literally cursed myself why did i pick this book, i am not a fan of Paulo Coelho, and didn't like Alchemist though i have enjoyed Veronica decides to die and Eleven minutes.

Humble request don't pick this book even you have been fan of Paulo, it is not something out of box, 4 lines from 4 lines from Sufisim and tried to explain over the period of 287 pages, but full of potholes..
Profile Image for Aslı Can.
741 reviews262 followers
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August 10, 2018
Paulo Coelho karşıma çıktıkça okuduğum bir yazar. Hiç aramadığım ama buldukça da keyifle sohbet ettiğim bir dost gibi. Biraz da kardeş bir ruh gibi duyumsuyorum Paulo'yu. Bu da en içten ve sade sohbetimizdi sanırım. Şu anda bulunduğum ruh halinde bana harekete geçmek için ilham verdi. 'Ne duruyorsun!' dedi. Ben de kendime onu soruyorum: Neyi bekliyorum ki?
Profile Image for Robin Bonne.
652 reviews151 followers
January 7, 2019
Parts of this were excellent. Then there were other parts that were telling instead of showing.

I wonder if it could be a problem with the translation?
Profile Image for Lou.
887 reviews931 followers
January 13, 2019
He was on a journey, met Karla who loved reading The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, loved and watched 2001: A Space Odyssey, out in the cinema at that time, and she loved this Brazilian man she met. Together they went upon a journey of self-discovery, and all the hippie thing entailed along the way, joys and pains, and one of many findings, did he love her?

Ultimately the reader is transported with careful craft of evoking a sense of place and people, with a nostalgic look at the becoming of one writer Paulo Coelho, with the complexity of a heart at conflict with itself with the many things that he encountered and experienced. Along with the torture and imprisonment he experienced, he mentions his brush with Children of God, to an encounter with a Guru, into a house of the rising sun, an then an encounter with Hare Krishna, meetings with a Dervish Sufi, and losing and finding love on the road to the writer.

In this lucid nostalgic narrative there are some deep honest heartfelt reflections of a life past, adventures and connections, and a portrait of an artist as a young hippie and man.

Read Review with Excerpts @ More2Read
Profile Image for Seçil Polat.
39 reviews4 followers
June 15, 2018
"Beraber yürüyün, sarhoşluğunuzun ve mutluluğunuzun kaynağı hayat olsun, ama mesafenizi koruyun ki kimse kimseyi taşımak zorunda kalmasın - düşmek de yolun bir parçasıdır ve herkes düşünce yalnız başına ayağa kalkmayı öğrenmelidir."
Profile Image for Negar Afsharmanesh.
326 reviews55 followers
August 21, 2022
این کتاب در واقع یک سرگذشت هست از قسمتی از زندگی نویسنده که خودش اون رو نوشته. او به خاطر مادر پدرش نویسندگی و کنار میزاره میره حقوق بخونه که اینم کنار میزاره میره به شکل هیپی ها و همراه با اون ها زندگی میکنه که داستان این قسمت از زندگی نویسنده از زبان خودشه. خوب حالا هیپی به کیا میگن؟ هیپی‌ها عده‌ای از جوانان آمریکایی بودند که در دهه ۱۹۶۰ میلادی در پی یک جنبش اجتماعی به وجود آمدند. آنها دسته‌جمعی زندگی می‌کردند، مرام اشتراکی داشتند، معتقد به عشق آزاد بودند، به مادیات علاقه‌ای نداشتند و می���گفتند جامعه طبقاتی باید از بین برود و دوباره ساخته شود.داستان بامزه بود ولی کتاب خیلی معنا دار و پر مفهومی به شمار نمیره برای خوندن و سرگرم شدن خوبه به شخصه کتاب های دیگه کوئلیو رو بیشتر دوست داشتم.
Profile Image for Nermin Bajrami.
42 reviews96 followers
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November 4, 2023
Libër i lehtë dhe i këndshëm, si të gjithë librat e Coelho-s. Më ngjiti ky lloj rrëfimi, ku shkrimtari e përshkruan veten në ngjarje si një nga personazhet, jo si autobiografi, por si biografi e vetes dhe disa të tjerëve.
Profile Image for Marisa Costa.
473 reviews24 followers
September 1, 2018
Por destino o casualidad llegó esta novela a mis manos. Y, he de admitir que, desde que la empecé no pude parar de leerla.

No es que haya leído mucho de Paulo Coelho, a penas dos o tres libros, pero tengo claro que ésta es su obra más representativa y autobiográfica.

Narrada en tercera persona, y a modo de relato, encontramos una historia que nos hace viajar desde Ámsterdam hasta Katmandú permitiendo al lector conocer a un Coelho más maduro e intimista que nos intenta transmitir quién es él o, mejor dicho, cómo ha llegado a ser quién es.

La pluma del autor mantiene su línea; es ligera, amena, con las descripciones necesarias para permitir que el lector haga su esfuerzo y complete la narración con el poder de su imaginación.

Unidos por un viaje común en un Magic Bus, los personajes son presentados de forma paulatina. Cada uno relata o recuerda detalladamente su historia y el motivo que le hace encontrarse allí, de tal modo que el lector es capaz de comprender las infinidad de vidas que existe y el valor igualitario de las mismas, (pues a fin de cuentas todos los seres humanos somos similares en cuanto a naturaleza y buscamos la misma conexión con el mundo, así como la felicidad plena).
Cada personaje tiene una personalidad única y una historia que impacta.
Quisiera destacar las figuras de Karla y Paulo, los protagonistas por excelencia.

Karla es una joven independiente, fuerte, libre, y adelantada a su tiempo. Una mujer que ha vivido demasiado pero que no ha conseguido sentir `el amor´.
Es un personaje que evoluciona muchísimo a lo largo de la novela y por la que llegas a sentir un gran cariño.

Paulo es un hombre reservado, sensible, intrépido y aventurero que busca experiencias y encontrar su propia identidad. A través de él descubres un mundo completamente diferente, lleno de luz.
Es un personaje que sorprende, no sólo con los acontecimientos y las situaciones en las que se ve involucrado sino por la forma en que piensa y decide actuar.

Me ha encantado la forma en que Coelho consigue transportar al lector a otro tiempo, a otra generación y a otra forma de comprender la vida. A través de sus propias reflexiones, de sabias palabras de maestros como Rumi y de la música que se menciona ayuda a reflexionar y sacar el lado más espiritual trasladándote a aquel entorno y vida.

Otro aspecto que me ha sorprendido gratamente es la cantidad de información histórica que aprendes en relación con la época. Tales como la política internacional que existía en relación a los turistas, las leyes entorno a las drogas, las opiniones que se tenía de la vida bohemia en contraposición con lo que se vivía en realidad...

Por otro lado, no hay muchos aspectos negativos a destacar, quizás me ha faltado un final un poco más cerrado, aunque no por ello me ha desagradado. Creo que es emotivo y te deja el corazón encogido y anhelante.

En definitiva es una novela llena de luz, de aventura, experiencias y la forma en que cada uno tiene de encontrarse a sí mismo.

Para sus fieles seguidores destacar que en ella se puede encontrar retazos de sus novelas anteriores y quizás una explicación a pequeños fragmentos de ellas.
Profile Image for Andy.
1,713 reviews558 followers
October 14, 2018
This review is for the audio version. The narrator of the audiobook is uninspired and uninspiring; the characters are of different ages and backgrounds and nationalities but they somehow all sound the same.
An actual memoir might have been interesting, but that's not what this is. "Hippie" is a novelization of Coelho's youth, but without a tight narrative arc. As far as Coelho's usual strength of teaching wisdom goes, the problem here is that Young Paulo and his hippie friends are asking questions and going down lots of dead ends but not really coming up with any deep answers. It's like a catalog of what does NOT bring wisdom/happiness. That is not very satisfying for the reader but is a good lesson in itself, and as such this story was worth exploring.
Profile Image for ♥Milica♥.
1,356 reviews548 followers
June 18, 2021
The Alchemist is one of my all time favourite books so I was hoping this one would have similar vibes (plus hippies), being written by the same author and all.

But it didn't. And the more I read, the more I think no book will ever come close to it, which is fine, but a bit sad.

The second half was a lot better than the first. I was especially looking forward to seeing the drive through Yugoslavia and Belgrade but it was pretty short. Still, I'm glad it was mentioned.

I also didn't know Coelho's first girlfriend was Yugoslav? Such good taste, this man has. I'm obviously biased, but she seemed cool.

The rest of the book was a mix and match of interesting parts and not-so-interesting ones.

Most of the characters were given some backstory and I wanted to know even more about them.

I didn't care that much about Paulo's inner workings inside his head, I suppose I wasn't really expecting it in a book like this and wasn't in the mood.

The book is considerably short, and the journey ends in an okay way.

I'm hippie (happy) I read it anyway.
Profile Image for Thebooktrail.
1,787 reviews332 followers
October 2, 2018
description

Travel the world like a hippie


I'm not sure what to make of this. It's a fascinating travel guide on the one hand and we get to see and experience some wonderful places but as a memoir I got a bit lost as it reads like a gap year diary going from one thought to another with little direction.

I suppose people who experienced the hippie stage of life might get more from this but Paulo tells you what happened fact after fact without really delving into the whys and wherefors. It's the hippie way of life I guess - travelling and smoking, drinking and free love 'just because'. There are some interesting views of places we now think of as adventurous and iconic with backpackers such as Macchu Picchu and the Death Train of Bolivia which I enjoyed but these read as snippets, vignettes of a travel diary rather than an essay on enlightenment.

I won't see Dam Square in Amsterdam in the same light again that's for sure! The travel aspect of this book was what appealed and on that level, it was interesting to see some of the travel experiences that formed this writer. It was quite fascinating to see how he lived and was before he became the writer we know today. I've not really read flashbacks on a writer's life before - and there were many to delve into.

Again on a travelogue note - it's pretty amazing to be a traveller like he was. Makes me want to find a campervan and head off again into the distance.

The covers are perfect and it's the kind of book you have to create a playlist to enjoy on another level.
Profile Image for Hunter Wilde.
Author 9 books22 followers
September 3, 2018
I won this book in a giveaway, very excited to read it the moment it arrived in the mail. I could begin to see the shape of The Alchemist (one of my favorites) take form along Paulo’s journey.

I’ve read a few of his books before this and found them to be powerful, Hippie does not disappoint. I’ve been told by some that I would have made a great hippie, due to my philosophies and ways of questioning the world around me, ever the seeker of truth. When I heard this, I had visions of unbathed litterers from Woodstock, people with political views that became confused over time. Now, thanks to this education, I better understand what it was people were saying. I did not know that the symbol used was an inverted rune, nor that being a hippie was more complex and certainly something that I can appreciate on a deeper level. The ending stung somehow, however the overall stories told within were well worth it. I found myself highlighting passages that I’d come back to time and time again to contemplate. In a strange way, I feel like I entered a room (similar to the room in Istanbul) and sat at your feet for a time. Thank you, Mr. Coelho.
Profile Image for J Beckett.
142 reviews424 followers
March 10, 2019
Classic Coelho! This was a trip deep into a period that has a multitude of layers. Coelho captures the era in vivid detail, as he experienced it. A must-read for anyone curious or simply interested in the 60s and the Hippie movement, politics, war, and the lives that made and changed history. Amazing book!!!
Profile Image for Tatjana Sarajlić.
124 reviews29 followers
December 31, 2018
Komercijalna knjiga. Možda bi bilo bolje da se ugleda na Harper Lee: Napiše knjigu. Svima stane dah. Više ne mora ništa da piše.
Odavno nisam pročitala nešto sa manje duše.
Profile Image for Sadra Kharrazi.
375 reviews52 followers
May 12, 2023
بی نهایت خسته کننده و حوصله سر بره
من یکی که دیگه حوصلم به این نوع کتابا نمیکشه
Profile Image for Anna Carina S..
580 reviews197 followers
Shelved as 'abgebrochen'
July 2, 2022
Liest sich wie ein belangloser Schulaufsatz. Finde den Stil unterirdisch. Von den merkwürdigen Verallgemeinerungen und Ansichten spreche ich erst gar nicht. So, das war’s jetzt auch mit Coelho Versuchen. Nicht mein Autor.
Profile Image for Stephen.
1,977 reviews431 followers
March 22, 2021
started off well but gradually starting getting predictable and boring
Profile Image for Rasha.
59 reviews33 followers
November 16, 2019
I've read this one last year while I was on holidays in Spain, it was the perfect time to read this I enjoyed it a lot. Good memories along.
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