Rating: 
Summary: You Only Live Once!
Review: Having been recommended this book by a good friend of mine, who knew me as a lost young person in this world, I read the book not only to feel excited but also had a renewed outlook on life. There were many points in the book that still stick in my mind ever so clearly as if I had read it yesterday. But Paulo Coelho wrote that book in a way that made me say, 'yeah, how did he hit the nail so precisely?' Reading some passages gave me shivers because Paulo was so right. Many times, we tend to hold back on questioning or spilling our brains out for the sake of pleasing others because they would thing that we are crazy for asking such question. However, I have learnt a valuable lesson through this book - that is to be mad (mad in a good way)once in awhile. To do things once in awhile that we might not otherwise do and may never repeat but something that makes people say, 'He/She is MAD!'. Through this book also, I have come to realize that being myself and portraying the real me in a world filled with people who are extremely afraid to show their real feelings and expressions, is OK. I can be myself and be different and not feel as though it is a grave sin to be ME. - "Is Wanting to be different a serious illness?.....It is if you force yourself to be same as everyone else: it causes neuroses, pschoses and paranoia. It's a distortion of nature, it goes against God's laws, for in all the world's woods and forests, He did not create a single leaf the same as another." p. 153 Paulo Coelho wrote it so well that I have come to conclude: You only live once. Therefore, enjoy life to the fullest!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy life!
Review: I found "Veronika" to be a very interesting and insightful reading experience. The characters are very human and full of doubts and fears like all of us. The ending is surprising and teaches a lesson to all that don't have faith in their lives and in living life to the fullest. The great lesson here is: enjoy life - it is worth living it!
Rating: 
Summary: A story about life, not death...
Review: The premise of this novel seemed intriguing. It promised to deal not so much with the events that would lead to Veronika's suicide, but rather the consequences. And not the effect on her friends and family (as most novels about the after effects of suicide are), but rather the effect her suicide would have on HER. Not only that, by turning the death BY a person into a slow, agonising death OF a person, Paul Coelho has created an utterly involving and original idea. Indeed would it not be the ruminating and waiting that will haunt you to the end? Meaning, if you knew that you were to die in five days time, would it not a given that you would wonder and regret? Questions like "Have I lived my life to the fullest, have I done all I'd ever wanted to achieve, what more could I have contributed to the world, etc?" These questions pertain to life: what has been achieved and what could have been accomplished had one been given the chance to live? And so, because of this, "Veronika Decides to Die" is not a story of death, but one of life. And there was the mistake, mostly on my part I guess. This was a story of inspiration. I expected one of death; one which dealt with suicide and the anguish, regret and horror. Suicide is a very complicated issue, and seemed not to play a big part in Veronika's story. It (along with her impending, seemingly inevitable death) acted merely as a catalyst towards her expected desire to live and experience that which she had not before. Paul Coelho could have really pushed this issue, and come up with something very real and very dark. Instead, we are left with something very surreal. The story also feels disjointed, with the author introducing four or five (if you include himself) characters to the story. We are given backgrounds to each character and told then how Veronika's desire for life in the face of death, changes each of them. By doing this, however, the reader is left feeling dissatisfied, having just been introduced to these characters, but learning little else about them. Of course, Paul Coelho is too good a story teller to write a false sounding tale and taking that into account, I must admit it was extremely well written and the issues that WERE dealt with were thoroughly argued and acted out with enough irony to leave the reader smiling. The issue of madness, for example, was dealt with superbly and in light of that, perhaps the surreal feel of the story was appropriate. Therefore, this was a story about life, not death, and about the madness of living life to the fullest. The insanity behind doing what you want, when you want, feeling however you wish to feel and loving with no other desire than to love. As opposed to conforming to what society deems as "normal" behaviour.
Rating: 
Summary: Thoughtful
Review: I finished the book a week ago and have thought about it often since. At times, reading it, it did seem overexplicit and underprofound, and yet it certainly asks questions all of us should ask ourselves before living another conventional day in conventional jobs and relationships carried on in conventional ways. In the end, although I felt the story could have been more moving , I thought the message was a good one, and enough to recommend the book.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasure
Review: After I finished this book, I gained a great power to struggle for life. During the time I was reading this book, I was sad and histeric about the personalities of the book. I reccommend this book to all people who are in doubt about human life. I also become very glad because Mr. Cuelho will come to my country IRAN.
Rating: 
Summary: Veronika=An Insignificant read
Review: When I heard of this story I was intrigued as to what Paulo Coelho had to say about a girl who attempted a failed suicide but knew she would still die within five days. The lessons learned here could be quite insightful and incredibly touching, especially since her fate has been pre-determined by her actions. Unfortunately, I found the author's use of the third person at the beginning of the novel to be rather pretentious, and the ending to be especially cliche. If Coelho hadn't put a twist on the plot, the ending would have had better closure and meaning. Instead, it became another hackneyed story about a girl committing a plea suicide, something much too familiar and far less memorable.
Rating:
Summary: I wonder......
Review: After i have read this book..there is a Question mark on my mind ...are we the normal ones or the others whom in a mental hospital right now? I bet u will have the same question after u have read it.........great book...
Rating: 
Summary: Not as inspiring as you may think.
Review: Paulo Coehlo is an inspirational writer in every sense. His masterpiece, The Alchemist, was a simple fable which spoke to millions around the world, and for many, changed their lives. With 'Veronika Decides To Die', Coehlo has written a slight volume about suicide and depression. One assumes that he is again trying to provide a sympathetic and supportive understanding to those who have doubted the value of living and have contemplated or even made an attempt at taking their own lives. Coehlo has in fact suffered this way and therefore writes from some experience. I approached this book expecting to be treated to Coehlo's inspirational words,'life is worth living' type stuff. This of course is what he is attempting to write but sadly I didn't feel all that inspired to live each day to the fullest anymore than I usually do. The inspiration here is flat and banal and frankly quite uncovincing. It is the chraracters darker, more depressive thoughts that ring most true in this story and made it a very different book. For me a slightly depressing story that gave me few real insights.
Rating:
Summary: THE MEANING OF LIFE...
Review: Is always unfair, to describe the plot of a book, beacause if someone wants to read it, well they don't want to know the spice of the writing, Veronikas decides to die, it's a book that will leave you with a teaching lesson, on how we don't live our life at the maximun, and we takes some things for granted. This masterpiece will make you think, a nice a book from a fine Brazilian writer. A most have to any lover of drama and eye opener plays.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Read it in spanish. Interesting and with a very good message. One of my favorites.
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