New review of Paulo Coelho’s The Devil and Miss Prym up at gothamist.com:

Coelho (a devout Catholic) has something to say about the Capitalized Concepts in this world. His Chantals, Veronikas, and Pilars turn out to be simply us, asking for answers in a almost haphazardly fictional universe of Coelho’s making. But here’s where I divorce the simple fable of The Alchemist with these more complex books – here’s where I inadvertently justify my teenaged devotion to Santiago’s journey.

I’m not sure how well I did in the eyes of Mr. Updike, but it’s my first slightly negative review in a while and it served to remind me how agonizing those are to write.

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