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The Zahir  By  cover art

The Zahir

By: Paulo Coelho
Narrated by: Derek Jacobi,Emilia Fox
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Publisher's summary

It begins with a glimpse or a passing thought. It ends in obsession.

One day, a renowned author discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified i??i??i?? and increasingly fascinated - by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed, or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts.

His search for her - and for the truth of his own life - takes him from France to Spain, Croatia and, eventually, the bleakly beautiful landscape of Central Asia. More than that, it takes him from the safety of his world to a totally unknown path, searching for a new understanding of the nature of love and the power of destiny.

With The Zahir, Paulo Coelho demonstrates not just his powerful and captivating storytelling, but also his extraordinary insight into what it is to be a human being in a world full of possibility.

In Arabic Zahir means 'visible, present and unable to go unnoticed.' It refers to something or someone that ends up being the only thing we can think of. This state of 'possession' can be understood as saintliness or insanity, with a fine line between the two.

©2005 Paulo Coelho (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about The Zahir

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful and deep read!

Loved this book. Love Paulo Coelho!!!!

Couldn't put it down. He's stunning and captivating as always. And proves in this book that true love means leaving behind our own inhibitions and judgement. Allowing ourselves to be pulled & drawn by what we love and give our whole self.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another fantastic book with beautiful lessons

I am so in love with learning or recognising the many lessons in these stories ... I started reading but switched to audible beacuse liked the sound of Jaime's voice telling the story.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Once started to listen could not stop

The story is good
But the narrator is excellent
He made it so vivid and interesting
I loved this book

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Like the book, but sadly abridged.

I love the premise of the book, as I can relate to it. The thought that something can be absent, yest desired so much, that it becomes overwhelming. I understand that.

My only issue with the book is that it's abridged. The full story is better, as I've read it before.

Also, the narrator of the book is not what is listed, but Simon Vance, but that's fine, as he is excellent.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing book

Everything about the book was good, the only thing was that the readers voice is very quiet and soft so listening while anywhere except a quiet room is hard to hear.

Would like it if Audible was able to digitally boost the volume.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great read for those interested or already married

As someone who is currently engaged its an incredible story to hear about love and self-discovery. It puts into perspective what happens when we focus either on ourselves too much or even that of our partners. Couldn't be happier reading and listening to this.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Coelho is an incredible story teller (and teacher)

Where does The Zahir rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Ranks in the top 10%

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, there are large portions of the story that seem to apply personally and I was able to quickly loose myself to the story and the characters.

Any additional comments?

My favorite Coelho book is the Road to Santiago followed by The Alchemist, but the Zahir is excellent. I recommend every Coelho book written, but I recommend that Audible only provide the unabridged versions in the future!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

The Zahir

As with all of Chelho's writing, this is a wonderful READ, but this abridged audio loses something. Suggest waiting for the unabridged audio.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspiring anecdotes

I like how the subtle messages are presented in the story and the narration even includes accents.
I found it gripping and also left me a lot of ideas and phrases to think about.
Loved the ending.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Boring in places. Lackluster ending.

I liked the idea of this story, but the execution wasn’t right for me. The ending was abrupt. I felt like the middle part just kind of dragged on.

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