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    You Were Made for This
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    You Were Made for This
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    You Were Made for This
    Audiobook9 hours

    You Were Made for This

    Written by Michelle Sacks

    Narrated by Sam Woolf, Lucy Scott and Olivia Mace

    3/5

    ()

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    About this audiobook

    ‘A chilling, gut-wrenching thriller’ Helen Fields ’Extremely scary scandi-noir…first class’ Daily Mail The perfect wife. The perfect mother. The perfect lie.

    A gripping page-turner for fans of The Couple Next Door, Michelle Sacks’s You Were Made For This provocatively explores the darker side of marriage, motherhood and friendship.

    Doting wife, devoted husband, cherished child. Merry, Sam and Conor are the perfect family in the perfect place. Merry adores baking, gardening, and caring for her infant son, while Sam pursues a new career in film. In their idyllic house in the Swedish woods, they can hardly believe how lucky they are. What perfect new lives they've built for themselves, away from New York and the events that overshadowed their happiness there.

    And then Merry's closest friend Frank comes to stay. All their lives, the two women have been more like sisters than best friends. And that’s why Frank sees things that others might miss. Treacherous things that unfold behind closed doors.

    But soon it's clear that everyone inside the house has something to hide. And as the truth begins to show through the cracks, Merry, Frank, and Sam grow all the more desperate to keep their picture-perfect lives intact.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateJun 28, 2018
    ISBN9780008261269
    Unavailable
    You Were Made for This

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    Reviews for You Were Made for This

    3/5

    45 ratings21 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Young girl is seeking for hers identity and she founds wicca as the way of life. There are information of wicca traditions and I have to seek for more of it in books of Scott Cunninghamn. Brida is written same way, what Cunninghamn tells in his books. I?m not sure what is the meaning of Coelho?s book. Is he telling us the tradition of wicca, or is he telling us the growing of young girl? Ofcourse finding your identity goes in a way Coelho tells to his readers. In Brida?s life love, sexuality and other things exists. My opinion this book is very thin in it?s ideas. The wicca as motive is quite popular in the world and maybe this motive sells good. As a reading experiance the motive and plot is very thin.
    • 2/5
      I seek out books where the story is set in Ireland, but I have to say that this book was a disappointment. All fluff, no substance.
    • 2/5
      Made me realize that I should have stuck with The Alchemist (and possibly Onze Minutes). Coelho is confused.
    • 4/5
      This was a strange little book, a peculiar and sometimes flat story of a young woman seeking out two spiritual advisors on two not entirely different paths. It was a story of students and teachers, of searching, faith and soul mates. I've read some angry reviews over the mix of Wicca and Christianity used in this story, but I've known people who considered themselves to be following both paths, so that didn't throw me too much. This wasn't a wildly inspiring story or a page turner at all really, but it was still somehow a satisfying read in a way I can't quite put my finger on. One of the teachers in this story uses a technique with her student where she sets her focus, and then rambles on and on in a quiet and mundane manner, setting the student's mind adrift in a sort of hallucinatory meditation or scrying exercise. It seems that Coelho does the same for the reader with this book, setting up a few ideas and then pulling the reader gently through a quiet story while the subconscious is encouraged to wander. The book didn't leave me with any profound concepts, ideas or revelations, but then it hasn't really left me yet either. It was a strange but not at all unpleasant read.
    • 3/5
      Wonderful Book
    • 5/5
      Although not familiar with a Wicca or a Magus, I became comfortably accepting of their presence in Brida's journey. Brida is a witch. She comes to the Wicca and the Magus to widen her circle of wisdom and knowledge. Her growth path became exciting and stimulated my imagination. Paulo Coelho easily strengthens those without understanding not to fear but to take up a blue cloak of bravery and to dance in your aura.I especially enjoyed his call to nature. I know with more surety that the sky, flowers, meadows are God's free gift to me. All I have to do is drink it in. Shame can not keep us from experiencing it. Mistakes can not keep us from experiencing it because shame, mistakes are all a part of the goblet we must drink from without hesitation to enjoy the dance of life.Nothing is bad in life. All is good that comes to us.I loved the part where Brida dances naked. She's totally free and unashamed welcoming love into her life. In Brida. Love is shared in one way or another page by page. When Brida dances without inhibition she is welcoming love. Love is "the bridge to the visible and the invisible".As for the Magus, he will meet his soul mate again and again through the magical turning of the universe. So Brida had to leave and return to her other soul mate, Lorens. I was afraid to read Brida. I started it. Then, restarted it. I had to relax my mind, body and spirit. Then, the story just flowed. I read it with a sense of peace. I think it is impossible to read Paulo Coelho with an anxious spirit. His novel, Brida, definitely can not be read with a spirit of hate or bitterness. It must be read with a spirit of 'I will accept what is here.' This is not difficult because his hand is open with generosity to feed your spirit just as the Wicca and the Magus fed Brida.I feel more bravery now after reading Brida. I feel more self acceptance, and "That's a good thing." I feel reading Brida will help me find my rightful gift. The author encouraged me by writing every person has a special gift. That gift is an instrument to be used for God's glory. I am looking forward to my next journey inside myself with this author, Paulo Coelho.
    • 5/5
      At times it felt like I was reading about myself and my personal journey and the constant battles I encounter on staying on my path. All of Paulo books are written with compassion and insight which never ceases to touch my soul.
    • 4/5
      I have been drawn to Paulo Coelho's writing since reading "The Alchemist," and "Aleph." "Brida" did not disappoint. It is a book which I consider to be spiritual; but I can well see how someone else may call it a romance or a book about witchcraft. If you were to summarize it in one sentence it'd have to be that the book is about finding yourself and your place in the world.
    • 3/5
      Not nearly as brilliant as The Alchemist, I enjoyed Brida but left feeling disappointed after his Coehlo's brilliance in some of his other books. Brida is a young Irish woman on a quest to find her true self which leads her to the practice of Wicca and modern day witches. I suppose the point of the story was really about soul mates and true love but it didn't have the punch I was looking for.
    • 3/5
      This book makes you think about relationships, magic and love.It is not nearly what The Alchemist was, but is an easy and good read.Being the story of a woman on a journey of self-discovery, who finds spirituality through magic, this book provides some guidance to those seeking a "Christ-Witch" path.
    • 1/5
      because of the Tradition of the Moon you can geuss the interior of a shop window? Either this book is too deep for me or it is just all made up and makes no sense. I usuallly love his books but this is not one I woudl recommened.
    • 3/5
      Anyone who has read Paulo Coelho knows that his stories are often fantastical tales that center on the mysteries of the spirit. Brida is the story of a woman on a journey of self-discovery who finds spirituality through magic. There were some definite surprises in this book. For example, sex is used as a means of obtaining spiritual power. After having read his explanation in the afterword I guess I can understand where he was going with that but it was a bit of a shock to the system when I actually read it in the context of the story. Without giving too much away I can say that there are two different sides to the 'magical coin': The Tradition of the Moon and the Tradition of the Sun. By studying either of these the individual is opening themselves up to God and all that He created. I liked it but in my opinion The Alchemist was far and away more powerful. If you're interested in his take on magic vs spirituality vs religion then I encourage you to give this book a try but if you're only reading it because you liked The Alchemist (oops) then you might be in for a shock.
    • 5/5
      Love, love, love! As all of the books I've read by Coelho have, this one hit all of the right chords for me. The story of a woman on a search for what spirituality is and can be, what form her relationships should take, and the exploration of mysticism in today's world... they were perfectly paired with the concepts of uncertainty and growth.I appreciated the various mentors that came into Brida's life, proving that no one person can be everything for us. No one teacher can explain everything. No one love should be expected to fulfill us. Her experiences showed that momentary love is just as important to personal growth as is lasting and domestic love.The mix of mysticism and Christianity is rare in writing today, and I thoroughly appreciated the way that this juxtaposition was portrayed. Nothing wrong, working jointly, and to the betterment of all those who seek this path.
    • 2/5
      I really liked this at first. It raised several questions I had never thought about before. Then it just became tiresome. It didn't move along at a very good pace and I found myself just wishing it would end.?
    • 3/5
      I picked up Brida because I am absolutely in love with The Alchemist, and I was a little disappointed. I thought Brida was a very good book, but it is much more heavy-handed in its life lessons, whereas The Alchemist doles out evenly along with story. All in all, it was a little more ethereal than my taste generally runs, but I still enjoyed the book.
    • 3/5
      I liked it, its a light read. The pacing is not that fast. As the author Paulo Coelho dwells more on life's stories and self discoveries. You will still find this an interesting read and learn something from the story as the characters are torn into decisions on goal-setting, destiny, love, responsibility.
    • 2/5
      a different kind of writer. a different style. but too much religious matters to be dealt with. while reading the book i had the uncertinity of the world of wicthcraft to explore. does it still exist. please somebody help me to find the answer.
    • 2/5
      This book was a huge disappointment. I always hesitated to read it, but didn't know why. Now I do. Yes, Coelho is a skilled writer. Beautiful phrases, great one-liners too... BUT: a book about witchcraft, witches, the traditions of moon and sun, a character called Wicca and not even one time the goddess is mentioned?! The god that is talked about is not the pagan god. I'm sorry to say, but this story has nothing to do with witchcraft as I know it.
    • 2/5
      I was always snotty about Paulo Coelho and I take it back, he's perfectly readable, even if he is no Turgenev - he's not a bad writer. Book very boring though, unless you're interested in magic, and even then it warns, that magic rituals are described out of context and must not be imitated, rather, tuition sought. So why waste the second two thirds on descriptions of magic rituals? It's fine, if not my bag especially, until then, then it gets boring. As I hadn't heard of it but I have many of his other books, and as the problem is the plot dead end, I imagine some of his other books are a good read, so try 'The Alchemist' or something.
    • 3/5
      I must admit I’m not generally a fan of the domestic thriller. The ones I’ve looked at seem to present a very narrow view both of women and of families, and to favour pace over prose.I thought I’d give this a go though, because it includes that endlessly fascinating trope of escaping the rat race to live the dream.Merry and Sam are living with their baby in rural Sweden, in a cottage he inherited from a relative. He is trying to establish himself as a filmmaker, she is caring for their baby, baking and growing vegetables. They have left their home in New York under slightly murky circumstances.We see first the beauty of this new life, then its downsides. It is the arrival of Merry’s childhood friend, Frank (Frances), that brings things to a head.The positive about this book is that the writing is gorgeous. You get a real sense of the beauty of the Swedish countryside and the appeal of the life they are living. Later, you see how the same setting can be claustrophobic and threatening. It’s the ideal combination – you get to both bask in Merry and Sam’s idyllic lifestyle, and to see it fall apart and realise it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.I didn’t enjoy the story, though. In part this is to do with the structure of the book. We already see the problems in Merry and Sam’s life before Frank’s arrival, then we have to repeat the same journey from envy to disillusionment from her point of view. When the crisis happens in their lives, there is a police investigation in which the protagonists are interviewed and go over much of the same ground yet again.More than this, though, I found this book profoundly depressing in what it says about women. There are various archetypes in the book, all of them negative. Frank is successful in her career and travels the world but it’s only because her mother didn’t love her enough. She’d give it up in a heartbeat to have what Merry has.Merry feels confined by her new life but can’t think what else to do. Sam takes it for granted that Merry should do all the household chores. Neither Merry nor Frank seem to think any less of him for it, nor to question what they themselves expect.The three protagonists are depressingly predictable. There is no grit that makes them run against type, no sense that they have complex emotions and drives that exist beyond the frame of the story. I had a strong reaction to the twist at the end, but I don’t think it was the one I was meant to have.Sam is a former anthropologist with an interest in masks and Merry was a set designer. They are interesting choices but I didn’t feel the implications were explored. Are these characters more interesting than they appear? Has their potential been stifled by the limited roles they are allowed to play? Or were they made for this?*I received a copy of You Were Made for This from the publisher via Netgalley.This review first appeared on my blog katevane.com/blog
    • 4/5
      For me Michelle Sacks' new book "You Were Made For This" started out as just an ok book. I wasn't until two thirds of the way thru that the story picked up.The story is told from three points of view and can get a bit uncomfortable to read at times.