Brida is the tale of a young Irish woman who is on a quest to understand the deeper mysteries of life. Brida has always been interested in magic and wants to learn more about being a witch. Her quest leads her into strange places and encounter with many interesting characters who help her find the answers she is seeking.
Brida is young, has a good job, a great boyfriend who really loves her and is quite happy in other ways as well. But, she still longs to go on a spiritual quest, a journey of self-discovery. She meets a man who lives deep in the forest who teaches her to conquer fear and have faith in the goodness of the world.
She meets a woman who opens up her heart to the secret music of the world. Through these two people, she is initiated into the Tradition of the Sun and the Tradition of the Moon. She has her moments of doubt and distrust but she eventually begins to accept her wise mentors and their teachings.
As she makes new discoveries and learns about souls and soul mates, she begins to question the values and relationships she developed in her old life before she met her teachers. She then has to resolve her new faith with her relationships and find a balance between the two.
This is an English translation from the original Portuguese novel by Coelho and it was published by Harper in 2008. This is a paperback edition.