"By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept" tells of Pilar, a frustrated scholar looking for some greater meaning in the endless cycle of her days. When a childhood friend contacts her, she is surprised to learn that her former playmate is now a charismatic spiritual leader, someone revered as a miracle worker. She is even more astonished when he reveals that Pilar has always been his great love.
Confused by this sudden opportunity for a new chance at life, Pilar gradually comes to realize that the man she loves is being called upon to choose between her and his spiritual calling. As the suffering lovers travel through sacred sites in the French Pyrenees, the difficult choice they face offers a startling revelation about the divine and the redemptive power of love. Full of warmth and wisdom, joy and unexpected sorrow, their story is a magical celebration of the endless possibilities that life has to offer, and a fable about opening your heart to miracles.
...ContinuaThis book is not particularly well written. The story deals with how love changes the life of a young woman, allegedly for the best. Even though I do not like the emphasis that Coelho places on enthusiasm and 'finding one's true self', I appreciated some remarks about spirituality and the idea that the divine is a realm of thorough compassion and love. Overall, it's a pretty interesting novel.
If you want to get the gist quick, read p. 151: 'Follow your dreams, transform your life, take the path that leads to God. Perform your miracles. Cure. Make prophecies. Listen to your guardian angel. Transform yourself. Be a warrior, and be happy as you wage the good fight. Take risks'.
troppo perbenismo... che noia!
Each Coelho book has a central theme; an incline toward an emotional revelation the author himself hopes to reward you with at the peak. Without fail I have relished this aspect, and this time was no exception. By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept is listed as a book of forgiveness - a trait I try to practice religiously, but more often than not come up lacking - and the sole reason why I picked this one up.
A bit slow at first but picking up speed by the middle of the book, Coelho proves once again it's not the destination, but the journey that counts. Though the love story itself is nothing new, especially to dedicated readers of the author, it's the development that really is engrossing. I can't remember the last time I rooted so much for a couple, for fate. Despite the fact that it is heavily doused in religion, it's not enough to turn you off. In fact, between the poetic prose, the graceful construction and the brevity of the story I doubt you'll even notice.
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