By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept: A Novel of Forgiveness
By Paulo Coelho
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About this ebook
From Paulo Coelho, author of the international bestseller The Alchemist, comes a poignant, richly poetic story that reflects the depth of love and life.
Rarely does adolescent love reach its full potential, but what happens when two young lovers reunite after eleven years? Time has transformed Pilar into a strong and independent woman, while her devoted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic spiritual leader. She has learned well how to bury her feelings . . . and he has turned to religion as a refuge from his raging inner conflicts.
Now they are together once again, embarking on a journey fraught with difficulties, as long-buried demons of blame and resentment resurface after more than a decade. But in a small village in the French Pyrenees, by the waters of the River Piedra, a most special relationship will be reexamined in the dazzling light of some of life's biggest questions.
Paulo Coelho
One of the most influential writers of our time, Paulo Coelho is the author of thirty international bestsellers, including The Alchemist, Warrior of the Light, Brida, Veronika Decides to Die, and Eleven Minutes. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Paulo is the recipient of 115 international prizes and awards, among them, the Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor). Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, he soon discovered his vocation for writing. He worked as a director, theater actor, songwriter, and journalist. In 1986, a special meeting led him to make the pilgrimage to Saint James Compostela (in Spain). The Road to Santiago was not only a common pilgrimage but a turning point in his existence. A year later, he wrote The Pilgrimage, an autobiographical novel that is considered the beginning of his literary career. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland.
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Reviews for By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
118 ratings17 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One of my favorites by Coelho! I hope he continues to give us his talented and inspired writings.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book changed my life and helped me understand so many things. I recommend it to everyone but especially for those whose faith has weakened or for those who are afraid to do things because of the fear of other's opinions or the fear of not living as the society or the majority of people expects you to live.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5nice book, so much information I gained. thanks a lot.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Symbolic
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5After re-reading this, my love for it did not lessen but it actually grew. I am not a fan of Paulo Coelho but this one is exceptional. It is a combination of religion and love. It is sad and happy at the same time. I really do love the ending. It had an unexpected twist in the end which I truly love. I love Pilar's character, I can easily relate to her, her insecurities, her fears and her dreams. I recommend this to everybody.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I had heard of Coelho before as kind of a bland spiritual writer. Thankfully my previous impression was totally wrong!The book followed a young woman, Pilar, who has gotten herself into a very complacent place in life, which she has worked hard for but does not move her in any way. Then she receives a letter from her former lover of her adolescent years. She finds he has become a spiritual teacher, espousing the blessings of the divine goddess. Her internal monologues, which comprise a large portion of the book, portray her in conflict about what to do with her life.Coelho writes with a frankness and lack of selfconsciousness about matters of the heart that in many authors' hands would come off tacky or cheesy. By midway through the book I was finding deep succor in his characters' bits of wisdom. While the book could pass as "Christian fiction," I get the impression that Coelho only uses that idiom to speak of human spirituality and love in a broader way.His style, which moved this reader, reminds me of Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund, a favorite from my teen years. The characters and their conflicts represent more abstract, archetypal dilemmas of life orientation and value systems. Coelho has written a parable for modern times.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5the story about a couple who are not able to work out their relation ship together...not one of the best by coelho
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I read this book in Spanish, but I figure it's in the benefit of this site to write the review in English. I've only read one other book from Paulo Coelho, El Alquimista/The Alquimist. I enjoyed it, as I enjoyed this one, though I found this one much harder to follow. Coelho's writing is full of metaphors, words and stories that can mean different things to everyone, but that are guaranteed to touch you in some way. This book is a love story, lovers who can seem to work out how to be together, whether because of where they live or where there current faith is at. It's a treat if you're into this type of stories, its dreadful if you are not.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5My first Coelho book. Initially I thought it was great. The story was relatively easy to follow, about a young woman taking a pilgrimage, the plot centering around her physical and spiritual journey. I'll be honest, I felt very noble and clever reading it, but as I went on, I found myself less able to describe what I learned from the book. This is the kind of book you definitely have to read twice (well for me at least) and THINK about, if you want to appreciate it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is one in a number of books I am reading written by this author I am trying to read them all , and so far I have liked all of them I have read. This was a very good book different than anything I have read before, I would recommend you read some of this authors books , simple and to the point but with a good message, this actually left me wanting to read it again. You have to watch his books thought(lol) sometimes they seem to turn up right when you need to hear what they are saying. ;0)
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A strange book centring predominantly around love and faith. The plot – about a girl taking a risk and following the man she loves into a new life – quickly becomes unclear, while the spiritual messages dotted throughout her journey are obviously ideas intended to provoke thought in the reader. Much is made, for example, of the Virgin Mary being a divine goddess, and the idea that God in any form must be a woman. Unlike The Alchemist, where the story and final message are clear, this is more subtle. I actually found it rather moving, though with an inadequate ending.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I've been an avid reader of Mr. Coelho's books. I was first introduced to it by a close friend of mine and since then it's always on my list of books to read and enjoy. A book of lost and found love with a heavy religious aspect.Poetic with beautiful quotes and passages of love and the struggle that goes along with it. Well constructed spiritual book and easy enough book to read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not as good as 'The Alchemist', but still a nice love story. Coelho's writing is just so awesome.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I have always enjoyed Coelho's other books, but I found this one to be too blatantly religious for my tastes. It was well written, and expresses his views on the Christian Trinity poignantly. The love story is moving. The story moves along at a pace that is interesting. I just couldn't get past the strong religious tone.A young woman is contacted by her childhood sweetheart after many years. Upon meeting him again, the two must choose between their personal love for each and the divine love of their faith.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This novel deals with the life of a young woman, Pilar, who denies herself several options in life to avoid suffering and vulnerability, until one day, when a long-lost childhood friend asks her to meet him. The next few days that she spends with him make her regain faith in God, learn to love unconditionally and to lose her fears. Expecting Paulo Coelho's novels to be free from references to God would be utterly foolish, but the elements of God and Christianity in this book were too strong for me. Still, a worthy read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not a bad read for what it is, but not generally my sort of book. I prefer a more straightforward story that I can choose to interpret how I choose, rather than Coelho's spiritual fables, where the 'moral' can seem a little patronising. I thought it made some interesting points, I didn't hate it but I'm not sure I'd read it again, and it didn't inspire me to read the other three Coelho books that are sitting on my shelf.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a beautiful story, with blatant spiritual overtones to feminize God which I find nothing wrong with. It's another book I've read a couple times.