აი, ისეთი წიგნია რა, ზაფხულში ზღვაზე დასასვენებლად მიმავალი სულელი გოგო მოდის გამო რომ ჩააგდებს ჩანთაში. მერე პლიაჟზე ყოველ მეორე გასვლისას 10 გვერდს რომ წაიკითხავს. ერთი თვის მერე თბილისში ჩამოსული წიგნის ნახევრამდეც რომ არ იქნება მისული და მომავალი ერთი წლის განმავლობაში კითხვაზე, ბოლოს რა წაიკითხეო, კოელიოს ''რიო პედრას ნაპირიო'' რომ უპასუხებს. ძალიან მაგარი რამეაო.

una lettura a dir poco tediosa. sentimentalismi inutili, massime da santone baci perugina edition che pretendono di insegnare la vita dall'alto di una sapienza uniformante. trama inesistente e tutt'altro che originale, vista e rivista, e uno stile piatto e completamente anonimo. gran delusione, anche perché ho letto di meglio di Coelho.

“If pain must come, may it come quickly. Because I have a life to live, and I need to live it in the best way possible. If he has to make a choice, may he make it now. Then I will either wait for him or forget him.”
This book was so relatable, so heartfelt. I think I should read it every year.

مثل همه ی کتاب های پائولو کویلو خیلی تاثیر گذار بود
یک بار دیگر میخوانم تا آخر همین هفته
یک چیزی در من باید بیدار شود

I'm not entirely sure this was the best Coelho to start with, as this story wasn't straightforward in the sense of it making much sense. (I know what I mean.) The writing was creative and the words were sometimes beautiful, just like a few decorative bows had placed, mostly little and often. I wouldn't say this enthralled me, but I was entertained.

If we let it, the book teaches about the power of love, and what sacrifices a person can make for that, and in the case of this book, it was religion. I'll admit that I was slightly moved by a few select scenes, but nothing earth shattering. I felt like the author held back, and I was waiting for elaboration.

This wasn't a disappointment by any means, but it just didn't tick all my boxes. (I own a lot.)


“By the River Piedra I sat down and wept. There is a legend that everything falls into the waters of this river – leaves, insects, the feathers of bird – is transformed into the rocks that make the riverbed. If only I could tear out my heart and hurl it into the current, then my pain and longing would be over, and I could finally forget.”

Mình phải nói trước là Paulo Coelho là một trong những tác giả mình thích nhất. Mình đã đọc hết toàn bộ sách bản tiếng Việt của ông rồi. Nhưng rất tiếc mình phải nói đây là quyển sách mình ít thích nhất, và cũng ít cảm nhất.

Quyển này nhắc nhiều đến tôn giáo, và vì mình không hiểu biết cũng như không theo tôn giáo (ở đây là Công giáo) nên có thể mình không thấy được cái hay của nó. Còn chuyện tình cảm trong quyển này mình cũng không thấy được sự sâu sắc. Mình không thích nhân vật nữ chính trong truyện, mặc dù đôi lúc mình cũng có chút đồng cảm với cô ấy.

Mặc dù quyển này khá ngắn nhưng có thể vì mình không cảm được nên đọc nó quá chậm. Mình đã kỳ vọng rất nhiều khi quyết định mua quyển này vào ngày trước khi mình đi nước ngoài và chỉ mang theo một quyển sách là nó. Vốn đã tính gởi tặng bạn quyển này. Nhưng gi�� lại thôi.

Chậc. Không biết nói sao. Thở dài một cái vậy. Và hi vọng trong tương lai mình có thể đọc được quyển khác hay hơn của Coelho.

Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.
*
Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. We simply have to accept it, because it is what nourishes our existence. If we reject it, we die of hunger, because we lack the courage to stretch out a hand and pluck the fruit from the branches of the tree of life. We have to take love where we find it, even if that means hours, days, weeks of disappointment and sadness.

The moment we begin to seek love, love begins to seek us. And to save us.

cảm ơn vũ trụ đã hợp lực giúp mình đọc xong quyển sách dở òm chán ốm nhồi nhét quá nhiều triết lý giáo điều này.

4 năm quay lại với Paulo Coelho của Nhà giả kim thì nhận ra đúng là chỉ có thất vọng hơn chứ không thất vọng hơn.

آقای کوئیلو ..سلام! کتابتون رو خوندم . باور بفرمائید برای همخوابه شدن یه دختر با یه کشیش نیاز به وساطت عیسی و مریم باکره و کلیسا نیست! با تأسف باید بگم کهنه نتها بشدت کسالت بار و ناامیدکننده بود بلکه احساس کردم شما با این سبک نوشتن دارین دام مذهب رو دوباره جلوی پاهای ما باز میکنیین .. تلاشتون برای معرفی کشیش به عنوان شخصی که معجزه میکنه! جالب بود .. دوبار از طرف یه زن و یه مرد معجزه رو نسبت دادین به کشیش کاتولیک .. آقای کوئیلو .. باور کنین قرون وسطا خیلی وقته گذشته .. قبول دارم اگرچه هنوزم طرز تفکر سیاه و مذهب زده اون دوران در وجود خیلی از ما هست .. ولیکن نمیدونم هدفتون از خلاصه کردن انجیل تووی این کتاب چی بود .. هدفتون از نسبت دادن معجزه به کلیسا و شفا گرفتن مریض توسط کشیش و حرف زدن روح القدس با کشیش چی بود .. با عرض معذرت اما من باید بگم که اگر به چیزی که نوشتین واقعا اعتقاد دارین خرافه تا اعماق مغزتون نفوذ کرده .. آقای کوئیلو شما نویسنده این .. پس لطفا مثل عوام نباشید .. تووی دویست صفحه کتاب چه لزومی داره که بیشتر از ششصد بار اسم عیسی و مریم باکره و روح القدس رو بکار ببرین؟ واقعا برای تبلیغ مذهب روش جالبی نیست .. لازم نیست که ذکر کنم که فروید درباره دین چی گفت .. بهر حال امیدوارم کتابای جدیدتون واقعا رمان باشه .. وگرنه من انجیل رو خوندم .. پیروز باشید

  

“I will not talk to my own darkness anymore, I promised myself, closing the door on the Other. A fall from the third floor hurts as much as a fall from the hundredth.

If I have to fall, may it be from a high place.”

This book had me so confused. By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept Is again a very, very spiritual book. The reason is used the word 'again' was that I haven't really read a lot of Paulo Coelho's works but whatever I have read, it's mostly all spiritual. And since I don't really read books like that a lot, I really tend to enjoy reading them once a while.

Now why was I so confused after finishing off with this one?
It's because I really liked it but half the time, thingd just went way over my head. It's not exactly like I didn't understand anything. There was a lot of really good stuff. There was a lot of talk about religion, faith and soul and it really fascinated me. Personally, I am not a very religious person and moreover this book is completely based on Catholic beliefs and I am not even Christian. But still as I said before, it was all very fascinating and interesting to me.

“Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.”

But.

There were some things that I had to read like thrice or more but I still couldn't quite understand what was being tried to convey. All that stuff about feminine side of the God and everything, I am sorry but I couldn't get any of it. I don't know, maybe that makes me a shallow person or something but really, that was something wayyy beyond my understanding capacity. It was nevertheless interesting and fascinating to read about such different notions varied by perspectives. It's really hard to explain it, perhaps it was just fact itself that I was reading something good. I don't know.

But if someone is looking for a book with a great plot, this book isn't the one you might want to pick. Because it has no plot. Nil. Nada.

Really, it's just about a girl, Pilar, who meets her childhood sweetheart after so many years and then decided to go on a short trip with him and is constantly at war between her heart and her mind.

Nothing really happens. The book is all preaching and talks. Might not really come off as very appealing to a lot of people out there. I found Pilar very confusing and at times quite irritating. The first half of the book it was just about her indescisiveness about her feelings for her friend. She knew he was an explorer, and he wouldn't stay put at one place for the rest of their lives and would have to leave her one day. So she was constantly denying her feelings.

All the time she was - Maybe it is the wine.
Maybe it is the wind.
Maybe it is the spring, no wait but it's autumn right now.

I mean seriously, maybe it's the fact that you're a goddamn idiot.

Like every single chapter and she would just go on about how she wasn't falling in love and blah blah. But I still liked the quotes and the stuff her friend used to talk about. It kept me going.

I also loved the fact that his name was never revealed. He was always refered to as 'he' or 'my friend' by Pilar. It had a nice feel to it. But the ending was the most ridiculous. I just don't understand what Pilar wants with life. I mean, she had clearly overreacted. I am not going to say much but it was stupid.

So overall, it was a good book, just a whole lot unclear and baffling.

  

ضميري يمنعني غالبا من أن أبدأ كتابا ولا أنهيه !
كويلو حبيب الجماهير .. :/
الرواية فقيرة ،
من زاوية الحب فالقصة بسيطة ولا تصلح قصة غرام .
أما من زاوية الإيمان ومعرفة الله فالرواية أتت بتساؤلات قد يطرحها الملحد أو ضعيف الإيمان، ثم ماذا بعد أين الأجوبة ؟؟!
------
ربما هي آخر رواية أقرأها لباولو ... فالحياة أقصر من أن نقرأ كتبا لا تضيف إلى إيماننا وعواطفنا وحبنا شيئا يذكر.

I opened this book with NO expectation's. Many people take Paulo Coelho's books with this expectations that it will be as good as The Alchemist is. But no book will ever be good as Alchemist is. So, for me this book was quite unexpected but in a good way. I have read many books of Paulo but this book was quite exception of Paulo's writing. It was desperate, Spiritual and so knowledgeable. I quite learned about Christianity, Spirituality. Love and Decisions.

n  n    “If pain must come, may it come quickly. Because I have a life to live, and I need to live it in the best way possible. If he has to make a choice, may he make it now. Then I will either wait for him or forget him.” n  n

And so the novel starts out. The most beautiful opening paragraph I’ve ever read in my life. And unless you are heartless or have never been in love, I don’t know how this wouldn’t at least rank somewhere on your list of most beautiful passages.

n  n    “By the River Piedra I sat down and wept. There is a legend that everything falls into the waters of this river – leaves, insects, the feathers of bird – is transformed into the rocks that make the riverbed. If only I could tear out my heart and hurl it into the current, then my pain and longing would be over, and I could finally forget.” n  n

n  n    n  n

This book was told by the protagonist Pilar's POV, she took us from the streets of Zargoza to the mountains of France to the river of Piadera. For not believing in Love to falling in love. This book showed us different phases of a human's life to her journey to the life of spirituality. This book's main focus was on the female face of GOD. That women's have been degraded from the early era to now, that Male God's have been more in light then women's. This book told us so many tales and knowledge about Virgin Mary. Which for me was quite interesting. As a Muslim, after Islam the most interesting is Christianity. and this book provide alot of it.

n  n    “In real life, love has to be possible. Even if it is not returned right away, love can only survive when the hope exists that you will be able to win over the person you desire.” n  n

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept carries a spiritual theme, as he touches quite a bit on the mystical nature of God. In this particular piece, he focuses on the young man’s belief in a feminine God that grants him the power to heal. and then their is Pilar, Pilar struggles to accept and embrace her feelings for him. He struggles to reconcile his love for the seminary, the gifts he has been given and the love he has held onto for so many years. While the beauty of their love story as it unfolds kept me wanting more, I found myself disappointed, especially toward the end when I didn’t feel the same intensity of emotions as I did with the opening paragraphs.

n  n    “But love is much like a dam; if you allow a tiny crack to form through which only a trickle of water can pass, that trickle will quickly bring down the whole structure and soon no one will be able to control the force of the current.” n  n

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book. I have two more books by Coelho that I want to read. And if you know me, you’ll know that there are VERY few authors from whom I’ve read more than one book. I must really like this guy.

n  n    “That is why I write - to try to turn sadness into longing, solitude into remembrance.” n  n