Palabra que resume este libro: bodrio.
De verdad me dieron ganas de llorar por el árbol cuyas hojas habían sido desperdiciadas para imprimir este texto mal escrito, mal redactado y con ideas completamente fuera de contexto racional.
Este es uno de los dos únicos libros que he tirado a la basura.

"El amor puede llevarnos al infierno o al paraíso, pero siempre nos lleva a algún sitio. Es necesario aceptarlo, pues es el alimento de nuestra existencia"

Este libro trata sobre Pilar, una mujer racional que le cuesta mucho enfrentarse a las cosas que no se ajustan a su visión limitada del mundo. Hasta que un día es invitada a un seminario por un amigo de la infancia que era un fuerte líder espiritual, pronto listo para tomar votos como sacerdote. A medida que viajan y pasan por el río piedra deben tomar una gran decisión. Ella debe escoger entre sus miedos de entregarse al amor no controlado, y él entre su misión espiritual o el amor por Pilar.

Lo que más me gustó de este libro fueron todas las frases reflexivas a lo largo de toda la historia. Y también que hablan de creencias muy controversiales como la existencia de una Diosa en lugar de un Dios, resaltando que lo sagrado siempre tiene un lado femenino.

Tragically beautiful.

چقدر بد بود
پشیمون شدم کتابشو گرفتم
(-_-)==%

Buvo ir gerų minčių, bet buvo daug ir painių. Sakyčiau iš visų trijų dalių šita labiausiai man pačiai neįtikusi.

I may have rated this one by mistake, but the title sounded so familiar!

Hace AÑOS que quería leer esto, básicamente por el título tan evocador, porque ¿quién no ha tenido ganas de sentarse al borde de un río y llorar? Y entremedio que pase algo interesante, qué entretenido, porque obvio que así ha de ser sino para qué escribir un libro en primer lugar. Es como bien místico y además misterioso, y la emoción... uf. Nunca hay que subvalorar la importancia de un buen título.

Además, pese a que la gente se engolosina mofándose de Coelho (jaja), a mí ME ENCANTÓ "El alquimista", y "Verónica decide morir" me gustó bastante también. Puros prejuicios con él en la mayoría de los casos, en especial, si nos acordamos de que hay gente como KENZABURO OE (Nobel maravilloso, aunque también un tanto oscuro) que lo elogia públicamente.

Sin embargo, este libro... no me gustó. Demasiada parafernalia religiosa, demasiado machismo encubierto más encima en nombre de la mujer, demasiados clichés. Hay partes que subrayé por lo impresionantes que eran en su fanatismo, pero ahora me da pena compartirlas porque cómo tan mala onda, y eso que confieso que me hicieron literalmente carcajear (los episodios del "hablar en lenguas" *risa sofocada.) Y luego los tales descubrimientos del tal protagonista/seminarista, etcétera... a la horita, pues. Quizá fue innovador hace varias décadas, pero pretender que hoy sea rupturista decir que las mujeres están a la misma altura que los hombres... nah. Migajas, por decir lo menos.

En fin, que encontré que gran parte de la historia no era necesaria y que, en el anhelo de hacerla mística (hablar en lenguas, milagros), quedó media caricaturesca. Además, no sé, me sentí como leyendo el diario de vida de unos adolescentes. Quizá la cuarentena ha terminado de matar el sentido de romance en mí, jajaja.

Pero tiene partes muy dulces, y algunas nociones interesantes y distintas, y no fue un completo no para mí. Coelho es definitivamente un buen narrador, aunque en esta ocasión le haya puesto mucho, así que siento que debo darle al menos dos estrellas.


Un par de citas que destaqué:

1.
Es necesario correr riesgos, decía. Sólo entendemos del todo el milagro de la vida cuando dejamos que suceda lo inesperado. Todos los días Dios nos da, junto con el sol, un momento en el que es posible cambiar todo lo que nos hace infelices. Todos los días tratamos de fingir que no percibimos ese momento, que ese momento no existe, que hoy es igual que ayer y será igual que mañana. Pero quien presta atención a su día, descubre un instante de silencio después del almuerzo, en las mil y una cosas que nos parecen iguales.

Ese momento existe: un momento en el que toda la fuerza de las estrellas pasa a través de nosotros y nos permite hacer milagros. La felicidad es a veces una bendición, pero por lo general es una conquista.


2. Un tanto duro el tal maestro, pero no deja de tener su punto.

Pobre del que tiene miedo a correr riesgos. Porque ése quizá no se decepcione nunca, ni tenga desilusiones, ni sufra como los que persiguen un sueño. Pero al mirar hacia atrás - porque siempre miramos hacia atrás - oirá al corazón que le dice: "¿Qué hiciste con los milagros que Dios sembró en tus días? ¿Qué hiciste con los talentos que tu Maestro te confió? Los enterraste en el fondo de una cueva, porque tenías miedo de perderlos. Entonces, ésta es tu herencia: la certeza de que has desperdiciado tu vida".


3. Acá me molestó un poco cómo asignan todo el poder de la naturaleza a las mujeres. Los hombres también son parte del yin yang. Endiosarnos tanto encuentro que es un tipo subterráneo y bastante frecuente de discriminación encubierta.

- Mientras los hombres salían a cazar, nosotras nos quedábamos en las cavernas, en el vientre de la Madre, cuidando a nuestros hijos - prosiguió ella-. Y fue allí donde la Gran Madre nos enseñó todo. El hombre vivía en movimiento, mientras nosotras estábamos en el vientre de la Madre. Eso nos hizo percibir que las semillas se transformaban en plantas y avisamos a nuestros hombres. Hicimos el primer pan y los alimentamos. Moldeamos el primer vaso para que bebiesen. Y entendimos el ciclo de la creación porque nuestro cuerpo repetía el ciclo de la luna.


4. Acá tenía subrayada la cita de la hablada en lenguas, pero después encontré que era un tanto maldadoso, jeje.


5. Machismo encubierto otra vez. Aunque la intención subyacente probablemente sea buena.

- Quiero hablar de otro tipo de amor - insistió -. Aquel que comparten un hombre y una mujer y en el que también se manifiestan los milagros. Le cogí las manos. Él podía conocer los misterios de la Diosa, pero de amor sabía tanto como yo. Por mucho que hubiese viajado. Y tendría que pagar un precio: la iniciativa. Porque la mujer paga el precio más alto: la entrega.

I think the better a book is, the harder it is to review. I read this book with curious rapt attention, reading and re-reading and writing it so I wouldn't miss any sage or beautiful lines. It was a very beautiful, moving book, an exercise in spirituality as ever. 

Not exactly, but it can be called quite an unconventional love tale. Filled with sage quotes about love and life and the importance of taking risks following your dreams, it was quite an emotional experience.

“For when those walls come down, then love takes over, and it no longer matters what is possible or impossible; it doesn't even matter whether we can keep the loved one at our side. To love is to lose control.”

And as with every Paulo Coelho book, it's about facing your fears, taking risks and plunging into the unknown.

“Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when the have a dream to follow.”

This book is about two people, Pilar our protagonist and her childhood friend who were in love as children, to quote from the book “...if a child can know what love means.” Her friend leaves their hometown pursuing his dreams to travel the world and to seek knowledge and adventures,

“Seek to live, remembrance is for the old.” 

and she moves to a nearby city for college. For many years letters are the only communication they have, until one day, when he invites her to come see him lecture a few hours away. We explore their journey and struggle in accepting themselves, their destiny, and love in its entirety. Pilar rediscovers her spirituality and youth through her friend while he reconciles himself to the image of an unconventional way of pursuing his.

It explores a very new and unconventional dimension of Christianity and spirituality "the feminine face of God" with which I neither agree nor disagree.

I am a loyal Paulo Coelho fan. He has remained one of my regular favorites through the years. I can't resist a Paulo Coelho. Every book of his brings out a new side of him that we haven't seen before though there is the slightest hint of familiarity in his work. This book swept me away. I wasn't expecting this much perfection. I cannot praise it enough, this book is so simple, yet so good, I just am not able to do it justice. If you love themes like love, spirituality, personal legend this is the book for you and Paulo Coelho is the writer for you.

Most people enter the world of Paulo Coelho with Alchemist. I started with "Veronika decides to die" and then moved on to "By the river Piedra I sat down and wept".
I am just starting to read the Alchemist.

I really, really, loved the Veronika - it was an easy read with the very deep meaning that I could very much relate to.

I started reading By the River having the same expectations...and was a little bit disappointed, and this is why I gave this book 4 starts and not five stars.

This book has a religious twist and is a lot about finding your spiritual path on this earth and believing in god, or rather goddess…the main character believes that god had 2 faces…and he believes into “Our Lady” who passes on her miracles to people who can connect with her. And these people can use these powers to perform miracles on earth, i.e. healing people. Being a non-religious person made it a little bit difficult for me to relate to a lot of things, but still was an interesting read.
In addition, I was able to find a lot of things that we can relate to in the real life.
Like, the “Other” exercise…it is the darker side of ourselves, which constantly interferes with our inner self and stands on our way of being free from all the fears that we are exposed to by living in a society, a fear that we’ve built up during our past relationships, a fear that prevents us from opening and loving, and forgiving.
It also teaches that love = real miracle, and when one finds it, he/she should hold on to it tightly, as nothing else really matters.

"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."

Goodreads - Meet your next favourite book. This is a must-read for all the people looking for love and also for the ones who have lost the love of their lives and do not believe in it any more. True Love means Complete Surrender. Letting go of The Other. To Love is to Let Go. Do Not Be a Mountain. So many more life changing truths. His writing style is simple, lucid and easy to understand. It's just another love story. And until you reach the last nineteen pages, it will be just a love story. But there are so many dimensions. So many layers and I think that this may be better than The Alchemist. I am in love with this book. It has definitely changed my outlook on life and everyone around me. Sometimes, while reading this book I felt that Paulo Coelho isn't an author. That's too redundant for him. He is a poet, a messiah. I am extremely in love with this man and this book. People might say that his books are stuffed with Philosophy but this is an author that we don't have the right to resist. Living your life and not discovering the things around you is like wandering in a library without reading any of the books. Well, I think it will suffice to say that if you haven't read Paulo Coelho, your life is yet to begin so prepare for the greatest adventure of your life with Paulo Coelho.

El libro más entretenido que he leído del autor. No es mucho de mi gusto pero debo admitir que cumplió su cometido de hacerme pasar el rato. Mas allá de la mitad se volvió tedioso pero como faltaba poco para terminarlo me animé hasta la última página.

This was a very interesting take on a romance novel. It was probably more of a spiritual and philosophical guide, but romance did figure prominently.

From the back of the book: 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 deovted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic spiritual leader... Now, they are together once again, embarking on a journey fraught with difficulties...

What I liked most in this story was Pilar's battle between her head and her heart. She'd grown weary of dreams and possibilities, and had settled into a life of mundane details, dominated by concerns like paying the bills and taking out the trash. But then she was faced with the prospect of reuniting with a childhood love, a man who owned no home and who made his living through preaching miracles--specifically, the feminine side of God. Pilar's heart fluttered and her head worried. I can totally relate to Pilar.

The writing was beautiful and lyrical, full of so many thought-provoking quotes, like

"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." (p. 31)

"For years, I had fought against my heart, because I was afraid of sadness, suffering, and abandonment. But now I knew that true love was above all that and that it would be better to die than to fail to love." (p. 104)

"But he wasn't listening. He had stood, seized my hair in his hands, and was kissing me. I clutched at his hair, too, and squeezed him with all my strength, biting his lips and feeling his tongue move in my mouth. This was the kiss I had waited for so long--a kiss born by the rivers of our childhood, when we didn't yet know what love meant...A kiss that had been lost so many times and now was found. In the moment of that kiss were years of searching, disillusionment, and impossible dreams." (p. 148) Now THAT was a kiss!

I have a special affinity for water after being a competitive swimmer all my life, and I love what Coelho wrote about the Goddess manifesting herself to us through water. The metaphor of breaking a glass representing breaking through our fears was also masterful.

It was fascinating to me that Coelho never names Pilar's male friend. No doubt the author is audacious and unique!

What I didn't like so much was the ending. It felt rather dry after the rich, flowing text that came before it.

I joked on my blog that I needed a Clif's Note version to understand this book, but I can proudly say that I wrote this review all by myself and I think I grew to understand and like this book better in the process! I'm giving it 3.5 stars. It's not really my cup of tea--I need more plot and character development--but if you're in for a thoughtful read, this is it. Someday I'd love to read The Alchemist.