If you're expecting another The Alchemist, just stop right there, turn around, and never look back. Seriously. Trust me and do yourself a favor.

After the success of The Alchemist, I feel like Coelho just threw a bunch of ideas together and called it a new story. Sure, it has the themes of faith, love, and following your dreams, but in my opinion, the story just wasn't concrete enough to really... I don't know, actually teach you anything - if that's what Coelho sought to do. The events just felt disconnected.

It took me a few months to finish this book because I kept getting bored of it. I finally finished it for the sake of finishing it.

The author tried to throw in a few themes from The Alchemist, and there are maybe a few good ideas in here, but nothing good enough to waste your time reading an entire book to glean some tidbits.

Note: A lot of reviewers on Amazon said they didn't like the fact that the book delved so much into religion, but I didn't mind that.

Mooi kort verhaal over liefde en keuzes maken. De godsdienstige verwijzingen zijn niet helemaal aan mij besteed. Mogelijk kan iemand met meer achtergrond in de kerk er beter mee uit de voeten.

لطالما مَثل نوفمبر شهر العطاء بالنسبة لي دائماً الأشياء الجيدة تحدث في نوفمبر وهذه الرواية هي التي كنت أنتظرها منذ بداية العام لم أتصور إنني سأعشق نتاجاً لكويلو هكذا لا بل ويؤثر وربما بقليل من الحظ يغيرك نحو الأفضل

قصة بسيطة عن فتاة تلتقي بصديق طفولتها لمدة أسبوع لينمو الحب بينهما هذا هو اختصار القصة واعتدنا عليها بل ومللنا منها ما الذي يجعل هذه مختلفة إذن , الإختلاف يكمن في عوالم البطلين وحواراتهم الغنية التي في كل جزء منها تمس حياتك الشخصية أنت , فالأنسة بيلار لا تروي قصتها بل تعبر عن مخاوفنا هواجسنا قلقنا الدائم( وخاصة الخفي منه الذي قد نعاني بسببه بدون إدراك وجوده حتى لكونه تحول لأسلوب حياة إعتدناه واي مسارٍ خالفه حذرنا العقل من سلوكه) وتطرحه بكل شجاعة وتقدم الحل الذي يعلم جميعنا بأمره لكن نتهرب من الأخذ به لأسباب واهية , بيلار تحكي عن رحلتها الروحية عن بحثها عن الله وتجول بنا في كل مراحل مغامرتها في استكشاف ذاتها الذي سرعان ما يتحول لذات القارئ نفسه ببراعة باولو واسلوبه ولغته السحرية , بيلار مع شريكها تعرض الوجه الحقيقي للحب الذي يبني ويرمم كل ركن في حياتك ويكون المكمل لرحلتك مع الرب.

سعيدة لإستعارتي هذا الكتاب واقاوم شعور الاحتفاظ به وعدم إرجاعه للمكتبة وممتنة لعزيزٍ أتاح لي فرصة القراءة هذه
أفضل ما قرأت لباولو حتى الأن


"yes we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times and we will experience many disappointments but all of this is transitory it leaves no permanent mark, and one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken"

" sooner or later, we have to overcome our fears because the spiritual path can only be traveled through daily experience of love"

"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"

" Thomas Merton once said that the spiritual life is essentially to love. one doesnt love in order to do what is good or to help or to protect someone. if we act that way we are perceiving the other as simple object and we are seeing ourselves as wise and generous persons, this has nothing to do with love. To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God"

Ok where do I start. Personally for me, whenever you mix religion with a special type of philosophy I get this sense as if someone is calling my name. This book called my name. The character Pilar reflects us all in a way. The man in the story (completely nameless) has loved ever since they were little. They go about roaming in the street for a vacation, but her religion takes a whole different turn.

He guides her through life in a span of a week. Thats pretty cool. They keep mentioning 'Her'. As is the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus and mother to all. What kept me reading was how they discussed god consisting of both male and female. God has a face of a woman and a man. I know, shocking... this is just a VERY brief summary to what the book has to offer. Coelho never disappoints. (Except for The Spy, I'm not really sure what he was thinking.)

"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.

Started out with its hooks in, but didn't take a super long time to lose me. I wasn't fond of his not unfounded but one-dimensional ideas about women, and the narrative became an exercise in what felt like intentional anecdotal quotes designed to become memorable one-liners but not quite getting there. Coelho is one hell of a talented writer, but this one is far from his best. Your mileage may vary.

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.

ترجمة بسام حجّار سلسة ودافئة وحنون.
لذا فالنجمة الرابعة لبسّام وترجمته وليست للرواية.

Bazı kitapların zamanı olduğuna inanıyorum, mesela bu kitap için fazla yaşlıyım skfmksmfmsks. Sevenlerinden özür mözür dilemiyorum diye başlayan şahane bir yorum girerdim ama kendim ettim kendim bulduğumçin pek yüzüm yok açıkçası. Bizzat Coelho unutmuştur bu kitabı bana mı kaldı sallamak: Bunun bile tadı yok?? Her türlü 2 yani it was ok.