Books : By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept: A Novel of Forgiveness (P.S.)

Rating: - a fable about opening our hearts to miracles
Maybe some of you who read before Coelho expect this book to be another fable. It is true, 'By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept' can be considered a fable, as well as a love story set in the present, having some similarities with 'The Alchemist'.

This is another journey (actually most of Coelho's books are journeys) to self dicovery and rediscovery of faith. Pilar, the main character, sets up for her journey to regain trust in God and fall in love again, no matter how much it may hurt.

However, nobody can deny the beauty of this book which is well worth reading, Coelho being here an artist at describing feelings, confusions, states of mind.

Full of deep meanings, warmth, joy and unexpected sorrow, the story is a celebration of the many possibilities life has to offer, and a fable about opening your heart to miracles.
It is also about searching for wisdom, in the French Pyrenees, and learning the wisdom inherent in loving. The `spiritual path can only be travelled through the daily experience of love', and that is why `sooner or later, we have to overcome our fears'. Pilar and her lover, make this journey together and finally get to understand its meaning. They are fictitious characters, `but they represent the many conflicts that beset us in our search for love'.

Coelho touches here upon another interesting point: the feminine face of God. We find out of God's feminine face, that all religions all over the world have a Goddess figure, a Virgin Mary, a Great Mother, though her presence, or importance, may seem to have been forgotten. And it is she who encourages us to love, for loving a partner, and marrying, is the only way of serving God. Coelho's parable reflects the interest and fascination with the feminine side of God. The other key to the story is expressed by the author in an introductory note: "Spiritual experience is above all a practical experience of love. And with love, there are no rules."

I am sure this will be a very interesting and unforgettable experience for all of you who decide to read this book.

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Rating: - Mesmerising
I received this book as a gift from a friend of mine, who told me it would teach me what love is like. I have since read it several times over; it is truly phenomenal. The plot is simple but original, the prose elegant and beautiful, and the lessons on love, religion, and following one's dreams are indispensible.

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Rating: - By The River Peidra, I Sat Down and Wept
Stunning book. I am not a normal reader of such metaphysical works but was caught by the title and curiosity. The book's author impecibly reveals his views of life and love and their true value and meaning. It was a pleasure to read about two lost loves from childhood who reunite as adults in search of "love" in their life. Not your typical love story. My favorite line is on page 148;"Break the glass, please - and free us from all these damned rules, from needing to find an explanation for everything, from doing only what others approve of." That sums up the meaning of the story. Love has no rules, requires no ones approval,is a precious gift and to experience that "magic moment" some people will wait a lifetime for.

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Rating: - Not one of Coelho's better books, but readable nonetheless
While reading the book, I thought Coelho spent too much time deliberately clouding the plot with his character's musings and rambling state of mind, but then I remembered that I was reading a translation of a Latin author's work -- it is exceedingly difficult to transmit the Latin mindset easily into English, as anyone who's read a work in Spanish or Portuguese followed by its English translation knows. When I have time, I'd like to read the novel in Spanish to see if it rings truer, although I don't know if the Portuguese-to-Spanish translation is any less difficult. I could learn Portuguese, I guess, but I'm too lazy.

I can't say I came away from reading this book spiritually enriched, but I will confess to having had an unusual depth to my thoughts while reading it. While there may or may not have been a link, it's enough to get me to read another Coelho novel sometime in the future.

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Rating: - Read The Valkyries instead
I felt like something was missing, that this was discription of some experience important to the author, that he had a memory in his mind but forgot that we as readers don't have the background. We never know how these two lovers met, why they fell in love, how they grew apart, or what was so difficult about reuniting. Often the most profound feelings of love and spirituality the characters experience is under the influence of a lot of wine. We don't even really find out how it all ends or why a spiritual life and a simple life in the place of ones birth are mutually exclusive.

After reading the Valkyries, I felt like the holes were filled in.