By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Details of the Book

No. of Pages   : 208 pages

ISBN               : 0061122092 (ISBN13: 9780061122095)

Language        : English

                                                  

From the book blurb

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.

Author

Paulo Coelho, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, is one of the bestselling and most influential authors in the world. The Alchemist, The Pilgrimage, The Valkyries, Brida, Veronika Decides to Die, Eleven Minutes, The Zahir, The Witch of Portobello and The Winner Stands Alone, among others, have sold 115 million copies in more than 160 countries.

What I think

By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept is the first book in Paulo Coelho's famous trilogy called and On the Seventh Day. The other two parts are Veronika Decides to Die and The Devil and Miss Prym. The trilogy is based on the story of an ordinary person who experiences various extraordinary things in the duration of a week. The title of this novel is taken from an incipit available in the bible. It is a story that is basically about love but has various rituals from paganism. It is a book that informs readers about female divinity.

The book tells the story of Pilar, an independent young woman who becomes frustrated with the daily grind of university life and sets out on a journey to look for the meaning of life. And soon Pilar meets a friend, who happens to be her childhood sweetheart but is now a spiritual leader, healer and miracle worker. And soon they go on a journey together, through the French Pyrenees in their search for the true meaning of life. The story continues in a small village near the River Piedra, where the adolescent love between Pilar and her childhood friend blooms once again.

It is a book that tells readers about importance of love and how it is not a hindrance to one's dreams. It tells the story about a journey, filled with emotions and conflicts, as Pilar searches for the true meaning in life.

Rating

4/5

Some words that stole my heart

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

©       “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.”

©       “Love is a trap. When it appears, we see only its light, not its shadows.”

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