Reviews

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho, Alan R. Clarke

wahiba's review against another edition

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3.0

here's some of the lines that made me stop to re_read them :

"J’aurais pu". Nous ne parviendrons
jamais à comprendre le sens de cette
phrase. Car, à chaque instant de notre
vie, certaines choses, qui auraient pu
arriver, finalement ne se sont pas
produites. Il y a des instants magiques
qui passent inaperçus et puis, tout à
coup, la main du destin change notre
univers.
.
.
.
..
Malheureux celui qui a eu peur de
prendre des risques. Car celui-là ne
sera peut-être jamais déçu, ne
connaîtra peut-être pas la désillusion,
ne souffrira pas comme ceux qui ont un
rêve à poursuivre. Mais quand il
regardera derrière lui (car nous en
venons toujours à regarder en arrière),
il entendra son cœur lui dire : « Qu’as tu
fait des miracles que Dieu a semés
sur tes jours ? Qu’as-tu fait des talents
que le Maître t’a confiés ? Tu les a
enterrés tout au fond d’un trou parce
que tu avais peur de les perdre. Alors,
c’est là ce qui te reste maintenant : la
certitude d’avoir perdu ta vie. »
.
.

.
.
« Je le savais, me dis-je. Je savais que
j’allais déséquilibrer mon univers.
Mon cerveau m’a prévenue, mais mon
cœur n’a pas voulu suivre le conseil. »

.
.
.
.
Tu penses à l’être aimé pendant
deux minutes et tu l’oublies trois heures
durant.
« Mais, peu à peu, tu t’habitues à cet
être, et tu en deviens complètement
dépendant. Alors, tu penses à lui trois
heures durant et tu l’oublies pendant
deux minutes!
.
.
.
.
.
Mais je suis
comme tout le monde : j’ai peur. Je
pense que cela marche pour toi, ou pour
mon voisin, mais jamais pour moi.
.
.
.
.
« Bien souvent, quand je discute avec
quelqu’un et que je m’exalte sur un sujet
quelconque, j’en arrive à dire des
choses auxquelles je n’avais jamais
pensé auparavant. J’ai l’impression de
canaliser une intelligence qui n’est pas
la mienne et qui en sait sur la vie
beaucoup plus long que moi. Mais c’est
assez rare. En général, dans n’importe
quelle discussion, je préfère écouter. Je
crois alors que j’apprends quelque
chose de nouveau, mais en fin de compte
j’oublie tout..
..
.
.
.
Nous ne pouvons
jamais juger la vie d’autrui, car chacun
sait sa propre douleur, son propre
renoncement. C’est une chose de penser
que l’on est sur le bon chemin, une autre
de croire que ce chemin est le seul.
.
.
.
Peut-être parce que le destin des
montagnes doit être terrible. Elles sont
obligées de contempler toujours le
même paysage. »
.
.
.
«Une chute du
troisième étage fait tout autant de dégâts
qu’une chute du centième étage. »
Si je dois tomber, qu’au moins je
tombe de très haut.
.
.

.
.
.
« Seigneur Dieu, je suis en train
d’essayer de retrouver ma foi. Ne
m’abandonnez pas au milieu d’une
histoire comme celle-ci »

perttuviljami's review

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medium-paced

3.0

darbyart's review against another edition

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5.0

The heroine is Pilar, 28, who is resigned that her life will not have anything extrodinary in it - it will be working, coming home to a marriage of companionship more then love and just doing what society expects of her. Her former boyfriend contacts her and together on a short journey they experience a spiritual path through admiting their love of each other and letting go of fears. I was caught up in the characters and their journey and carried through the great Pyrenees. The book reminded me of the triumphs, fears, joy and pain associated with love as well as religion and our spiritual journey. It is often critized that Coehlo isn't writing "real" literture. But of course I disagree as he is my favorite author. His stories might have simiple life lessons but he often tells it in ways that seem to touch many people -- and I am one of those people. They are good simple lessons that come from Coehlo's heart. I am usually one turned off by overt conservative religous tones in books but Coehlo always has a twist on those religious themes that makes them far from being conservative. His words often make me look at my life -- my spiritual path, my life journey and the love in my life.

hanamayall's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

khplunkett's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

5.0

ayeheartbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

I had to put this book down often because I was crying like a baby after every few pages. But it was a very cathartic crying.

bargall's review

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emotional relaxing sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

vacanthungarian's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

A love story in its essence with strong religious tones. Though it is beautifully written, it was not my kind of book. If you look for romance, this is the one for you. Admittedly, there is a lot more to be taken from the story than "childhood sweethearts discover love again" and it pays to read between the lines.

aminowrimo's review against another edition

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3.0

This is the love story of Pilar and 'him.' I don't think his name is mentioned at all during the narrative.

I'm not sure how many stars to give it— the love story is so wrapped up in advice and information and the author's beliefs that I can't say if I liked it or not. The information and beliefs expressed in the book make sense. They feel true, but they don't resonate with me. Perhaps I'll have to read it again later.

And even though a few things definitely went over my head, this book makes me feel calm, as if everything's going to work out well, as if I don't have to worry about anything. I don't know why. I didn't get this reaction to [b:The Witch of Portobello|816720|The Witch Of Portobello|Paulo Coelho|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1178654373s/816720.jpg|13855759]— it made me want to read it and get it over with. But this one makes me feel quiet and content. And yet I didn't love the book like I love the books I give five stars to. It didn't make my heart thrill, nor did it make me think: "I love this book. I really love this book. I'm going to reread this book a thousand times." But neither did it make me think, "WHEN WILL IT END?" like most of the "I-really-love-this-story" books.

So how do you rate that?

lorryy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful slow-paced

3.5