Scan barcode
samdream's review against another edition
3.0
Good book filled with nice twist. Through these pages, you can find yourself as well as get lost.... To each one !!
mobyskine's review against another edition
2.0
I got interested with the book because of the Trans-Siberian Railway route. It says that this should be a remarkable and self discovery journey of the author so I was expecting a motivational and stories of experiences from the journey by the author. It was surreal nevertheless (easy to digest and quite uplifting too) but I find it too 'tiresome' and empty after a quarter read of it. I am not really sure whether I like Hilal or not but something about her took the fun part of this autobiography away. I don't fancy Coelho's attitude either, the way he treated Hilal on and off, messing with her along the journey for his revitalization of passion and energy--draggy and absurd to the point that it was unnecessary. Anyway, I like most of the spiritual conversation Coelho had with Yao (interesting character), it was sometimes heart-warming and quite mind-boggling too. This also (just like Hippie) was just an okay adventure to me.
maymay88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
sketchugo's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
lifewaits4no1's review against another edition
1.75
This book made me really dislike the author. He tries to justify infidelity with spirituality and with a woman younger than half his age no less. Manipulation and womanizing in the form of "deep spiritual insight".
classnotes343's review against another edition
1.0
This book was deeply disappointing and left me feeling very uneasy about the author.
It is the first book I've read by Coelho, and that too because @ilmoirfanpublishers sent me this instead if Alif by @umera_ahmedofficial and my expectations were high because the start was interesting - a sense of spiritual dissatisfaction propelling the author to undertake a series of journeys to unexplored places, meeting his readers. Unfortunately, there were no deep spiritual insights on display, only yet another banal late middle-age crisis involving a young woman.
The book centers around Coelho's journey to Russia where he meets Hilal - a young, beautiful turkish girl, who believes she has a very strong spiritual connection with him, is clearly infatuated with him and is a great fan of his work.
Coelho explains how Hilal forces herself into his inner traveling circle, describing her as a bit unstable and pitiful. This is a very convenient description, given that a week or so he later finds himself sleeping with her while traveling through Siberia by train - I guess she "forced" herself upon him.
Throughout the book he belittles his nymphets traveling companion by ignoring her, brashly dismissing her attempts at initiating spiritual rituals, almost leaving her destitute at the end of the journey, and then making a point of telling us that
a) she flies in economy back to Moscow while he flies in first,
b) he has only had email contact with her once since the journey ended.
All the while, he claims that he viciously betrayed her 500 years ago, leaving her to be tortured and burned as a witch. He clearly has learned very little during the past 500 years, because his public humiliation of her throughout the book is really just another form of betrayal. Coelho does seem to have quite enjoyed her sleeping naked with him on the trans-Siberian express and playing violin naked for him as well. To me it came across another middle-aged sex-tourist in Russia justifying his licentious and arrogant behavior with a very thin past-life cover story.
I wish I had just returned this book and never read it. I just hated the book and will never recommend to read.
It is the first book I've read by Coelho, and that too because @ilmoirfanpublishers sent me this instead if Alif by @umera_ahmedofficial and my expectations were high because the start was interesting - a sense of spiritual dissatisfaction propelling the author to undertake a series of journeys to unexplored places, meeting his readers. Unfortunately, there were no deep spiritual insights on display, only yet another banal late middle-age crisis involving a young woman.
The book centers around Coelho's journey to Russia where he meets Hilal - a young, beautiful turkish girl, who believes she has a very strong spiritual connection with him, is clearly infatuated with him and is a great fan of his work.
Coelho explains how Hilal forces herself into his inner traveling circle, describing her as a bit unstable and pitiful. This is a very convenient description, given that a week or so he later finds himself sleeping with her while traveling through Siberia by train - I guess she "forced" herself upon him.
Throughout the book he belittles his nymphets traveling companion by ignoring her, brashly dismissing her attempts at initiating spiritual rituals, almost leaving her destitute at the end of the journey, and then making a point of telling us that
a) she flies in economy back to Moscow while he flies in first,
b) he has only had email contact with her once since the journey ended.
All the while, he claims that he viciously betrayed her 500 years ago, leaving her to be tortured and burned as a witch. He clearly has learned very little during the past 500 years, because his public humiliation of her throughout the book is really just another form of betrayal. Coelho does seem to have quite enjoyed her sleeping naked with him on the trans-Siberian express and playing violin naked for him as well. To me it came across another middle-aged sex-tourist in Russia justifying his licentious and arrogant behavior with a very thin past-life cover story.
I wish I had just returned this book and never read it. I just hated the book and will never recommend to read.