Genre: Inspirational/Fiction
Date if Publication: May
23rd, 2006
Memorable Quotation:
“The wise are wise only because they love. And the foolish are foolish because
they think they can understand love.” (pg. 28)
Lasting Impression:
A young woman’s journey of self-discovery
leads her to reviving her faith in God as well and remembering what happens
when you let yourself love fearlessly.
Storyline: B+
Pace of Story: B
Characters: B-
Ending: B+
Overall: B
My mom has a quotation on the side of the refrigerator that
reads, “Sometimes you have to leave your life to find yourself again,” and that
is exactly what Pilar does in Paulo Coelho’s inspiring story, By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. After
receiving a letter from her childhood sweetheart, asking her to come to one of
his sermons, Pilar leaves her academic studies to reunite with him. Once
Pilar comes face to face with him again, she decides to take a risk and leave
her schooling behind and embark on a journey with him that will lead her to a
greater understanding of God, love, and herself.
Coelho’s storytelling is light and airy, and the story of
Pilar is beautiful as it shows the struggles struggles of a young woman’s heart as to what path is best
for her and still have the sense to feel she is capable of using the gifts God
had granted her.
The main aspect of this book that gave me problems was
something that not everyone will agree with because it depends on you
feel about religion. Coelho talks about God and the Virgin Mary frequently,
which is fine but sometimes it seemed to take over the story line and made me
lose interest temporarily. The lessons
he had imbued into these religious segments are important and the way he
presents them tie in well with the story but I wish he would have only mentioned
them and moved on, not focusing on them with so much detail.
Regardless of the religious aspect, Paulo Coelho is
definitely a master of his craft when it comes to invoking a deep sense of
humanity and what it means to live.
He reminds us that God and change are always with us, and By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept is
a story that gently reminds us that we cannot run away from our fate, or our
faith.
~Shelly-Beans
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