BY THE RIVER PIEDRA I SAT DOWN AND WEPT - PAULO COELHO

Title - By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept

Author - Paulo Coelho

Genre - Contemporary

Pages - 180

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.

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The Alchemist was the first book I read written by author Paulo Coelho. That story was like a fairy-tale and it touched me in a way I couldn't explain. Then I started reading more about Paulo Coelho, and his journey as an author intrigued me and that is why I determinedly decided to read all his books.

With a little raised expectations, I read - By the river Piedra I sat down and wept. It was a thorough disappointment. Though the book was only about 180 pages, I struggled through it. It felt like a never ending story, too much religion, very unrealistic.

The author has this way of beating around the bush with this story, it is annoying and distasteful. When I googled the number of copies of this book that were sold, I was dumbstruck. Then, after pondering for long moments it occurred to me, most of the best selling books that are translated into several languages and read by tens of millions of people across the globe are usually overrated books that lack depth and have zero complexity and no concrete plot.

Personally, I don't recommend reading this one.