Having read Paulo me Coelho’s previously (The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes) I knew before hand, this book too would get me thinking and encourage me to evaluate a few things in life.
Armed with that little piece of knowledge I embarked upon this new journey, planned by Mr. Coelho himself! (OK I know I’m being a little dramatic and stuff, just trying to enjoy my writing ok???)
Anyway, the stage is set by this woman Pilar doing that, what is stated in the title, weeping by the river Piedra…..for her lost love.
The book starts with her reliving the past, remembering her childhood and how times used to be when she had her oldest best(est) friend by her side. She hasn’t seen him for years and now she’s traveling from Zaragoza to Madrid to meet him, her heart flutters….. She’s anxious, excited and nervous, all at the same time not knowing how meeting him after such a long time is going to be. They have been in touch through letters. He’s been writing about his life since leaving Soria, the tiny village where they grew up together. He’s traveled the world, met people, embraced “The Virgin” as the feminine side of God and last she knew, had been considering joining a seminary.
Her first meeting with him is at a conference where HE is the one speaking, she realizes and sees in him the wisdom that is often bestowed upon those who travel the world far and wide.
Her original itinerary had planned for her to meet him briefly, and then return to her life back in Zaragoza but her best friend had other plans and she finds herself spending the next few days rediscovering herself, the meaning of life and doing some serious introspection. She needs to decide what she wants for herself and how she is going to get it.
She learns of his unwavering faith in ”The Virgin”, his gift of curing people, she learns that even after all these years she still loves him like she has loved no other. She learns that he had in fact joined the seminary but had not become a priest because of his undying love for her….
The book is written in typical Paulo Coelho fashion, short and simple yet with deep meaning and well it is based on the ONE thing that this world and everybody in it, is totally lost in…LOVE!
Definitely, worth a read though personally I found The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes more appealing!
Enjoy
Cheers
Kris
Ps- There is one very interesting observation I made in this back, one of the protagonists, the seminarian, “The love” of Pilar’s life……nowhere in the book is his name stated… at least I’m pretty sure it doesn’t!