The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession

This book irritated me. There were sections I wanted to keep reading to learn the outcome BUT what a dissatisfied ending! To me, the characters were either selfish or in the case of Maria, a big masochist. Come on! Self esteem woman! Short, unexpectedly ridiculous! The alchemist? Excellent- a completely different and satisfying experience.

Coelho's The Alchemist gets all the press, but I enjoyed this book so much more. The biggest difference for me was that I connected to the characters in The Zahir, whereas those in The Alchemist were too broadly drawn -- like the stars in Aesop's fables, I learned from them, but I did not feel for them.

Other than that, Coelho's trademark style and simplicity, his worldliness, his intimacy -- these are all intact, and effective as ever. He's really a wonderful writer, and a great storyteller, and a lot of things that I aspire to be.

I can't say that I agree with everything Coelho posits in The Zahir, but I can say that I think people need to know and understand points of view that do not agree with their own, in order to better understand themselves and the world.

I've noticed very extreme ratings from 1 star to 5 stars given to this book.
This book forces the reader to think about some pertinent issues in life: do we quietly accept or burdens? Or do we fight to change our dull boring lives? Should we let ourselves be mired in habit or should be seek a wonder-filled life?
It does seem a touch too chauvinistic - Pilar's friend is too much the perfect guy, the romantic spiritual teacher who teaches her about the meaning of life - but right at the end of the book, the author has redeemed Pilar by letting show her friend some very important things about love.
People will rate this book according to whethere or not they agree with the author on these issues, but I rate this work 4 stars anyway for its unusual romantic storyline, and the writing, which is laudable.
Read the book. Even if you don't like the author's ideas, you should still ponder the themes relating to life, acceptance and love of the novel. Without this book to open our eyes, many people might just pass through life without ever noticing these issues.

At the beginning it seems you are up to another great Coelho's novel, but then cohesion is lost, and so are we. The story begins to hop from one theme to another,..... the structure is lost. Still, you will find the usual capsules of inspiration, but isolated.

This makes me wonder why so many people around the world loves his novels. As Coelho acknowlegdes within the novel, he manages to write some little provocative ideas, that somehow have a different meaning for each reader, but inspirational, based on our own life experiences and troubles, and voilà...!, the recipe for success lies on the readers interpratation and inspiration they get from these little capsules of philosophy you find scattered in Coelho's novels. The Zahir at least let me understood why poor novels such as The Alchemist achieved such a success among adults (even though I think is great for pre-teens).

You will be better off reading Eleven Minutes, definitively a real novel.

Lovely beginning on a quest to re-unite with her childhood friend, disappointing to see the quest has been shoved aside only to place the spotlight on some deep religious practices. Horrible ending to see that the deviated religion has stolen the show.
I was utterly disappointed by Coelho's work in this book. When I finally finished the book, there was only one thing to say.... Coelho is trying too hard. His style is repetitive, if you have read more than three books of his you will know exactly what I mean.
When I first read the back cover of this book I thought I was going to really enjoy the reading, as I love the poetic touch in books. The title itself is soooo poetic, but almost nothing else was in the book. In my opinion, there was too much emphasis of religion in this book. It was not your regular description of religion, it was so very deep and unbelievable. I don't think it would've been this mundane if it weren't for the fact that Coelho was trying to create a whole new interface with god, a different genre in religion, the "feminine" side. You'd think that he'd describe it in two to maybe ten pages, but it just kept on going and going and going. By the time I finally finished the never-ending book, I didn't even like the ending. By the river piedra she sat and wept for a very ridiculous reason.
This was supposed to be a poetic love story about childhood sweethearts. Coelho seemed to have forgotten that along the way.
Love and religion don't mix...A description of both in one short book will not work. This story was not a love story it was a story of some religion or some practice that is absolutely absurd. It could've been a beautiful book, as poetic as love can be.
Very unfortunate with a moral gone wrong.

Coelho is, hands down, my favorite author. After reading several of his novels, I couldn't wait to read this book. And I was not disappointed. Although there are countless formulas for writing love stories, somehow this book was different. I was captivated. Coelho has such an amazing way of expressing the character's feelings that you come to really know the characters in his stories.
All of Coelho's novels have themes, this one being 'forgivness'. At first, I didn't really grasp why, but after reading it, I think its a story about forgiving yourself.
Pilar (the main character in this story) takes you through a week that she spends with a childhood friend whom she hasnt seen in over a decade but happens to be in love with. During this week, Pilar experiences a huge 'ephinany' and begins to rediscover her faith. (I thought this novel focused a little to much on religion, but the concept of religion can be looked upon as a metaphor).
When I finished the book, I literally sighed with relief. I'm not sure why. Coelho's language brings you into a completely alternate world than your own and makes you actually feel the character's feelings.
READ THIS BOOK!!

"By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept" by Paolo Coelho deals with two childhood friends who were extremely fond of each other but were separated when the boy leaves the village to explore the world and to find himself. Years later, they met again at a conference and realized that they never got over each other. The love that they felt for each other when they were children were still very much alive now that they both reached adulthood. Both characters had inner conflicts that they need to deal with. For Pilar, the main character in the book, was one who never did leave her village and who sought to lead a peaceful and predictable life was drawn to childhood friend. She was torn between leaving something that she is familiar with (returning to her village, get a husband, etc) and following this man to new places and learn new things. For him, he was torn between the love he felt for Pilar and the fact that he believed he has the ability to perform miracles and therefore heal the sick.
The story started out nicely enough until the author decided to concentrate mostly on Catholicism. For those of us who are not Catholics, it is difficult to understand the Catholics' heavy emphasis on Virgin Mary. At some point, Coelho seems to place equal importance between Mary and Jesus. I agree with one reviewer who said that the book cover of this book totally neglected any mention of Catholicism and gave the impression that it was a love story. I honestly did not enjoy this book, and feel that there are much better books out there. However, if you are a die hard fan of Coelho, this may appeal to you as his unique writing and poetic expression is very much visible in this book.

Paulo Coelho continues his philosophy of following your dreams, BUT this time he confronts the controversial issues of religion, mysticism & love.
This time he uses two young people (male & female), childhood lovers. One has traveled the world & the other has chosen to stay in the small town they grew up in. Not till years later did they cross paths once again and together they explore the issues of duty, social norms and real love.
Like all of Paulo Coelho's novels he transmits strong life messages into magical stories that fill you with light.
I found more meaning in the story due to my personal knowlege of the Catholic religion. This was a definate advantage.
I felt that this didn't dig as deep as the Alchemist did BUT, at the same time, he confronted the issues mentioned above with great success. As well as this, it's a very beautiful love story.

After hearing so many good things about The Alchemist and other Coelho works, I was eager to pick up a copy of Piedra at a local used book store.... then I started reading it, and I got over the whole 'eager' thing. I found this book profoundly underwhelming, profoundly un-profound. Maybe something got lost in the translation; far from seeming 'resonant', the spare, sparse, bare-bones narration and dialogue just felt dull and ineffectual. So the writing style wasn't all that innovative or noteworthy; the characters were sketchy, and as a result, the plot's dramatic climax had no emotional impact. Again, the flat writing style made the book's outcome appear arbitrary - he leaves, he stays, who cares? The two characters probably should have skipped the religious lecture circuit and signed up at A.A. in the first place.

Unworthy of the money or time, this novel is not only a drag to read but also offers its reader a perverted view on love and understanding, acquired through extrasensorial means. The plot is inconceivable. A writer comes to understand himself and his obsession over wife who left him, while enjoying a relationship with someone else? and then protagonist travels to Kazakhstan in a company of Muslim epileptic who preaches Christian love of "Our Lady" just to find his journalist ex-wife at the loom, weaving a carpet. Then the story becomes stranger, because its apparent that researching kazakhs was too much for Paulo. Nomad- living Kazakhs would never accept in its community a married woman (especially caucasian), living without a husband, and changing more then 1 male partner in a course of a year. Kazakh women in tribal communes like the one described in the book would value their virtues, believe that Evil spirits dive into wide eyes and drive wide-eyed people to madness, they would've chased Ester away from the village with stakes and stones. Another fact -Kazah's ancestral heritage and history of mongol horsemen made male species mostly short with bowed legs, and lastly - In some villages its customary for men to cover hair with animal fat. Thus reading last pages made me howl with laughter. To sum it up - if you want a beautiful nomad story of true love that sets out to conquer the earth don't look to Zahir, consider story of Temüjin and Borte told in Mongol

I loved the Zahir. In the process of finding your soulmate you find yourself. Here is a woman who is prepared to lose her relationship to the man she loves because the relationship has reached its end - it has nowhere to go. In order for the relationship to move to a deeper more meaningful level a deepening of self is needed by the husband. It takes courage on the part of the woman not knowing whether she will as a result of leaving gain eventually a deepened relationship. In the meantime her husband finds many means of distraction as he is resisting the calling. Marvellous.
Dr Gunta Krumins-Caldwell author of On Silver Wings

God, how I hated this book! It starts out OK: a best selling but critically disliked author (the narrator of the book) and his wife become too complacent in their marriage and start taking each other for granted. The wife splits, and, after some serious soul searching, she becomes the author's "Zahir" (which means "obsession" or "great desire." The word is repeated in the book about a thousand times just to clue us in on the profundity of the concept). He then commences on a spiritual quest to get her back (which, at one of the novel's low points, includes frolicking with insightful street beggars). Less than 100 pages in, the book devolves into a silly philosophical surrealistic dissertation on the "energy of love." I swear, it almost reminded me of that dreadful early 70's musical "Godspell," except without the soundtrack. OK, I get it! We should try to love each other! Why not write a three page essay instead of this la-la land book?

To me, "The Zahir," is an author out-of-control with his self-indulgent egoism. I'm wondering if Paul Coelho believed he would start a movement based on the "energy of love," kind of how Ayn Rand started "Objectivism." Fortunately, the type was large and the chapters short -- otherwise I would never have finished the book.

When the stars align in such a way and time is right only then can the right person appreciate the right book. If you do not enjoy this book then perhaps it wasn't your time to read it or simply you didn't understand the true value of it.

For me the timing was perfect and I could relate perfectly to this book. The book transformed itself and reveiled a more complex plot than one of a man obsessed for his wife. This book will take you on a journey within what love really means (or could mean). Before you look beyond you may search within.

Relating to the author is easy because he speaks in a candid way, so simple and honest. The main character in the book explains things in his life just the way they really exist in all of our lives. He expreses every detail, thought and meaning as he sees it.

We will all experience a Zahir in our life at one time that is for sure. Reading about it enlightens us and makes us become more in touch with our soul and just a small step closer to understanding meaning of life.

Sweet yet profound, as are all Coelho's works. Short and sweet—Still packs a punch.  This a journey story. In more ways than one. A journey of the heart, a journey for lost faith, as well as the physical journey through villages, across mountains seeking that eternal *something*.

This is not my absolute favorite book off the tree that keeps leafing out, as Paulo Coelho expands his visionary ministry into the mysteries of faith, the spirit-world, and the longing of the heart. But it fits in nicely and I'm not sorry I read it. 

Paulo Coelho is a master storyteller and I've been a fan since reading, The Alchemist, many years ago. The Zahir also has stories within stories and a carnival of characters - richly described and memorable. Deep and insightful, you are never sure exactly how this love story will end. WJ Scott, Children's Author, [...]

In many ways this book feels like a shorter version of the Witch of Portabello, which I didn't enjoy either. I'm thinking Coelho should give up on trying to create a female voice, it never rings true for me. In this instance, I felt like the narrator was shallow and a bit selfish. I'm not sure why she deserves to achieve her goals and her awakening was a bit hurried and trite. Frankly, the subtitle is lost on me - I don't know what there was to forgive in this text. Coelho's novels are often inspiring and promote self reflection (The Alchemist, Veronika Decides to Die, The Pilgrimage). This novel falls short on all accounts. It lacks character development and focus. I was, for the first time, disappointed by Coelho.

This is a curious book, investigating what love really means to one person, learning how the subject of that love reacts to it, and consequentially how this alters the way in which love is then given.

What you have is a man who's wife has vanished, after having first made him realise his dream. Then he has to establish why she's left him, if left him she has, and how, when he finds this out, he must go about dealing with it.

Again as with other books by this authour you find yourself examining things in your mind which relate to paralells in the story, so that you learn from it, and gain strength from it, negatives become positives, a learning curve, and an invitation to better yourself through lifes trials.

Also, again, i was put in mind of Antoine de Saint Exupéry's book, The Little Prince, the same as i was when reading The Alchemist.

I was impressed, and that takes some doing.

I've always taken risk and never thought twice about what I was doing. Only once have I regreted something I've done. Thanks to all the risks I have taken, I am now the pereson I want to be. All those people who read a book and don't go anywhere under the surface haven't learnt how to read. It's not the language, it's the ideas and themes. All of you out there who think language should be the focus of a book.....read The Catcher in the Rye and then tell me what you think. Language is not slang. There are words that may be so simple that they express a complex idea, such as love, perfectly. Perfection is what you make of it!

If Bridges of Madison County had been written by Richard Bach... This novel is a test for any true cynic (or skeptic - which am I? can't tell...). With unabashed straightforwardness, Coelho examines religion and love and comes up on the side of . . . both, I think. Look, if had read this in my 20's, I might've been swept up, but I wasn't completely repelled either. It does, however, require setting aside all cynical thoughts, and I'm just not completely able to do that. So maybe it's more my fault than his... Maybe.

A love story in which the two main characters, Pilar, who is a student in the town of Zaragoza, and her childhood sweetheart who she new as a girl in the small Spanish village Soria, `By The River Piedra, I Sat Down And Wept' weaves ideas about God, religion, and carnal love into a nice, if not a bit obscure work of fiction. Perhaps because this book was not read in its English translation and not in its original Spanish, something was lost in the process.

Pilar receives a message from her childhood friend that he will make a speech in Madrid. When Pilar reaches Madrid, she realizes her friend has become a very influential and powerful leader of a religious movement that embraces the femininity of God. Shortly after the event, her friend professes his love for Pilar, a love that had been a part of his being since the two were children back in Soria, and he bades her to join him on a journey. On this journey, Pilar learns that her friend has not only become a leader of a religious movement, but that he also has the power to work miracles. At the same time, Pilar deals with "the Other," the part of each of our psyches that manifests itself as fear, regret, and other counterproductive emotional responses that prevents us from achieving our full potential as human beings. During this journey through the French Pyrenees, which includes stays at hostels and visits to churches and chapels, the two find themselves at the monastery at Piedra where the two had played as children. It is at Piedra where Pilar's friend must ultimately choose the path of his own life.

Often described as poetic, Coelho's prose in `By The River Piedra, I Sat Down And Wept' is artistic and almost dreamlike. Throughout the book, Pilar actually seems to be in some sort of dream in which she willingly floats from place to place with her friend as she searches for her true self. At the same time, Pilar wonders and worries, as a result of the existence of the Other that lives inside her, what will become of the love that she has for her friend and the love her friend has for her. So, what has the potential to be a powerful and moving story of love is actually blunted by the almost ennui of the writing.

While the reader knows he or she is not reading a Tom Clancy novel, there is not a great deal of action in the story. The majority of the action actually occurs inside of each of the characters. Even the conflict between the two protagonists (assuming either religion or the Other are the antagonist) is muted. As such, `By The River Piedra, I Sat Down And Wept' is really a nice read on a quiet afternoon in a bathtub drinking chamomile tea and surrounded by lit candles, (ladies), but the story and the message leave a little to be desired, I think, for many other readers. It's well done, but just a little cryptic and ambiguous for a lot of folks.

I found myself weeping at the thought of having to finish this book. It is more like a religious pamphlet trying to pass for literature. The characters are mere representations without a trace of the grit or complexity that makes a character real. They speak in platitudes and parables and not once did they utter a single genuine word. Some of the imagery was lovely and I suppose one could come away from this book with a reassurance of one's faith, but at the cost of one's belief in literature. Basically, it was like reading one long Hallmark card. If I had to read "the meaning of love" one more time I was going to head to Lourdes myself.

Title says it all I guess, I read decides to die and eleven minutes and enjoyed them very much. I picked up Zahir expecting it to be just as good.

But it is so self-involved, egotistical, and rambling. I came to strongly dislike the main character- and since this is supposedly a highly autobiographical work- the author. The weird philosophy/ worldview about love held no attraction for me at all.

The most disturbing part about it all was that the things that I liked about the previous two books were here in The Zahir- but were amplified to the point of being cloying and obnoxious. I felt I was being bashed over the head with a hammer by the same things I had been gently nudged by in the other works.

By the end, I was utterly Coelho-d out. I wish I had read The Alchemist first, since that is the one people seem to really like, but to be honest I don't think I can pick up another one of his books for a very long time, if ever.

One of the minor mysteries of life is why Paulo Coelho isn't better known in the United States. This new book is being published in 100 countries in 45 languages. It is the No. 1 best seller in 22 countries. His books are almost unknown in the United States.

The Zahir, a Novel of Obsession is the new book. A Zahir (an Arabic word) means something that is visible, present and unable to go unnoticed. The story here is about a missing wife. The narrator is living in Paris when his wife Esther disappears in the Middle East. Also missing is her friend Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover. This is the background for the narrator to travel across Central Asia discovering more about himself than he ever expected.

As this search becomes an obsession we learn more about the narrator, and in the end about ourselves. This is one sign of a good novelist. We are entertained by the story, but at the same time it forces us to think about ourselves; to learn, perhaps, something more of the world.

I begin by noting that I love Coelho and find his prose to be almost poetic. I found this book - as always - beautifully written but a bit heavy on religion. Let me explain before you boo me off the stage, Coelho lovers! Usually, I find his thoughts on God and religion to be beautifully written but also subtly drafted. For example, in his masterpiece "The Alchemist", God and fate and religion were infused throughout the story, but subtly so. Here, the religion is very in your face. I found it bearable but a bit much, a bit unnecessary. Coelho is such a gifted writer that he doesn't NEED to be so blunt with religion and god. That said, this novel - as his others - is well constructed, a quick read and one in which we quickly become involved in the main characters lives. I found myself rooting heartily for the two main actors. The ending was something of a surprise, but as always left me on the edge of my seat with my mouth open and my mind racing. The book does what any good book should - leave you with the belief that you have read an excellent story, as well as give you many things to think about and relate to your own life. "By the River ..." is well worth a read, and Coelho continues to inspire with his almost non-stop beautiful prose. Each page contains at least one gem which I underline, think about, come back to, chew on, and then think about some more. A great read - if it was by anyone else I'd give it a 5; I give it a comparative 4 only in relation to his other books. While this one is great, his others are even greater.

After reading the Alchemist, I was ready to sit down and enjoy my second Paulo Coelho book. and sure enough, the start of this story drew me in like a moth to a flame. One thing I like about Coelho is his poetical wisdom, the way he makes the words dance and the way he dances with those words. It is a rare sight to see.
Reason I gave this book 3 stars was that by the middle of this book, it began delving deeply into a very religous book, which wasn't really introduced prominently through the flaps or the editorial. I would caution those who are not used to reading religous books that there is such a content that you should be aware of, but if you have no bias against religion, I believe it will be a welcome sign posted in front of you.
I believe it is more of a religous story than a love story, it just tittered and tottered between the story. Yet, still, it was a fine piece of book to read.

I just finished reading this book, making it the 5th book by Coelho in the last three weeks that I've read and I have yet to be disappointed by his work. I am relatively new to Coelho and didn't realize how powerful and life changing his books can be. I decided to complete reading the Alchemist three weeks ago after picking it up for the first time two years ago, at which time I didn't have the patience to finish it being a student in college and also who's reading taste was quite different back then. I'm 24 now and decided to read it to find motivation after going through a somewhat rough and doubtful time in my life. I was inspired, motivated, and quite surprised by what the book did for me.. I decided to pick up other titles Coelho has written.

"By the River Piedra I sat down and wept" is the fifth title I've read, and I would say it ties "The Alchemist" for his best book so far, with "The Devil and Miss Prym" in second place. Unlike the Alchemist, which depicts the importance of believing in and pursing one's dreams no matter how doubtful or obscured it may seem, this book enlightens readers about the importance of love, faith, and forgiveness and solitude one lives with if love is not present is some way. It talks about taking risks for love, and that the fear of falling in love in order to avoid heartbreak and misery is never a good decision to not be in love. Love for another person, love for life, love for dreams, love for God. Without love, the possibility of happiness and meaning for life is highly unlikely.

I thought that the story being narrated from a young woman's point of view (Pilar) is brilliant. Being a 24 year old man, the book helped me further grasp the meaning of love, and also a deeper and empathetic understanding of a woman's struggle, triumphs, and perspective of life. Coelho's poetic story telling and his ability to depict various messages, ethics, morals, meaning of life and God with absolute clarity is one of a kind. I recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with relationships, or is looking for a deeper meaning and in the struggles that life makes you endure. It isn't a long read, but the amount of wisdom packed into the book is overwhelming.
"The Fifth Mountain" is the next Paulo Coelho book on my list to read, but I doubt it will have the same 'bang' this book and the Alchemist had. But as long as it is a book by Coelho, one can't go wrong.

I went through so many phases reading this book. I was bored sometimes as it seemed repetitive. I was lost till half way through the book when you start understanding what he is talking about. I got depressed throughout. Interesting read but vowed to never read another Paulo Coelho book. Too complicated although I do get the message and it is an important one but not very strong writing I felt.

One thing you will hear over and over is that once you pick up one book by Coelho, you end up reading them all. I, like so many, started with the Alchemist and was just blown away. I approached this book, as I do all of Coelho's creations, with anticipation and VERY high expectations. Anyone capable of the writing the Alchemist has the potential for great things. My anticipation was justified by this poignant, and very touching book. This is Coelho at his best. An intensely personal tale that must be read and lived

This book is an eloquent mirror of spiritual love; how it should be, how it is, and how we long for it. I was deeply touched, and could not put it down until I was finished reading it. Once again, Paulo, you touched my soul and lit a warm fire...

-Rivka Edery, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
Author of: "Hear Me Sing: Book I" (2016)
“Trauma and Transformation: A 12-Step Guide” (2013)

I loved this book. The prose,the way the story flowed and what the fable had to offer. Forgiveness is a word our world has difficulty with in its true meaning.In the end we have to forgive ourselves in order to forgive the other. There are so many thoughts in this book to prompt our own thoughts to look at life differently, to view forgiveness as a means of release for ourselves and then of course of the other. Beautifully written!
Dr Gunta Krumin-Caldwell author of On Silver Wings

I was onboard a flight to Verona when I read this journey. Why do I use the word 'Journey'? Paulo Coelho's works each has a journey and a message to share. I do not agree or want to agree with every message, yet the subtleties and the intricate story telling kept my interest and forced me to read on. 'By the River Piedra', is a tale of the power of love and Paulo's explanation of true love. Is love solely discovered with the person you are with, or the person you are?
The novel is both spiritual and thought provoking.

This is a very interesting read if you like the Post-Modern, quasi-deconstructive feel. He is now a very famous writer and no longer is merely telling tales. Now he telling tales about telling tales and about him telling talkes. He is know revealing his process and his thoughts. Most of the novel is filled with brilliant asides, interesting conversations (although his women are really men that somehow give vaginal sex), and concepts that mean something. What is always great about Coelho is that he is really saying something meaningful. Maybe that's why there are stacks upons stacks of his books in every bookstore. If you're looking for classic Coelho, this book may not be your first choice, but it's still a great book.

I have read several of Paulo Coelho's books. Of course, The Alchemist will always be on the top, but two or three of the others were quite impressive too. This book - The Zahir - did not click with me. It stretches on and on and although it deals with an important topic, Obsession, it contains not a lot of information or wisdom related to this topic. I have to add, what I just said applies to the first half of the book. I did not finish reading the book. Around page 150 I jumped to the last pages and read the ending and that was it. The book is not as bad as this may sound. Especially if you are a true Paulo Coelho fan, you will love it. So, I try to be fair, I give it a three star rating.

This is by far one of the worst books I have read. I was determined to see it to the end and finished it in 3 days. I gave Coelho a chance, seeing how he seems to be a prominent new author. Not only is his writing style poor, uninspiring and most of all DRY, his characters lack life, direction, meaning, depth, and float in this hazy nonsensical world he creates without any intention to deliver a real message. I am disappointed to say that there is nothing in this book worth reading or raving or recommending. Move on and find something better.

A friend of mine introduced me to Paulo Coelho and it has changed my life in ways I never expected I love his style of writing I don't know if it's because it is translated in to English or what but I just find his writing simply beautiful. By the River Piedra... is for me the book that just answered so many questions about God, the love of my life, and so much more I totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a book that will not just stay with you but take up residence in you.

I found the book very much on the "preachy" side. I like the idea of using story to share one's spiritual beliefs with the world; but for it to work well, the concepts need to be subtle.
On the other hand, Christians, particularly Catholics, who like to see concepts of their faith put to story, this could be very rewarding.
Despite my misgivings, I do see a beauty in the author's story-telling style. I would like to someday read other works of his.

I'm a big fan Paulo Coelho. I was inspired by the Alchemist, moved by the Fifth Mountain, and greatly intrigued by Veronika Decides To Die. This was the second of his novels I read, and I was pleasantly surprised. I had no idea what I was reading when I bought it. It was a whimsical purchase. I bought it based on my liking of the Alchemist. The plot of this book is easily explained in the editorial reviews, so, I'll just keep this as simple as possible. Paul Coelho writes a love story here. Tender, moving, inspiring, and heartfelt. I like Coelho's style. He doesn't bog the reader down with a ton of fanciful imagery. He only uses literary devices that are essential to his story. He never overdoes it, nor does he underplay anything. All of this is applicable to this novel, a pleasant surprise. I've read better novels, but, this one hit all the right notes. Sure, it was a bit sappy, and the feminine-sided religion was a little overkill at times, but, that's easily excusable for such a good book.

By the River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept is a book that made me reflect and analyze the relationship between two people who want to seek their dreams, which have always been that of true love forever. I learned that differences and similarities are important in a relationship. Presumably, without these things life will be monotonous and without sense. Obviously, similarities are beneficial in a relatioship. They provide the connection of two people. Also, create a challenge between them because they believe that they are competing. On the other hand, differences make a relationship difficult, because sometimes the way people do things is not how we like them done. In conclusion, the importance of life teaches us to understand and accept the mistakes that our partner has. It helps us to love and respect him or her like person because in this world nobody is perfect. I recomend this book to people who have interest to read a real love story.

Like many other reviewers that preceeded me, I am a longtime admirer of Coelho's books. From the time he wrote "The Alchemist" to "Eleven Minutes", his writing seemed to only get better. After I learned about the publication of "The Zahir" earlier in 2005, I made it a must to read it.

I was dissapointed for most of the book. By the time I reached two thirds of it, I had spotted the pearls of wisdom that Coelho has gotten us used to. But the book failed to retain my interest. In the store-speak, at that point it was not more than a three-star book. But I must acknowledge that the latter third of the book made me pick it up with more excitement about what was left. Without going too much into the story (which you probably know by now), it was at this point that his storytelling abilities really started to shine, like in the best of his works, getting to the peak of his potential toward the last few pages.

If you are no die hard fan of his work (or any author's work, for the matter), I doubt you will be willing to wait "so long" before you loose your interest in it. Therefore, I can only give it four stars. For Coelho's best works, go to "Veronika Decides to Die", "The Devil and Miss Prym", "Eleven Minutes" or "The Pilgrimage".

This is not an exciting book. It's not a complex story. And it certainly isn't subtle. The philosophy and message are clear, and are not open to multiple interpretation.

That said, Coelho engages the reader once again with his wonderfully lyrical style of writing to deliver a story of love that is simple in its humanity. We feel the every-pain of Pilar that most of us experience, wanting love but being so afraid of getting hurt. We are familiar with her internal struggle that is without drama but with dramatic consequences. It's about choices and consequences, and the willingness to grow and become if we are truly wanting to experience love. Sometimes we get a second chance to get what we want - but we have to decide if we want "it" or the "idea of it." And most of all, we have to be willing to change and be open to receiving it. That can be the hardest of all.

Excellent reading by Stephanie Zimbalist - a thoroughly enjoyable listen to one of my favourite authors, and one I've enjoyed several times, now.

From the very first page of the book, it is not hard to see why you can't keep the book down. What makes the pages turn as the minutes tick over relays to the simple, yet beautiful method of story-telling that Mr. Coelho takes the reader into. It is a story of passion and courage, of religion and the feminine face of God, of patience and listening to one's inner voice. That mixed with the inner conflicts that humans face to make crucial choices is what you will encounter as you read his words. If you've been ignoring that inner voice inside you for too long, or want to get a clear picture of what it's all about, then this book is for you. And you'll see why.

Now here~{!/~}s a book I really dislike. I stopped reading it and never got to it~{!/~}s middle. I didn~{!/~}t find any deep spiritual truths or inspirations in it, just preaching. The main characters are shallow. The story is told by the woman, Pilar, but it might as well be told from the point of view of her lover, who seems to be the really strong and know-it-all character in this story, while she is described as weak, dependent, and merely his follower. None of the ideas came as her own inspirations or understandings. He tries to teach her about the female aspect of God, or ~{!.~}the Goddess~{!/~}, so I expected to find some female strength later in the story. It turned out that the female aspect of God is the aspect of surrender. Generally speaking, there~{!/~}s nothing wrong with being able to accept things as they are and to flow with them, but combined with this leader-follower relationship between the two characters, it looks like a downright chauvinistic story. I felt it was an insult to femininity, and I am sorry that this is a best seller.

P.Coelho typically says that we should always do what we want to do, even if our rationale advices otherwise. In the fifth mountain, Elijah struggles to fulfill his promise to god. In the alchemist the boy traverses the desert to find the alchemist. Here he has taken a unlikely relationship between a wannabe priest and a free spirited girl as a model for his philosophy.
It is true that we should have the free will to do what we really want to do inspite of the probability of failure in our effort. A great virtue to be cultivated by everyone with a striving to grow.

I have enjoyed other novels by Paulo Coelho and was eagerly anticipating this one. I'm sorry to say I was disappointed. The premise of the book seemed intriguing, and the story posed some interesting questions but the writing just never grabbed me and pulled me in. Turning page after page I kept thinking, there has to be more, but the story never delivers. The characters are boring and unlikeable, although it takes place all over the world you never get a good sense of the surroundings and on a spiritual level, the story never gives us that "AHA" moment. It was like anticipating the release of a movie and finding out it's better as a rental.

I read the Alchemist and I really liked it, so I figured this book would be another moving experience. I was disappointed a third of the way in, and remained that way for the rest of the book. I never once felt attached to either of the characters. The love that unfolds in the story seems a bit empty. These people are apparently connected through a lovely childhood, but *why* is their bond so special? The book says little more than "they had a lovely childhood together" and we're expected to just take the author's word for it. It's the same with her transformation in the days she spends with him. Her life is changed by his influence, but why? Did it really only take a change of scenery? Has she really never thought of some of the things he's discovered? Could she have just fallen in love with anyone who brought her out of her banal existence? I felt like as these events were happening, I wasn't being brought along for the ride. I was merely taking the author's word for it and reading a summarization. Their love meant nothing to me because I couldn't see why she wanted him over anyone else, and vice versa. Without real purpose and depth, love stories like this become fluff. I think with twice the content and detail, I would have felt much more of a connection to the material. I like a lot of the things Coelho has to say (it's still a better story than I could write) and I'm definitely going to read the rest of his books -- this one just wasn't for me.

Someone recommended Paulo Coelho to me at Burning Man. Reading ZAHIR was a real treat. Honest, interesting and written in very smooth prose. Coelho isn't as harsh as Bukowski or Henry Miller, but he writes in the same raw, revealing fashion that makes it hard for me not to feel for the narrator and his quest to find the woman he loves and to rediscover the man he WAS. Great book.

Paulo Coelho writes another great story (one should read "The Alchemist" first) about love, God and the struggle between the two. When one leaves their home, family and childhood love for a spiritual journey, then sends word to his childhood sweetheart, things begin to tense up; human love for another, or spiritual love for God. A great story and well written, Coelho knows how to tell a story simply and clearly. Highly reccomended!

It seems that most people who rated this book highly have not read the author's other works. If this were the first book I ever read about spirituality and a personal quest to better oneself, then I might be so enchanted by the flavor of the book that that I would rate it highly as well.

Unfortunately, I have read seven other books by Paulo Coelho, and this one is easily the worst. It is untolerably boring. The weak plot fails to redeem itself, even at the very end when the main character (ostensibly a representation of Coelho himself, based on the endless babbling about how hard it it is to be a best-selling author) finds his wife. I will refrain from writing more plot spoilers, though, because the plot was already sufficiently spoiled when Coelho put it on paper.

Do yourself a favor. Read these three books by Coelho in this order: 1. The Pilgrimage, 2. The Fifth Mountain, and 3. The Alchemist. There you will discover the inspirational spirit that made Coelho so beloved. In The Zahir you will only find a waste of your reading time.

There is a certain atmosphere that emanates from this book and immersing ones' soul into it is a purifying experience. The two main characters are in search of love, and the understanding of love. Is the meaning of love as in love for a partner or love for God, and which form of God? The travels of the characters lead them into knowledge, which may well be the essence of traveling. They walk together the path and learn to know each other, their inner selfs and their love for God and how they can serve God. Coelho's style is luminous and the book is easy to read although the spiritual journey may be difficult. And well worth the effort.

I really enjoyed "The Alchemist" and "Veronica Decides to Die." This book, however, struck me as overtly preachy, slow, overly philosophical and melodramatic.

I didn't particularly like the characters.

Changes happened too abruptly, and kept reversing, like a soap opera.

Try his other books first.

The problem with this pedantic book is that it is written to preach. There is nothing natural even as it tries to address in detail some of the real life issues. The crazy end is perhaps devised to show that the people involved are real life but except for that the characters live in a mad make-believe world and attempt to extract deepest life-explaining meanings from most meaningless events. Good in certain parts, that said.

As he did with the Alchemist, Coelho once again demonstrates his ability to create ultimately human protagonists struggling with issues of the divine and ethereal.
Pilar's sojourn is not foriegn to anyone who has done any kind of soul-searching. Coelho's language is poetic, but always sincere and truthful. This book is for those who recognize struggles as a part of life, but have optimism for the end of the journey.

This is a book written for all romantics at heart. Paulo Coelho has written another superb novel based on the power of love, faith and hope. This book is inspirational, and pushes us to believe and learn to recognise the little miracles that appear to us each day. Dreams do take hard work, patience and a lot of tears, but the author teaches us never to loose hope. Paulo manages to move and inspire through this story. Excellent! It made me trust in love again!

The conflict the seminarian battles through was a legitimate one in the sense that sometimes a difference in or lack of religious ideas prevents others from loving us. That's ironic because that's what religion is all about: love not only for God and for each other. When the seminarian realizes this he also realizes he doesn't have to choose between his love for Pilar and his devotion to God.

I do not know how he does it, the character Piedra, is my second favorite character of Coelho's book's. Nothing compares to the Alchemist. However in By The River. . . I felt spiritual love for life and something bigger than either of them, in a way most writer's would fail miserablely,to express. I love this book. It was so hard to put it down and take a break. Great read.

This book is simply unfortunate. Firstly, if this book is the first book you have read by this author, and if you are so disappointed by it that you do not want to read any of his other work you will be doing yourself a grave disservice. When Coelho writes from his heart and not his vanity he is an amazing storyteller. Thus, this book is not representative of some of his previous work, which is quite excellent. With this book it seemed that he felt that people love his books so much that they would also love reading about his process in writing his books, and not just that he uses the book as an autobiographical tale. Major problems for me with this book were that clearly the author and the main male character are one in the same. Coelho never admits this, but he has flagrantly made the character so similar to himself that it is insanely ridiculous that he is not recognizing this as an autobiography of some sort. Secondly, the characters are dreadfully and tediously boring, and mentioning the Eiffel tower, his success, fame, money, loyal readership, and open marriage a gazillion times doesn't change this fact. Thirdly, he somehow has convinced himself that breaking up with someone that you have spent a decade of your life with, and then thinking about them and missing them is obsessive instead of a natural part of grieving a broken heart, this makes the whole zahir story line quite ridiculous. Fourth, what has come across as bits of insightful wisdom in his other books seem forced and contrived in this story, because everything else in the book is so ludricrous. Lastly, the story of his missing/runaway wife made no sense to me, and no matter how much I tried to sympathize with something in the storyline I was not able to. If you are interested in knowing many details, however boring they may be, about the author's life this book will fulfill what you are looking for. Otherwise, I agree that it really is something to be borrowed, because paying for this book would be a sad waste of money, and you would already be wasting your time by reading it. Why waste both.

Super love story. Super narrative.
I rate it as one of his best two because it is about love and as the Beatles would say
All you need is love, love is all you need.
If you were ever to read this great writer's work I recommend this book or
Veronika Decides to Die as the works to read, even over the Alchemist.

This story was very interesting because it's about a young lady that falls in lov with his friend from her childhood even though she knew he wanted to be a priest.In this story we saw how hard we have to fight to defend our feelings and how many things you have to lose for something else. In this story they left everything because of love, and that is great because love is hard to find. If both of them love each other it is wonderful that they got together. This story also showedus that we have the power to reach our goal that no body has to be left out in his or her dreams. If we really want something we have to fight for it because no body will fight for us. Pilar was a good example of this because she fought against everything and she triumphed to get together with her love. So we must never give up, that's the main idea of this great story.

This author came highly recommended to me by a friend whose opinion I trust. Instead of starting out with his most celebrated book the Alchemist, I picked up this one. I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with the style in which it is written and the content of this book.
This story is told by a 29 year old woman named Pilar, whose goal in life is to find a husband to settle down with. The way in which she portrays her desires, her fears, her reflections on her essence, her vices and weakness and the way she goes about recognizing them is too immature and unlikely for any woman. I presume that the logic of her thoughts is that simple and naïve is because of the fact that she comes from a small village and is not trained to overanalyze details the way big city people do. But I don't believe that is the case. In my opinion, the author does not do justice to understanding the nature of the female enough to write about it. From the thoughts of this woman, it is clear that it is not written by someone who understands our nature, and the lack of credibility of this character becomes apparent from the first pages of the book.
The biggest disappointment of the book, however, comes from having to put up with so much religious nonsense that becomes part a theory that is absurd. While this story is about the recovery of faith, the process seems very superficial because it is not questioned and there is no internal conflict, the woman blindly accepts whatever she is handed out on the platter and talks about the synthesis of the information as though she's been preaching it forever. Such immediate acceptance of faith lacks substance and credibility.
In the end, this book has its moments, but it's certainly not of the inspirational caliber.

A journey that enlightens and uplifts. Encourages one to disregard fear of loss and love for the sake of loving. The subtle 100th monkey theory challenges the reader to take part in a spritual awakening that is taking place as we reach the millenium. Stay true to oneself and share in the gift of life and the greatest choice we can make--to love.

If you want an easy read, don't buy this. If you want a rich poetic discourse full of thought provoking dichotomys, tension and passion, then do. The book meanders more than flows and clarity can be elusive at times, but this is definitely a book to read and re-read, each time gaining more insight in to the workings of this great author. Many themes are covered from exile to spiritual freedom to commitment and love. A good book to read when you have the time it deserves.

I don't know how this book will stand the test of time. I don't even know if I'll continue to like it in a few years. All I know is that it was exactly what I needed at this point in my life. I may not have agreed with everything it said, but it was enough that this book provoked me to think and work things out. I never understood love and I still don't. This book brought peace to parts of me that were still hurting and how many other books can do the same?

The love story is romantic.. The Title of the book is so romantic as well!
Although I adore Paulo Choelho's work and wisdom but I didn't quiet find that in this book.. I felt like there were some parts missing, there were things I didn't understand...
The book is not really special if you would talk about a very good and wise writer such as Paulo..
I would suggest "The Pilgrimage" & "Veronika Decides To Die".. ofcourse after you read the "Alchemist"

Paulo Coelho is the best South American writer ever, and the two Brazilian reviews of this excellent book only proves that. Jealousy and bitterness, because no other writer could reach such a wide audience. Please read this magnificent book, instead of reading frustating reviews from people who did not read, but did not like the author

I found myself highlighting a lot during this book. It holds great lessons about self discovery, love, and forgiveness. If you've ever loved and lost or if there's someone from your past that you still carry in your heart and can't shake, this book provides insights, hope, and even courage in seeking them.

The Zahir was the first book by Coelho that I read. A friend of mine lent it to me on a road trip, and I found myself not able to put it down. This novel was like stepping into a familiar life, as he provides all the details that you need to know. The book drew me in, and the story of the missing wife and her searching husband was good. My heart broke for the main character, who, through finding himself, solves the mystery of what happened. I promist you that you will not be able to stop reading this one.

If a zero rating were possible here, this book would warrant it. The author biographical notes indicate that Coelho has sold 56 million copies of his books. On the evidence provided between the covers of this one I can't imagine why: it's hardly artfully written and doesn't have a plausible plot. I guess millions of people around the world eat french fries; they're hardly a complex, tasty gourmet food worthy of rave reviews either. Mass consumption doesn't automatically equal 'must-have' or 'of value'.

The novel features a best-selling writer as a narrator (who incidentally whines about critics trashing his work; Mr Coelho must be feeling insecure) whose wife disappears. The narrator claims that his missing wife is his obsession, his Zahir, yet replaces her with another woman that he also claims to love, and has affairs on the side. I think the only obsession he has is with himself and his own self-importance.

Throw in an epileptic that sees visions, some hokeyness about letting love into your life in a pure energy form, a journey across the steppes, and the narrator explicitly explaining all his life revelations along the way so you don't miss the 'profound messages'; viola, you have one unconvincing story.

I hope the book reads better in the original Portuguese than it does in English. The English translation is dry reading; there's certainly no poetry in the writing, just the verses quoted before the title page.

I will agree with other reviewers that this book is not an easy read. However, it also spoke to me on a level I had not expected, and provided a sort of therapy for which I was desperately in need. As luck would have it, I picked up the novel in the airport book store. My ex-husband had unexpectedly passed away a few weeks prior, and my daughter and I were on our way to visit his family in France. During the vacation, I found myself reading the book, and also retracing the steps of our life together, the years living abroad, the ways we changed each other and the bitterness of losing that love. This book has an emotional truth to it that helped me through a difficult time, and made me think about the difference between love and obsession.

I have yet to finish this book and I have owned it for about 2 years- i try to pick it up and finish it but i cant seem to do it. have read almost every book by this writer and love him! Sadly, this book I just couldnt get into and I am really sadden by that! I have read 11 minutes a few times already and some other of his novels a few times, but sadly this one just doesnt seem to grab me no matter how many times i try to return to the book. IF this is the first book you bought from the writer do not give up- his other books are WONDERFUL- my favorite is 11 minutes!! Enjoy!

I read this book after reading Coelho's, The Alchemist. It is not as rich a story as The Alchemist but still worth reading. Coelho excels at writing his novels from a philosophical perspective. The two main characters have major life decisions to make and he does a fabulous job of taking the reader through the character's philosophical reasoning as to why they make the decisions they make. I truly enjoyed this book and plan to read more of Coelho's work.

Stunning book. I am not a normal reader of such metaphysical works but was caught by the title and curiosity. The book's author impecibly reveals his views of life and love and their true value and meaning. It was a pleasure to read about two lost loves from childhood who reunite as adults in search of "love" in their life. Not your typical love story. My favorite line is on page 148;"Break the glass, please - and free us from all these damned rules, from needing to find an explanation for everything, from doing only what others approve of." That sums up the meaning of the story. Love has no rules, requires no ones approval,is a precious gift and to experience that "magic moment" some people will wait a lifetime for.

Was it intentional that the author left such a huge piece of the puzzle unmentioned in his last work? I have to think that it was. The correlation between his own longing for the reconnection of the deepest love he has ever known through his vanished ex-wife and the collective consciousness' thirst for the return of the Divine Feminine Energy was never directly implied by Coehlo, because he himself has yet to experience True Love.

Just how did this energy become so divine in the first place? Through eons of pledges of undying love by lovers who were humbled by and understood the magnificent gift they were given; this love that set their hearts and bodies on fire. A love that could be tamed and kept alive if properly respected and honored.

It seems apparent that though Paulo's character (himself?) experienced a deep love for his wife, it had obviously not manifested to this deeper level of divine splendor, otherwise he would not have been so eager to feed this hunger with so many equally unfulfilling affairs. Even though both partners agreed to not discuss these extramarital adventures, the unspoken knowledge of this lack of divinely inspired love eventually eroded their marital bond. The cells of the body know when they are being dishonored.

So, I bless this gifted author, who has given us so much and I hope that he will one day fully experience the return of the devastatingly erotic, purging and purifying beauty of the Beloved, and write to tell us about it!

This book is more than beautiful. While I was reading it, I marked pages with paragraphs on them that corresponded with my life.

For instance:

Page 48-

"Because I've suffered, and God didn't listen to my prayers. Because many times in my life, I have tried to love with all my heart, and my love has wound up being trampled or betrayed. If God is love, he should have cared more about my feelings."

"God is love. But the one who understands this best is the Virgin."

This insert related so much to my life, that I though, "Hey, this book is something of a lesson." (And I am just 14... and I can understand what this has to say.)

Overall, Coelho is an exquisite author and really has a way with wording different lessons in life. Weather it be love, God, or just life.

You would believe that when I tell you Paulo is actually a woman, never had I read anything that so closely depicts what a woman like Pilar is feeling. Paulo surpasses all other authors in bringing this romantic and heart-crunching story in a manner that moves readers across all genders and lead the way into the very heart of the spirit. It is a good book, I recommend to readers around 16 ?30 years of age (it might feel some what naïve for readers that are very much into their adulthood ?no offense).

This is an excellent combination of love and a higher calling. It challenges the reader to question their own preconceived notions of love and spirituality. I could not put it down. Coelho takes you to Spain and leaves you longing to be by the river experiencing the beauty of the Goddess. I recommend this to anyone who considers themselves to be a romantic, regardless of your spiritual walk. Also, I recommend it to those who consider themselves to be spiritual warriors. It speaks to both the same and touches the soul.

I've been a big fan of Coelho and have read most of his previous books. Those who enjoyed "The Alchemist" may find "The Zahir" a bit shallow. There is really no story line and very few life lessons to learn and ponder after reading it. I would say the content is exclusively for adults, similar to "Eleven Minutes", and less like "The Alchemist" which even a young person can enjoy.

The book is not about the search for his wife Esther or his struggle with "The Zahir." I think it is about married adult life and its turmoils. Do we still know and love the person we married 10-15 years ago? Is infidelity acceptable once marriage falls apart? Do money and success bring happiness? etc. etc.

At times his writing is superficial when he mocks his critics and the "establishment" but if you can get pass by that nonsense, he does explore some heavy stuff for which he gives vague but insightful answers. It's not an easy fairy tale like "The Alchemist."

I really wish the store had a zero-star rating so I could truly rate this book. Paulo Coelho once said of his critics that they were jealous he sold millions of copies. Well, most authors should be jealous of anyone who sells so many books. It is too bad that the best-selling books are usually garbage. Real literature never sells this easy.

The book is very good, I have found it very interesting, it wasn't like eleven minutes, more of the exploration of the body, soul and love.. it wasn't like the fifth mountain, mixed between spirituality, religion and a bit of love.. it had it all..

he wrote in this book about love, marriage, life, sex.. how he saw marriage, how his love was possessive and obsessive, how he realized that for the first time in his life, he loves someone more than himself.. which ofcourse happens to many of us through out our lives.

some parts of the book weren't as thrilling, specially the parts with Mikhail, it was more of weird things happening, but I believe it does exist. fact is there are many things in life we never saw, and Paulo has mentioned in his book, his experiences, his encounters, his search for his love.

unfortunatly I hated the fact that his wife ended up being pregnant, I did not like her personality, I couldn't get my self to realize how she left the place,and the type of life she adopted was very unexpected..

To me, this book made me realize how beautiful it is to hold on to your love no matter what happens.

I recommend this book, for readers who would like to explore more things in life thro reading, and who wants to know how the journy of love should be like..

Paulo Coelhos books just get better and better, which is an amazing feat considering where he started. This book is one of the best books I have ever read as it reaches so many dimensions for the reader in it's content. Not only is it a great Novel and a touching one at that but it makes you take an indepth Journey into your own capacity for Love and what it means to you. Just as the main character in the book gets provoked by his wife to contemplate his actions in their relationship, in the greatest detail, so does Esther (the wife of the main character) manage to capture your own heart and start the search..............the search for true love.
Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After reading "The Alchimist" I was so excited about Cuelho that I bought the rest of the books he's written. Then I read "The Fifth Mountain" which didn't do anything for me, so I was hoping that when I picked up "By the River Piedra..." I would not regret my purchase. Indeed, this is one of the most moving and lovly books I've read in a long time. There is so much to learn from what Cuelho has written, but even more than learn, he offers practices that anyone can use in their own lives to initiate the same changes that his characters go through. A must read!

The Zahir was the 2nd book I read from this author. The first book was amazing and insightful. This one really makes you look at your life in a different way and the ending itself was so unexpected! A book about healing, love, forgiveness, self reflection..I bought a copy to have in my library forever!

The Alchemist, Eleven Minutes and By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept are magnificent stories, but undoubtedly, The Zahir is Coelho's most profound novel to date. This beautiful story explores the significance of life through the transformation of the book's narrator, a self-consumed author obsessed with finding his missing wife. The narrator guides the reader through his poignant exploration of mysticism and love. This brilliant book is infinitely enjoyable. It will metamorphose the psyche, altering our society's paradigmatic perspective on matters of the heart. The Zahir is an exceptional tale and its essence resonates within my consciousness every day.

I think that this is "The Book" of P. Coelho. Very mature writing. A book for everybody to understand. Dealing in a special way with usual situations most people face in an everyday life.
With some drops of cynism...

I read it twice!!!

Daniel Lozada-Montebello Adult School,Montebello Ca.
Love is a need of every human,we were created to love and to be loved as a human we have a strong desire to be love,we have the necesity of being loved in a special way, this story is about a young couple that found each other once again after a long separation, their encounter brought some feelings that they had when they were younger, during that separation they try to find the real love, they know that they had something in common but they didn't know what was that but it was something powerful and special that it had to be discovered in specific time and specific circumstances, the separation helped them to understand that there is just one specific person for each one of us. They learned that the real love can't be substitude by any other feeling or material things and they learned the real love is not something that comes so easy, they have to fight and persevere in order to find it. They made many mistakes but and the end of the story they knew that the real love have to be cultivated.

One mans' dream is another mans' nightmare. This book was very descriptive and warm. I borrowed it from someone and it was so good I went out and bought it for myself to read again. Coelho did a great job of merging romance and spiritually. Affrika Andrews

We can rate books based on literary wisdom or entertainment, but rating this book for me is based on miracles. I got it on a two day flight to Lourdes-Tarbes in the Pyrenees and had no idea the book would reflect lots of the things we think are fiction. They are not. I have been with a person that listens to a voice, I have listened to that voice myself but moreover I was in search of the "happiness" that the book approaches in a simple but profound way. It is not a matter of rating a book with El Zahir, it is a matter of rating your own life. If you can honestly respond with an affirmative answer to the question "Are you happy?" then you should not read the book; for the rest of the world I would say it is a "must".

This is interesting but not as good as The Alchemist. It lags in the middle and the narrator is a bit obnoxious. It does contain, however, some interesting ideas, particularly when it comes to relationships and the past. The part I thought was most interesting is the idea of leaving your own story behind, of agreeing that the past is the past and to move on.

Yanina Mussio:Montebello Adult School,Montebello CA.
The Story about two lovers that fought hard in order to be together, the circunstances and the differences that they had tried to separated them even the time and the distance was against them, their furture as a couple looked uncertain. Even they were friends from the childhood and the love that they felt to each other they had to take different ways in their lives, but after a long separation onece again they were together and it was the time to fight for the real love, a love that worth everything, the wait,the suffer and the patience. Love that can overcome any circunstance and bring together all the feelings and mixed them to create a love that will persevere for the rest of the life.

Book has been the topic of much discussion
with my friends. On the one side it is about obsession
on the other it may be a cover for one's actions.

Another great read by this greatwriter.

This book was most unfortunate. The author just wanted to shove spirituality and religion down my throat. I liked the last 25 pages or so very much, but the entire first portion of the book was painful to read. The protagonist/narrator was boring and I mostly just wanted to smack her rather than identify with her problems and the like. The book tried to be really deep, yet it was very forced and unsuccessful, I think. Maybe I'm just too jaded and/or cynical for this genre of book.

This book was horrible. I have read a few of the author's other works and they were good. This attempt was a waste of time. I think the author just took the formula for all of his other books and applied it to this one.

The writing is uncreative and straightforward (which can sometimes actually be a good thing). The plot is ludicrous and uninteresting. The characters are boring and difficult to become attached to. Midway through the book I really didn't care what was going to happen to any of them.

Another thing about this book that confused me was the narrarator.Is it Paulo Coehlo? I assumed it was, but then when the narrarator kept talking about all the books he has sold and how everyone holds him in such high esteem I thought there was no way anyone would toot their own horn that way. Bizarre.

The spirituality and metaphors are uncreative. Again, I'm sure that he just grabbed his tried and tested spirituality formula and plugged in some of the variables (location and names).

I am not a writer myself, as my review will clearly show, but I must say this. This was a truly excellent book, and I've already recommended it to 4 other people. It is true that it does get very religious, and some people have docked it for that. I must ask this though, why can't they step back and see it as general spirituality? I for one don't believe in organized religion, but couldn't put this book down. I feel that says something for the quality of the book, and for the meaning it gives. I wish that everyone could read this book, and not get hung up on simple things.

Having loved The Alchemist, I was excited to read The Zahir. However, after 100 pages more or less, I found the writing to be repetitive, the main character a self-absorbed, whining boor (If I were Esther, I'd leave him, too) and the whole venture with Mikhail, the supposed lover of Esther, meaningless. I did not finish the book because I felt it was going nowhere. Having spent the whole summer reading Bleak House (and loving it because there was a story there), I just couldn't waste any more time trying to finish The Zahir. I won't give up on Coelho, though. The Valkyries is of interest to me basically for its regional appeal (the Mojave desert) so I will try again to see if there is a story there.

I have read numerous books by Coelho. I kept reading his books because I loved them. However, Zahir is the only book (so far) by this authors I didn't enjoy. I expected the same emotional depth, search for oneself etc which are the hallmark of his books. Here the narrator appears as rather annoying/egocentric/shallow/superego character to which I had no sympathy. Plus, Coelho's style of writing seems to become much commercialized, and so different from the past; it is too arrogant at times. Overall I was disappointed.

Coelho's writing can only be described as Genuis. Hes a natural and will certainly touch your heart, mind, and soul. He inspired and motivated me with every word that he has written throughout the years. Word in a review cannot begin to describe the writing of this brilliant man. All of his books are highly recommended.

I love Paulo Coelho's writings. I have read all of his books. This one has stirred in me a desire to understand my life better, to live my life better. I look at his writings as highly spiritual in nature and feel they meet you at where you are in your own personal journey. This book in particular helped me to understand why I myself am feeling so uncomfortable in my own skin, I am longing for something "more." Esther is a character who I understand and relate to-the narrator reminds me that we all have further to go in our quest for self. When Coelho writes, "I believe in signs. I believe in fate. I believe that every single day people are offered the chance to make the best possible decision about everything they do..." I realize how important that line is in each of our lives. I want to CHOOSE and choose well. Read this book and review your own life...

WONDERFUL STORY!

We often get rapped up in our busy lives, obsessed with work and responsibilities. We search for meaning in our every days and fail to clearly understand what it is that we should really strive for, what makes us happy, do we love or co-exist.... In our search process we close our eyes to reality, we get afraid to hear the truth, we are opinionated and smart, and we can figure this out even if takes a life time. And suddenly our whole world goes bust...only to make us realize that we knew the truth all along, that our might and wisdom is within us.

This is a very inspirational, spiritual, wise and psychologically challenging novel. If your heart is open and your soul seeks the truth, absorb yourself in it.

This book is very important to me, especially as I'm going through relationship issues of my own. I won't say much for those who have not yet read it, but I would suggest this book is excellent for those going through relationship change and evaluation.

This book ,as all the other books of Coelho that i've read in my life,is a summery of the human being...it shows u the way to reach the perfection. This is a love story...or better say the love story!

Based on this book alone, I would not call Coelho a writer because he doesn't deserve the title. This is some of the sloppiest, laziest prose I have ever read. The narrator has many of the same life experiences at Coelho and seems to be a poorly disguised alter ego of the author. Unfortunately he is also an arrogant fool who is not even slightly compelling. I made it to page 82 of The Zahir but will not waste any more of my time. What a disappointment.

Paulo Coelhho is one of the greatest writers of our time but he failed on this one and I wonder why, commercialism?

Good read, but very disappointing conclusion that contradicts the entire story of what he aims to be plus an arrogant person that he states to dispel in this book, contradictions over. I am waiting for his next novel that will re-institute him as the best ...

Alas don't buy this book, borrow it from the library and read it in your spare time, better entertainment watching Carnaval or Rome on HBO.

Interesting at times but overall not as good as I had hoped. Could have developed the themes and the female's character return to religion with much more depth and explained better what she "lost" her faith to begin with. A so-so read but overall under developed characters and reasons for what they do and why.

This book was the first of Mr. Coelho's books I read. He is an excellant writer and his words form poetic stories of the spirit of one's self. I found Pilar's search for within and ultimate true love very moving. I couldn't put the book down. I finished it in about three hours and wanted to start it again as soon as I finished. I have read all of Mr. Coelho's books that are in English, By the River Piedra I sat down and Wept and The Valkries have definitly been my favorite. I can't wait for the next one!

This last novel from Coelho actually deserves no star at all.

The books that came before this one, are all stellar novels, to the extent of being instant classics - genious at times.

This one, however, is nothing but what the title says; a spiritual rape of the reader.

Coelho claims many things in this book - amongst them, that he has found the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Which we all know to be 42... and Coelho's explanation makes just as much sense as Adams'.

High-flying, lacking a storyline - and a plot, self-righteous and bragging besserwisser-ness pollute this book like a leak from a broken sewer-pipe, killing whatever joy I had for this writer and his books from the outset.

The bottom line is, that it's not the worst book I've read, but it's bad, and it's definately the most disappointing book I've ever read.

I have not been so moved by a book since I was thirteen and read The Little Prince for the first time.For me The Zahir was about all of life and I felt it deep in my soul.Listening to the audio version takes you away like a dream.

Why do I do this to myself? Why do I begin reading at 1 am when I've got to wake up at 8? Needless to say, waking up was easy when I never made it to sleep. This story pulled me right in.

Worth the time, it was a quick read as well. I would have finished it faster but I enjoyed some pages so much I re-read them a couple of times.

Thank you Mr. Coelho for this lovely book. I truly appreciated it.

I'm an avid fan of Paulo's books and have read most of them. This was somewhat of a departure form his other works, and I found it very refreshing and thought provoking. This book will make you rethink the conventional ideas society has about relationships and how to deal with potential obstacles.

By The River Piedra, I Sat Down And Wept is an interesting book, full of love and spirituality that teaches us that luve during our childhood is so important that a lot of times can culminate an older age. All relationships that exist on this earth should be based on love,because even though the differences if love exists everything is possible.
I really recommed this book to people who enjoy reading romance stories.

Compared to other books by Coelho it is a piece of trash. It lacks the spirituality that stems from "The Alchemist" or "Veronika decides to die". It is instead a cheap religious book with some twists on Christianity that may be extremely offensive to both atheists and religious fanatics. The story line is weak and the characters are hardly developed. The love story of the two characters -if it can be defined as such- is pure background to Coelho's true intention os spreading the gospel. Best advice yet: don't buy it, save yourself money and hours of boredom.

I had never read any of Coelho's novels until it was presented to me recently. I have to admit, I didn't like the character and found his obsession with himself annoying...but then the wisdom and wonder began and Coelho pulled me in to a world filled with the explorations of what it truly means to "know" someone that you love and to know the parts of yourself that need nourishment too. It proved that we can do this together as a couple if there is enough love and commitment and a desire to let the other be free.

This book has flashes of brilliance but overall is pretty dull. It would be better if the author did not mention "the Zahir" about 10,000 times. This is the first book I have read by this author - I will try one more since he has alot of good reviews but this book just did not cut it for me.

I bought Zahir when it first launched and then put it on my book shelf. Two days back I suddenly picked it up to read and just finished reading it today. Unlike eleven minutes, this book is more like Paulo Coelho 's style. When you are in a miserable time especially in the relationship crisis or breakup, you will be inspired by Zahir. The search for self and broadening perspectives in life instead of being pity for self can always drive us to move on.

I wept after I read this book the first time, and the second, and the third. It is not only a beautiful love story, but about finding a right path in life, and about believing. Every time I read a good book, I mark it, and but it in my quoting book - well - I think there was a quote on every page I read. And if the silly answer of what book I have read that have changed my life would be - it must have been this book. I really recommend it! You will not be disappointed.

In my personal opinion, I love this story because they find the way to be together and fight to accomplish their goals. Most of all, I love their determination to not give up and start a new life if Great Mother would not agree. They were afraid to chage the way of their life. Great Mother agreed to give them a second chance and they were so happy because they would be serving to God and at the same time they can be together as a couple, in this life we have to fight for our love or dreams.

This is the first book iv read by paulo Coelho and i'm fascinated. Most people conform to the rigid rules of society which really do annoy us but we keep following them because we think they're the only way we can survive in today's world. Coelho writes about leaving those rules to some extent behind us and focusing more on how short life is...how even the smallest thing we do can bring us joy and we should enjoy those small things while we still can. To be passionate, loving and live for every moment in life. A powerful novel which makes you really think. Think about what life really is and whether you are really happy the way you are.

Not as simple as The Alchemist, but it certainly is an excellent piece of work. It may not be very high on content. One has to notice subtle messages throughout the book

The conversation between "The author's wife" and the Old man in steppes is the heart of the book. It actually explains what the author means by Energy/Power of Love.

One needs patience to read the book as the author talks about the energy of love,the Zahir,etc. all the time but what it acutally means becomes clear only in the later stages of the book.

Excellent work!

I didnt know if I was reading Paulo's personal story or my personal story. I think what is great about Paulo's novels is that it gives me time to stop in the middle of this busy life, and think about myself, my past and future. Therefore I recommend this for you.

One star less than perfect, because it could have been better.

"The Zahir" started out well, but about 100 pages into the book my interest level dropped. It, in no way, mentally stimulated me. I could not read one more page of the main character's self-indulgent and arrogant thoughts and actions. I guess, if you are the type of person that needs to love the main character in order to read a novel, then this is not your book. I couldn't stand him and I really hope that the main character isn't a reflection Paul Coelho. I almost threw this book away, but I instead donated it. I loved "The Alchemist."

I enjoyed a lot this book. When you feel love everything is a magic moment. Of course, you shuold be sure about her or him love. Sometimes we don't know who really love us, but, we must to trust on them.
We always hope a true love. It came to us. You can feel the true love, in your heart, in your soul, is a magic moment. Travel with him or her, spend the life togheter, to be only one, with difficults, problems, discuss, but, the love is a powerful thing.

I just discovered this author. I loved this book. Eyes are opened and lessons are learned. Rules? What rules? Everything you learned and think is true and/or right may not be. What a wonderful journey!

MALE CHEAVENIST PIG at large. This book shows us that the woman in his life, knows he is just a pig. She literally runs away to a foreign country just to get away from him. People love this man's books, but he is always just showing up swill to me.

I enjoyed most of this book, though at times I am a bit confused and lost on his discussion of energy of love..etc. The alchemist is definitely easier to follow.

I have read two of his other books - the Alchemist, which i think is over rated, and 11 Minutes. I agree with the last two reviewers that he is in some way "proud" of himself. I felt at times in the Zahir that he is talking about himself - a successful writer who writes about love, life...etc.

Depiste my previous readings of his novels - alchemist and pilgrimage, this one - zaihr - seems like a manual for yoga or soap opera that never finishes, but dragging the story... I am disappointed this novel. In addition, his view contrary to his earlier novel seemed have changed quite a bit. One summary, I have wasted my money in purchasing this book.

Paulo Coelho makes a mind-thinker about life, love, and choices people make. I enjoyed reading this book and didn't want it to end. This book was a very poetic story. It is about a women that has every thing planed out and thinks she knows what she wants. Then she has a childhood friend that flows with things and does things whenever. Finally they meet again and travel on an adventure to find love.

By the River PIedra, I Sat Down and Wept is a poetic story about two people who return to the paths of their childhood.Throughout this story we could perceive important every day moments. If we really pay attention to our feelings, we will discover magic moments and rediscover fogotten dreams. Also we understand how God and our heart could lead us to reach our goals.

What happens to those kids who grow up as friends only to be appart when they love. How does one bury his/her feelings only to realise they will resurrect?

This book is a little game of fate and love. Don't this couple usually play games? Well, in this case, their game is not any different from the usual, it's a game of pain and tears, a game of finding and then losing and then finding back again what is most important and valuable.

Coelho's writing is light, simple, yet profound and deep. His characters are weak toward each other and toward life, only to discover that weakness is their match-maker. Their relationship needs that weakness, it needs to break, so that what remains of it is pure romance.

I am new to Coelho's books and having recently read (and really enjoyed) "The Alchemist", I thought I would give his latest work, "The Zahir", a look. I found this book insightful, thought provoking and spiced with little gems of wisdom. A page turner right up until the climax at the end of the book. Well worth the read.

Damn. How come only the LAMEST metaphysical books make it big? Yeah, I get all that stuff about the hundredth monkey and how the pioneers get all the arrows, etc. So I take it that the message is that women have to support their man in fulfilling their man's destiny? Gee, that's a new idea! (...)
That's what the author neglects to tell you--that men only exist because our creator realized that women, although polarized, aren't polarized enough to have the impetus to return to androgyny and complete this experiment. Hence, she has men on the scene with all of their maternal angst to get the job done right.

Even though it would be the last sentence of the review, i'll share the last in the very first. This is the first book i've read written by Coelho and i reckon that it'll be the last one as well. It doesn't mean the book itself is utterly hollow, there are some parts which make you ponder on some certain subjects nevertheless it's full of chiche,contradictions and repeat therein which really bores.

We are all finding ourself on the lonely planet.

I own everything I want but I still feel miserable and lost.

This is a story about people finding real love RELATIONSHIP, sorry it's not about parents' love, friends' love or lovers' love. It is PURE love.

I have read a few books of Paulo Coelho, and the book "By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept," is one of my favorites.The author has a special away to write a love story. This book kept my aattention because this is not just a love story, this is also about a man who trys to understand his religion. I recconmend the book for all ages.

If you are new to Paulo Coelho, buy the Alchemist. This book has it's own charm, but does not have the greatness of the Alchemist. The love story and religious plot line are interesting, although more often than not, it is confusing.

An incredibly romantic book. Short and sweet but it will certainly have you weeping. A great love story by a great writer. Full of spiritual tones with an unexpected ending that leaves you thinking and feeling good.

I couldn't put this book down. It was great. I also have read The Alchemist which should be used in high schools as one of the required readings. It teaches us a lesson. This book is an easy read, as well as a good read. It also teaches us a lesson about love. And that we should not take it for granted.

Dear readers, I read the book "By The River Piedra I sat down and wept. I think it is a wounderful story of love the two protagonist, Pilar and her love show their feeling and fight to recover their great love that started from their childhood. I recommend this book because is a special story of love.

A wonderful story, capturing the hopes and desires of would-be lovers. Reminds us to take chances in life, whether it be to uproot and change locations, or to trust the heart, and follow a dream. The characters remind us of ourselves. I was bought this book by a lover, now I by it for friends and family

I am a big fan of Paulo Coelho's work. I believe time will show him to be an important writer.

I first discovered him with "Veronica Decides to Die" on an airplane flight. It made me want to rush out and do something wonderful with my life, and I've recommended it to friends. Several of his titles are permanent parts of my library.

That said, however, I was frankly disappointed by "The Zahir." I don't believe there's the moment of transformation for any main character which we've come to expect from Paulo Coelho. I don't believe there's an adequate exploration of the conflict that gets his tale going in the first place. Things just seem to meander from one place to another until the story fills enough pages to call it a day. I sincerely believe a first time author would have found it difficult to get this published.

Buy the rest of Paulo Coelho's books. Loan them to friends. Keep them in your library so you can read them again and again. But if you really want to read this one, check it out from the public library so that you can return it when you're done.

It is a very true adage that "Success sells future success"... and sometimes a not so good product (Zahir) is sold successfully and gets good reviews based on past books (which were excellent). I think people who gave good reviews to this book are more in love with the Paulo concept and than actually reading the book.

I absolutely love every book Paulo Coelho has written. I have not found another author that is truly as inspirational and moving. I loved the Zahir. My other favorites are Eleven Minutes, By the River Piedra I sat and Wept, and The Devil and Ms Prym.

This was one of the worst books I've ever read. It tries to weave together a romance story with some sort of spirituality. While readers who like "trade" romance stories might like this, it is definitely NOT spiritual. In fact, that's part of what I really detested about the book. It's a huge farce.

With so many truly great books in publication--well written with good character development, rivoting plots and meaning, why anyone would read this and think it worth anything more than one star, is beyond me.

if you have read anything by dan brown and you enjoyed his descriptive accounts of the femine face of God this story is without a doubt for you. i am a 20 year old male, pretty moderate, and this book sparked my faith and ideas from all over. read with care and take not of all the pensive ideas it is full of. enjoy.

I have read every book Coelho has written and this is one of the best. It is richer and more complex than some of his other books. It, of course, talks about self discovery and love. I had been disappointed in "Eleven Minutes" but "The Zahir" ranks with Coelho's great works such as, "Veronika Decides to Die" and "By the River Piedra I Sat and Wept".

Si uno no sabe que significa un zahir, debe leer este libro. Coehlo tiene el don de la palabra. Atraves de la novela ensena como y hasta donde puede llegar un a persona. Leala para saber mas sobre la obsesion del protagonista.

I know this might anger some people, but it is the truth. Lots of existential schmooz talk. To be honest, I could hardly sympathize with our narrator, and found myself happy with the relevation at the end...thinking "serves him right."

I agree with the previous review that the writing is excellent but this story just reeks of arrogance. The author leaves the plot at time to run tangents about what seem to be his own writing and interactions. These tangents are so self-righteous its ridiculous. All in all not nearly the best of Coelho. Quick, easy read though.

I am now proud to be a brazilian. Paulo Coelho has proven that we can export the same trash the first world has dumped on us for the past century. Go ahead: BUY AS MANY COPIES OF THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE AS YOU CAN! And call it literature, if you may.

A slow-moving, pretentious novel. The main character is arrogant and unbearable. Throughout the entire book, my feeling was who cares? And, to the author, just tell me your message. It could have been said in one sentence. I don't need a boring story to get your point.

That should be the title of this book.

In this "masterpiece" we, the innocent and defenseless readers are "treated" to Coelho's vision of love (i.e., that it can happen in an instant, that it has the power to change the world (really?), and that loving one does not mean that you cannot love others (Frequently. Carnally. And even without feeling guilty.).

The novel is ostensibly about someone who loses his wife (although we are told, several times, that authors cannot write books about anything but themselves (as if everyone is as creatively impotent as Coelho), we are also told that the book is not about HIM...of course its not, Paolo...we understand...) He then begins to obsess about her, whereas before he is foolishly unappreciative. By the end of the novel, the author has had several "life-changing" interactions (hence the proposed title), most of which involve one or two people speaking like Jesus. Here's a hint for all of you that enjoy this book: People who talk like this in real life don't sound urbane, witty, erudite, or eloquent. They sound smug and no one listens to them. One gets the feeling that everyday, normal conversations are ported through Coelho's "Wouldn't it be cool if..." machine that turns all conversations into pseudo-intelligent sounding discussions. But they aren't. People just aren't that interesting, and they don't talk like that. If this were accurate, there would be someone beyond the author's girlfriend who hung on to his every word. Lickspittle sycophants, like every author conglomerates, like it or not, who appear somewhere in the story. But there aren't. Instead, there is merely this idea of a Favor Bank (imagine what that might be!?!?!) and the author's unwilling (but oh-so necessary) participation, and his self-aggrandizing, asinine comments about how much better he is than those people.

In normal cases, I wouldn't conflate the author with the main character, but, since this is Coelho, and his main character (in the book) wrote all of the same books that Coelho had written, I won't bother pretending that the two aren't one. So, any comments that I make about the author should be interpreted to be about this idea of his main character as well.

It's standard boilerplate trash, actually. I would give it 1.5 stars if I could, because there is one redeeming fact about it: the author clearly wrote it as a celebration of his love for something (although it was most likely for himself, as he seems to lack the capacity to love anything more than his own ego).

In it, we are subjected (SEVERAL TIMES!!!) to his discussions about his motives for writing (because he is egotistical, and thinks that there is some message in his work that the world needs to hear), about what his work means (nothing, as nearly as I can tell), about the critics (ignorant, plebian naysayers who contribute nothing to society), etc. It is half awful story with shoddy characterization and no (believable)character development

Perhaps the most amusing part of the book is when the author claims that those who are popular are not worthwhile, while those who are hated are probably prophetic. I wonder about those whom people are ambivalent about? It is amusing to me that the book contains that information and still has all the statements on it about being an international bestseller, having sold millions of copies, Coelho being a beloved author, etc. Does that mean that the line was tongue-in-cheek, and that he intentionally did it, just to jab at himself? This kind of awareness would be nice...but I don't think that his ego could take it.

Don't get me wrong. The author has plenty of moments where he appears to accept that he is no better than anyone else. But he never seems to believe it. Through it all, his smug face is smiling at us with a benevolent and condescending smile from the back cover. He doesn't believe it when he says that he is nothing. He might THINK that he believes it, but he doesn't. He never will. He is way to convinced of his superiority to accept it.

But, all that aside, it is possible that out there are 10 persons who will benefit from reading this book. It is possible that there is a message inside that a few people in the world need to hear. Why are the millions of others reading this, though? It is garbage. It is a cotton candy for your brain: seemingly substantial, filling, and yummy, but devoid of any nutritive value and instead just preventing USEFUL things from taking that space.

As a final note, to those who are amazed by the fact that Coelho seems to read in English as you imagine that he does in Portugese (or Spanish. Or French. Or Russian. Or Cantonese. Or Serbian. Or ...), how can you be so surprised? The language is so simple that a person with one year of experience in a foreign language could translate it. It is simple to the point of vapidity and being nauseating.

Don't read it. Not even if you are recommended to. It is trash. D.

I expected an action-packed novel, but got a spiritual journey of a middle aged man after his wife dissapears. The book is anti-climactic at times, but for all those that are spiritual and new-age religious, you will love it. The ending was a bit confusing and left you hanging for an explanation. But, I guess that's the effect Coelho intended.

Paulo Coelho writing never makes you disappointed. I haven't completed this book yet (so I rated 4 stars), but the story is much better than his last book 11 minutes.

He's an excellent writer, what a shame that not much people in Hong Kong knows his name.

I really like Coelho's other novels, but this one was completely a waste of time. Nothing in the novel spoke to me, and the story line didn't make much sense. The ending blew chunks. Don't bother reading.

The Zahir is probably the best book by Coelho. Mature, dealing with his own celebrity and talking openly about a History that people insist to hide from us. And, above all, talking about the force that moves stars and planets: love.

A reader living in the first century B.C.E. might be excused for five-starring this novel, which ignores seminal knowledge humans have gained in the past two thousand years. It's selling the most absurd Ol' Time religious brew, laced with concepts like destiny and magical cures that are an insult to anyone at all familiar with 20th century physics, to anyone with a clue to a contemporary vision of this creation of billions of galaxies and multiverses in which we are embedded. I can weep -- either sitting or standing -- contemplating all the willfully ignorant people who consider this inspirational. It's the worst novel I've read in half a century, but then, it's the only Coelho novel I've ever read.

Coelho sells more books than all other Brazilian writers together, this is precisely because his books are stupid and elementary. If books were deep, complex literarily, with serious and well developed ideas, the public would not buy them because the masses tend to be uneducated and have very bad taste. This is a clear example of this. I've read almost all the book by this author and none of them has surprised me or amused me. This book, like its author are overrated

This guy is so self referential that I kept reading mostly from complete astonishment. I bought this because I had five minutes and twenty choices in an airport; why do other people do it? It is self indulgent navel gazing drivel.

Mary

Coelho belongs in a high school creative writing class with this uncrafted chunk of a message on love and religion. Coelho, save me an hour of bored reading and just tell me once again that "love is blahblahblah," with a few mentionings about god.