A Mills and Boon Effort! (By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept - Paulo Coelho)

Member Name: Smile

Product:	By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept - Paulo Coelho
Date:	28/03/01 (718 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to read.

Disadvantages: No point to the story – twaddle!

I do not doubt that Paulo Coelho has talent; after reading “The Alchemist” I realised some his literary skills and thought-provoking ideas are worthy of praise. So I picked up another of his novels, “By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept” (1994), and eventually put it down sourly disappointed!

Coelho markets this one as an arduous yet inspiring journey which revolves around love. However, merely to finish reading the novel potential readers might find themselves on a voyage as laborious and gruelling as climbing a mountain, only to find the view from the summit far from inspirational.

The story centres on the relationship between a man and a woman and the inhibitions which prevent them from bringing their ‘liaison’ to a happy culmination. Eventually they succumb to their hidden desires and their passion is released in a steamy encounter, which leads (inevitably) to slight conflicts in their belief systems (morning-after syndrome!) and prevents them from furthering their relationship until they have time for a quiet a bit of retrospective contemplation! Hardly a storyline to inspire you to pick-up this effort – and somewhat reminiscent of an Indian (Bollywood) film, where boy meets girl and there are complications but eventually they get together anyway!

Okay, let’s look at this in a little more detail: The girl (lady) is Pillar and she falls in love with a nameless man (always referred to as “my friend”) in her teenage years. His feelings for her are the same, but they part company despite being the best of friends. This love affair happens prior to the beginning of Pillar’s narrative, and is not adequately described to set a foundation for later events (which is actually what the story is about), readers will find it is similar to a pre-pubescent adoration for ones best friend rather than the (young) adult-like emotions which Pillar and her nameless lover apparen
tly had.

Eleven years later, Pillar meets her childhood sweetheart again, and destiny pushes them together into a bizarrely unfulfilling relationship. Both parties suddenly realise they loved each other eleven years earlier and it was only timidity which prevented them from being together. So despite their vastly different choices in life, they embark upon a journey where the man ‘sells’ himself to Pillar, and she responds after overcoming a number of doubts. This may not be so unusual, as many a time husbands and wives give up so much to be with the other, and opposites do attract. However, Pillar does not appear to be the man’s equal intellectually, and his mysticism does not seem as if it would appeal to a woman of her nature or background.

Whilst she has learnt throughout her life to keep her cards close to her chest and reveal none of her emotions, he has become a spiritual leader whose teachings are based upon the feminine side of God – he also has a reputation for being able to perform miracles. Of course, even after all this time she still finds him physically attractive too, and even though the first-person narrative is written by Pillar, she indicates her lover finds her as pretty as ever! Definitely reminiscent of a cheap American soap-opera!

“By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept” could have been written equally well by any romantic novelist, and even though it is a little more insipid (descriptively) than the average “Mills and Boon” effort, it quite easily fits into the genre.

Pillar and her friend embark on a journey which culminates in a small village in the French Pyrenees (by the River Piedra), and it is in this scenic environment the two discuss a number of grandiose themes and end-up debating their past, assigning blame for opportunities lost. Through this process and drinking skinfulls of wine, they end up spending a night together in many blissful embrace
s! Apparently they are mentally in tune, physically attracted to one another and are perfect lovers for each other too! Can’t be bad!

What about the philosophy? After all, Coelho is oft heralded for presenting philosophical truths in literary picturesque novellas; and he usually attempts to illustrate how following ones dreams will lead to ultimate happiness as the universe aids the dreamer in achieving his/her desires. (Vaguely reminiscent of Richard Bach.) And “By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept” is no exception, because by following her dreams and listening to her inner self, Pillar ultimately finds happiness in the arms of the man she loves.

In addition to the rather paltry storyline, Coelho appears to have difficulty in writing a first-person narrative from a female point of view. Before writing novels, he was a theatre director, songwriter, journalist and television playwright. So it is surprising he cannot convincingly describe a feminine perspective; and even though it probably would not have improved the storyline or wishy-washy philosophy, the novel might at least have been a little more credible had he made the narrating character a male. However, despite the Coelho’s difficulty in writing as a female, the language flows quite well and “By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept” is easy to read.

Is it a good read? Perhaps! It rather depends on what type of literature pleases you; romantic fiction, it is. A serious work of philosophy, it is not! It is simply written and I believe it is written for the simply minded. Even the idealistic twaddle Coelho palms-off as being ingenuously truthful philosophy is effortless to navigate, but also leaves little impression on the heart and mind of the reader.

His notion of the “other self” being a help or hindrance depending upon how one is able to address and control it is extraordinarily weak – and is the focus of no
vel alongside the feminine side of God. Neither is explained well enough to hold any substantial weight, and as they are intertwined with a love story it becomes increasingly difficult with each turning page to understand Coelho’s point.

However, it should be bought on charitable grounds: because the Paulo Coelho Foundation, which is a non-profit-making institution financed exclusively by the author’s royalties, will benefit from your purchase. And this foundation provides Brazil’s underprivileged with opportunities they may not otherwise have. So go ahead and buy the book, it’ll do some good; but do not be surprised if you only get halfway through “By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept” and then place it on your bookshelf to gather dust!

In conclusion, I cite the following from Paulo Coelho’s web-site:

“The critics have specially praised his poetic, realistic and philosophical style, and "the symbolic language that does not speak to our brains, but to our hearts".”

True enough for some of his work.
But “By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept” spoke directly to my stomach, leaving an uncomfortable feeling down there for quite some time!

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