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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
The narrative flows like hot butter in a frying pan, the simplistic prose grabbing the melting butter and taking it where the author wants it to be.
This book takes you to the mind of a man whose thoughts keep going everywhere, always converging at the wistfulness of the woman that left him for -- at least in the beginning-- no apparent reason; his Zahir. The closer he gets to why Esther went away, the more you see the reflection of his own past change; the more you see the inner workings of his brain adapt and overcome his deception of love.
The narrative drafts around humankind's basic but debatable questions, such as "what does it mean to be free?" or "what the hell is happiness, anyway?", with the subtle quality of our own thoughts, "simply" put into words by Paulo Coelho. Though many not-so-thought subjects are equally well approached: "why do people cheat on each other?", "who (and how?) decided society's conventions?" and, my personal favorite, "what the fuck is up with rich people's dinner parties?"
Simply put, I was expecting a romance, and was greeted with a philosophical rambling of what love, happiness, and being, is.
This book takes you to the mind of a man whose thoughts keep going everywhere, always converging at the wistfulness of the woman that left him for -- at least in the beginning-- no apparent reason; his Zahir. The closer he gets to why Esther went away, the more you see the reflection of his own past change; the more you see the inner workings of his brain adapt and overcome his deception of love.
The narrative drafts around humankind's basic but debatable questions, such as "what does it mean to be free?" or "what the hell is happiness, anyway?", with the subtle quality of our own thoughts, "simply" put into words by Paulo Coelho. Though many not-so-thought subjects are equally well approached: "why do people cheat on each other?", "who (and how?) decided society's conventions?" and, my personal favorite, "what the fuck is up with rich people's dinner parties?"
Simply put, I was expecting a romance, and was greeted with a philosophical rambling of what love, happiness, and being, is.
https://chyneyee.com/2009/05/10/the-zahir/
As in this story by Paulo Coelho, this inspirational book tells a story about a man who is searching for his missing wife and also for his own truth of life. Obviously, his wife is his 'Zahir'. I’m still reading this book but I feel this is definitely worth for reading. The story not only inspires us in different ways but also shapes our thinking and leads us to question the meaning of our life. I personally feel the author’s perception of life is so true and if you have the chance to read this book, I certainly believe that you will also start to take a moment to think about your life or maybe your relationship too.
As in this story by Paulo Coelho, this inspirational book tells a story about a man who is searching for his missing wife and also for his own truth of life. Obviously, his wife is his 'Zahir'. I’m still reading this book but I feel this is definitely worth for reading. The story not only inspires us in different ways but also shapes our thinking and leads us to question the meaning of our life. I personally feel the author’s perception of life is so true and if you have the chance to read this book, I certainly believe that you will also start to take a moment to think about your life or maybe your relationship too.
It took me a year to finish this book. There are two reasons- 1. I am too busy and 2. This book is indeed too lengthy, started with a simple incident (A famous writer living in Paris whose wife is a war correspondent. After being married for ten years, one day she left, without any trace.) and the writer clung to that incident and elongated (unnecessarily) the book.
I started to read this book in spite of reading all sorts of negative reviews and ratings on Goodreads. I did not have high expectation from this book. I love to read Paulo Coelho's books because his books always give me some questions to think through. I read a number of his books. All the books promoted the same thing, yet they have different questions of their own. What I love about this book are the quotes. I loved this particular conversation. This was part of an interview which the wife of the writer, Esther took once. She was arguing with her husband about, people are not happy:
'No, what they say is: "When the children have grown up, when my husband- or my wife- has become more my friend than my passionate lover, when I retire, then I'll have time to do what I always wanted to do: travel." Question: "But didn't you say you were happy now? Aren't you already doing what you always wanted to do?" Then they say they are very busy and change the subject.'
This part got me thinking, am I happy with my life? I got no clear answer from my heart. Like the person that Esther interviewed, I have everything that a person can think of, and yet I think of doing something I always wanted to do. It's contradictory, isn't it?
Another favourite part of mine:
"Our children must follow in our footsteps: after all, we are older and know about the world.
We must have a university degree even if we never get a job in the area of knowledge we were forced to study.
We must study things that we will never use, but which someone told us important to know: algebra, trigonometry, the code of Hammurabi.
We must never make our parents sad, even if it means giving up everything that makes us happy."
This particular excerpt summarizes my life that I am leading now. When you are a depressed engineering student, all you love is some veracities from a foreign writer. Those veracities are your words written in the magic of another person, in this case, writer Paulo Coelho.
Therefore, if I cut through the re-iterating part of this book, this book is not at all that bad.
3.5 stars actually.
I started to read this book in spite of reading all sorts of negative reviews and ratings on Goodreads. I did not have high expectation from this book. I love to read Paulo Coelho's books because his books always give me some questions to think through. I read a number of his books. All the books promoted the same thing, yet they have different questions of their own. What I love about this book are the quotes. I loved this particular conversation. This was part of an interview which the wife of the writer, Esther took once. She was arguing with her husband about, people are not happy:
'No, what they say is: "When the children have grown up, when my husband- or my wife- has become more my friend than my passionate lover, when I retire, then I'll have time to do what I always wanted to do: travel." Question: "But didn't you say you were happy now? Aren't you already doing what you always wanted to do?" Then they say they are very busy and change the subject.'
This part got me thinking, am I happy with my life? I got no clear answer from my heart. Like the person that Esther interviewed, I have everything that a person can think of, and yet I think of doing something I always wanted to do. It's contradictory, isn't it?
Another favourite part of mine:
"Our children must follow in our footsteps: after all, we are older and know about the world.
We must have a university degree even if we never get a job in the area of knowledge we were forced to study.
We must study things that we will never use, but which someone told us important to know: algebra, trigonometry, the code of Hammurabi.
We must never make our parents sad, even if it means giving up everything that makes us happy."
This particular excerpt summarizes my life that I am leading now. When you are a depressed engineering student, all you love is some veracities from a foreign writer. Those veracities are your words written in the magic of another person, in this case, writer Paulo Coelho.
Therefore, if I cut through the re-iterating part of this book, this book is not at all that bad.
3.5 stars actually.
Apesar do tamanho, esse livro foi incrivelmente rápido e fácil de ler. Leitura fluida, leve, engraçada, envolvente. Possui várias passagens muito bonitas sobre amor e com certeza relerei no futuro. Fiquei envolvida junto com o personagem pra descobrir o que havia de fato acontecido. Todas as falas sobre amor são muito bonitas. recomendo pra quem gosta de frases inspiradoras e reflexivas sobre amor, vida, etc...
Hoje apanhei uma seca tremenda e li o livro de uma assentada só... não foi uma leitura muito agradável!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
I liked one or two phrases and some of the examples but if someone asks me how did you find this book, I won't recommend. I couldn't like the story, and found it lame. I am sorry Mr. Paulo Coelho
I feel embraced and freed by this book. The honesty I’ve been seeking I found here in these pages. Love is home and home is an ever changing place. Release your personal history so you can live your personal legend. This book made me feel connected to Love’s energy and all other souls on this earth that allow Love to live through them. I feel immense gratitude that someone wrote down all these words and then someone copied the words down and put in a hardcover and all of the other little miracles that had to happen so that I could read this book today.
I found the plot and the characters to be totally unconvincing. This was the first Paulo Coelho novel I read, I will not read another. All his pompous pseudo-philosophical babble about life and love only annoyed me.