1. IleMacedonia

    IleMacedonia New Member

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    What do you think about Paulo Coelho?

    Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by IleMacedonia, May 31, 2010.

    Hi there!
    What is your opinion about Paulo Coelho? What is your favourite book?
     
  2. IleMacedonia

    IleMacedonia New Member

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    The narrative style of Paulo Coelho's - The Alchemist

    (Sorry for this post, some stupid error that I can't fixed) :))
     
  3. Nikhil

    Nikhil New Member

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    I have read 'The Alchemist'.

    It was a splendid book, in fact it was my friend who showed it to me. It was slightly boring at the start but after a few pages you just feel light.

    GREAT, GREAT, GREAT book although I did not understand(understood the meaning but not completely) the thought: "Everything that happens once will never happen again but everything that happens twice will happen a third time."

    I would suggest a writer with the writer's block to read it. It broadens your mind in a sense. Breathtaking. :D
     
  4. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    I liked The Alchemist, but his other novels were not that great. I feel that his writing skills aren't that good, and what made me like The Alchemist was the story rather than the writing.
     
  5. Nikhil

    Nikhil New Member

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    I have only read the Alchemist and was only talking about Alchemist. :D
     
  6. IleMacedonia

    IleMacedonia New Member

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    But, why is so popular and wide read in the world if he's style of writing is not so good?
    It's not logical to me?!
     
  7. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    The thing is that the average reader does not concern himself/herself with how something is written rather than how entertaining it is.
     
  8. IleMacedonia

    IleMacedonia New Member

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    And who need "how something is written"? The official critic from always looking for the hair fiber in the egg. The menkind is a little bit happy that not all writers write for the critics.
     
  9. Paki-Writing

    Paki-Writing New Member

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    "By the River Peidra I Sat Down and Wept"

    I only read "By the River..." and thought it was a well-written engaging book. The religious tones annoyed the hell of out me. Regardless, it was an enjoyable read.
     
  10. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    I agree with this. He seems overly preachy at times, although this doesn't show up as much in The Alchemist.
     
  11. natsuki

    natsuki Active Member

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    I read only eleven minutes by Paulo Coelho and I completely hated it. I am brazilian and i read the book in its original portuguese version but couldn't stand the stereotypes he used to the description of brazilian women, like that we "learn to samba before we learn how to say mama" and that we are a "sexual race". completely absurd...
    I don't intend to read any other of his books.
     
  12. Ophiucha

    Ophiucha New Member

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    I agree that his writing can come off as a bit preachy at times, but I do think of him as a skilled storyteller. I can't really judge his writing, as it was originally written in Portuguese and not in English. I try not to judge that if I cannot read it in the native language, though the translations I have read imply it is at least decent. My favorite book of his is The Alchemist, although part of it may be because I was first exposed to it as an audio book narrated by Jeremy Irons. He could make anything engaging, really.
     
  13. natsuki

    natsuki Active Member

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    I have to say that Paulo Coelho's writing in his native language (Portuguese) is good, but I don't believe it is good enough for all the fuss over him.

    I haven't read books by brazilians in a long time, but the ones I read were much better written than Coelho's books.
     
  14. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    He's terribly popular where I live. An X of mine bought me The Alchemist. It collects dust very well.
     
  15. Sayso

    Sayso New Member

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    I enjoyed 'Brida'. Can't say why exactly. There were just some parts in it that really made me sit up and do a bit of the old head nodding and thinking.
    The Alchemist was ok but I found it a chore to get to a predictable end and nothing really grabbed me throughout the book.
     
  16. Honorius

    Honorius Active Member

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    I love his books. He's a master at making one think. He's tone is indeed quite religious, but he is a very religious man. (Of course, he is a Catholic who doesn't agree with the pope and who wrote a book on Wicca, Brida.)

    It may just be that it is translated, but his writing style seems minimalistic. I know from experience that Spanish (which is similar to Portuguese) is far less fluid and beautiful when translated, so I can't really say too much about his style. But the characters, lessons, and stories are things I quite enjoy.
     

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