The Pilgrimage
by Paulo Coelho
If you've read my review of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, you'll know that I was quite disappointed in what had become a self-help bestseller and even termed a 'classic' by some. To me, it was more hype than substance. In fact, I had concluded that I didn't need to read anything else by this author. However, that was to change.
A friend of mine came to Spain for a visit. For the flight, she had collected anything and everything she could find in the airport bookshop connected to Spain. As Coelho's first book The Pilgrimage is set in Northern Spain, where I live, and details the route to Santiago, she thought that she had struck gold.
Now I find it very telling that she never told me what she thought about it. Indeed, she only very intentionally left it on the shelf in the guest bedroom. My interest was piqued. I thought that perhaps I had got it wrong with The Alchemist. Since it would only cost time and had relevance to my neck of the woods, I curled up with book in hand.
The Pilgrimage, as the title implies, is another journey novel. No surprises there. It starts out with the main character failing his initiation into a mystical order. To gain entry, he must then go on a search – a quest, if you will – for his sword. Sound familiar?
So, he travels from Brazil to Northern Spain to walk to Santiago de Compostela just as pilgrims have done for centuries. He has a guide, who is a master in his order and who teaches our hero many spiritual truths along the way.
To be sure, they meet some interesting characters and I enjoyed reading about the villages. There was even a nice little twist with the exercises being provided to the reader so that we could follow along with the hero's spiritual development.
However, I just kept thinking that I've read it all before. There's a bit of everything here. If I'm completely honest, there's absolutely nothing new here. It's just a second-rate rehashing of every other tale of a knight in search of something, the adventures he encounters along the way, the tests he must pass and the reward that he ultimately receives. And let's just say that I let out one almighty groan when the secret of the hero's quest in The Pilgrimage was revealed.
If you're interested in this kind of tale, I would recommend Homer's Odyssey, Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur or Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival. Yes, you see this tale has been told so much better so many times before.
Perhaps the reason that Coelho is so popular doesn't say so much about his ability to write as it offers an indictment of our schools for failing to provide people with an education in classical literature!
The Pilgrimage is available at Amazon.
Alan's Rating:
| Life-changing |
| Can't live without |
| Put the kettle on and settle down |
| Worth a quick flick |
| Leave it on the shelf |
Alan Bridges
Intuitive Consultant
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