The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom (Paperback)

by Paulo Coelho (Author) "THE CUSTOMS AGENT SPENT MORE TIME THAN USUAL examining the sword that my wife had brought into the country and then asked what we intended..." (more)
Key Phrases: love that consumes, personal devil, Mme Lourdes, San Tiago, Strange Road (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A universal quest toward an expanded view of life." -- Dan Millman, author of THE WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR

"Among Latin American writers only Columbia’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez is more widely read than Brazil’s Paulo Coelho." -- The Economist

"An exciting tale." -- Library Journal

"The keys to self-mastery...wrapped in suspense and adventure." -- Body Mind Spirit

Review
"The keys to self-mastery...wrapped in suspense and adventure." (Body Mind Spirit )

"Among Latin American writers only Columbia's Gabriel Garcia Marquez is more widely read than Brazil's Paulo Coelho." (The Economist )

"A universal quest toward an expanded view of life." (Dan Millman, author of THE WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR )

"An exciting tale." (Library Journal ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (March 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006251279X
• ISBN-13: 978-0062512796
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,874 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spirtual...., April 28, 2000

By	Qualaqube - See all my reviews

If you're looking for another Alchemist this is not the right book for you... it is about Mr. Coelho's personal experiences, it is written in the first-person, and it is more spiritual. But its events are so mind-boggling that you can see where the author's inspiration comes from for his literary masterpieces. It gives you a profound respect for Mr. Coelho and his achievements. It is NOT FICTION. It contains "Meditation" exercises at the end of nearly every chapter. The main aim in my opinion of this book is to remind us of the mystery of the world and that not everything is clear to us as humans, but that despite this, it remains our duty to fight for what we believe is right. Most importantly, this is not a self-help book nor does it spoon-feed you theories about life... DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS about its deeper meanings...but read it.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good travel book, interesting personal perspective, March 7, 2003

By	Denis Benchimol Minev "Amazonia" (Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) - See all my reviews

This was Coelho's first popular book, and as such denotes his evolving magical style. It is about his trip in the Santiago de COmpostela trek that goes from east to west across Spain. I found the travel perspective of the book to be fascinating, and since I read it I have thought many times about doing the trek myself.

As for the personal revelation the author encounters in the trek, I foudn them interesting, not overwhelming. The lessons learned are presented in many different books aside form this one; what makes this book a little special, I believe, is that the story involves the reader in such a way that the lessons are driven effortlessly.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom, January 28, 2000

By	[e-mail] "[e-mail]" (New York) - See all my reviews

I absolutely loved this book. I agree that it is very mystical and that it might turn off some readers, however if people get past that, I think they will enjoy it. As for the criticism, that some reviewers have expressed over Paulo Coelho not finishing the Pilgrimage, I don't think that has any bearing on the book. He is talking of his own spiritual journey. The walk changed his life and I believe that is what he is trying to express in the book. If he inspires people to do the walk, then that is enough praise. I read this book over 5 years ago and am planning to do the walk this year, September of 2000.