7.6 /10 1 Votes
4/5 Barnes & Noble Publication date 1994 Originally published 1994 Genre Novel Followed by The Fifth Mountain | 3.6/5 Goodreads Language Portuguese ISBN 0-06-097726-4 Preceded by Maktub Country Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Original title Na margem do rio Piedra eu sentei e chorei Media type Print (Hardcover, Paperback) Pages 192 pp (paperback edition) Similar Works by Paulo Coelho, Novels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By the River Piedra I sat Down and Wept (Portuguese: Na margem do rio Piedra eu sentei e chorei) is one of Paulo Coelho's most prominent titles. This is the first part in Coelho's trilogy "On the Seventh Day". The other two parts are Veronika Decides to Die and The Devil and Miss Prym. This trilogy is a week in the life of someone ordinary to whom something extraordinary happens.
The novel takes its title from the incipit of the famous Psalm 137: By the Rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion (KJV).
Plot summary
It is essentially a story about love. It also includes elements of paganism; in particular it focuses on the female aspect of divinity.
The story focuses on Pilar, an independent young woman, who is frustrated with the grind of university life and looking for greater meaning. Pilar's life takes a turn when she meets up with a childhood sweetheart, who is now a spiritual teacher and a rumoured healer and miracle worker. They set off on a journey through the French Pyrenees as the journey unfolds.