- The Winner Stands Alone: From the Bestselling Author of The Alchemist (P.S.)

I like Paulo Coelho. I read a couple of his books and definitely felt his point about life. The Alchemist is definitely a favorite. This book was good and pretty much talks about the price of getting what you really want or think you want. He does a good job in the characters and seeing what their true goals are. How some got to the pinnacle of what they wanted and found the prize or price wasn't worth it. There are definitely lessons in this book. I don't think it was the best book of his I have read but I did gain some good insights from it.

Coelho's The Winner Stands Alone is the most graphic and revealing portrait of our particular era's pathology -- everyone in one way or the other is infected with the 'rich and famous' syndrome. Igor exemplifies the dishonesty and false ideals by killing for 'love'. He feels justified in looking down on all the tiers of celebrity mania -- from those who come to worship from a distance to those who aspire for a place in the ranks at the cost of any personal sacrifice, to those who are drawn into celebrity industries (models, actors, designers, agents, producers, et al.) to those who have reached one pinnacle or another and only congregate with other superclass members, to the endless tiers of marketers 'placing' their products, ad nauseam. (FYI: In a Sopranos episode in which Christopher goes to a Hollywood event and mugs Lauren Bacall for her bag of free designer goodies, the insanity of this culture is made crystal clear.) The Garden of Earthly Delights has been reduced to the lowest common denominator -- make money or be famous or die. Even Igor's love is just an expression of his egomania. I personally could not put this book down.

Coelho is a master writer, no question there, but for me his best works are still "The Alchemist" and "Devil and Ms Prym". The narrative in those two novels is by far the best developed. I wept by the river Piedra while I read the book with the same title, I didn't "get" the witch book named after a mushroom, I liked "Zahir" but felt it was overdone. "The Manual" is excellent and his collections of short wisdoms are just brilliant.With "Winner stands alone", Coelho entered a new realm, usually covered by heavyweights like Umberto Eco, in which novel is made of bits and pieces of popular culture, celebrity, news, cultural theory and documentary-like material which binds the narrative. It is all a good read, but Igor is a bit overdone, from the point when he does his first "kung fu" move. I have seen (read) something like that only in Bruce Lee movies. Nice touch, but a little out of place and reads like a dead blonde that falls out of a trunk just when needed to rescue a dysfunctional part of the story. If I rated this book based on "The Alchemist", it would get no more than two stars.However, in the sea of poorly written books, Coelho's works are a treat and each one deserves five stars. Don't miss it. For the real thing, however, cultural criticism, you have to pick up Umberto Eco's works (essays in particular).

I love Paulo Coelho books and I have read most of them. I think this is my least favorite. I have found it hard to get absorbed into the story. I’m not particularly interested in the characters and I am a little bored. The only reason I finished the book is because the author is Pauli Coelho. Any other author and I would have not finished it.

Riveting plot line and mystery with excellent character development. Entertaining and with a bold message about human nature and the things that push people to their limits.

Not Coelho’s best work. It’s a lot more pessimistic than a lot of his work. Character development was certain far more detailed than Coelho usually gets, which is a plus, but the story’s resolution leaves you wanting more.

Amazing story

thanks

I love Paulo Coelho's books and usually really enjoy them. This book was completely different and I found myself completely disgusted with the main character and let down by the author. I kept reading it hoping that it would redeem itself, but it didn't. Very disappointed.

Fast delivery and brand new.

NOT HIS USUAL STYLE CONTENT BUT A GOOD READ

The book came as promised In a really good condition

I've always been a fan of the previous Coelho's books and I really loved the plot of this one before I got to read it. The only thing I can say is that this novel is disappointing and in my opinion, is the worst Coelho novel. Didn't get the idea, didn't like it, I wasn't even interested in what's going to happen next as well as I did not "receive" what I normally get from such novels and would not recommend it to read to any of my friends. Disappointing.