Customer Reviews
I loved other Coelho books but HATED this one. - By: M. Cook, 18 May 2008 
This is Coelho's first book, written before he became famous & before the Alchemist. I was impressed by the Alchemist, 11 Minutes & the Zahir but I was bemused & trully horrified by this supposedly true story. I think it shows how traditional religion can distort people's perception of reality & led me to doubt Coelho's intelligence & sanity. It made me concerned that others might be persuaded to explore Christian mystic sects & take superstition seriously or even attempt to copy some of the extreme techniquesin the book which seemed to describe Coelho engaging with demonic voicesin his head... Does he suffer from schizophrenia? I think it shows how organised religion can be damaging & how people can be takenin by cults. Dangerous rubbish.
Reading this book as a "true story" which is what it claims to be, requires shelving your critical faculties. It was like reading the ramblings of a madman. I forced myself to read to the end & then binned it. It is the first time I have ever binned a book rather than donating to a charity shop.
Stuff and Nonsense - By: Dr. Philip Cokkinos, 23 Aug 2007 I am interestedin spirituality & also planning to walk The Camino next year so I decided to buy this book, having never read a Coelho novel before. It is absolute rubbish from beginning to end. Badly written from a literary point of view (the English translation can't have helped), it is full of inane symbolism, endless spiritual RAM exercises (who decides what their purpose is, I suppose Paulo himself?) & constant references to different kinds of love, of which Coelho's frequent outpourings of "agape" (Greek for love) are naive at best. I never throw books away, but this one went straight into the recycling bin after I had pushed myself to finish it. A stupid & useless book, must appeal only to unhinged "spiritual travellers" & assorted bozos. Avoid at all costs.
A Private Journey to Explore Self - By: Dr. Mario E. Martinez, 05 Apr 2007 
Although "The Pilgrimage" is not Paulo Coelho's most exalted work, it is still a wonderful plunge into the mystical journey. In this book, he chronicles his own experiences on the road to Santiago de Compostelain the region of Galicia known as Celtic Spain. The journey is rich with allegory reflecting how we must face our own fearsin order to engagein what he calls "the good fight". The Pilgrimage is reminiscent of Carlos Castañeda's apprenticeship with his mentor Don Juan. Paulo's guide is the enigmatic Petrus, who teaches him to face his own limitations & to break him from the "modernist" notion that our busy work is more important than exploring our inner world. There is a sweet discovery about the book that brings presence to a wisdom that includes mystical exercises worthy of our attention.
109 days on the Camino of Love Inspired by Coelho - By: Mr Gary Davison, 09 Mar 2004 
In April 2003 I began a beautiful journey walking the path from my birth home to my spiritual home (Finnesterre), it took me 109 days & there are no words to describe the feelings I havein my heart for this path of pure light. In every whisper of the wind,in every drop of rain,in every blade of grass,in every synchronistic event &in the eyes of every person I met I saw God, I experienced his beauty, I experienced her love, I felt his anger, I felt her pain &in finnesterre he protected us from the rain. I am the Camino & the Camino is me, when I look into the mirror it is the camino that I see, so beautiful & free. Every step that I take brings me closer to God, closer to myself, closer to my truth & closer to all of you.
I will always be a pilgrimin my heart & will walk the road every year until my physical death & then my soul shall rome free on the Camino for all eternity.
The first time I read this book was almost a year previous to this experience, the hidden wisdomin this book didn't fully touch me until the second time I read it, which was when I decided to walk from my home. This book was by far the biggest inspiration & has opened endless doorsin my life, the part of the book when he fights the dog is very strong for me as I was vistited by a spirit dogin France on the road. Coelho is either hated or loved, there isn't really a middle opinion. Some people think that this book is too religious & therefore too structured but Coehlo is just highlighting the beauty & strengthin christianity, without taking anything away from other paths.
This book will always be the closest book to my heart.
& just to clear somthing up, Coelho walked most of the route & took the car sometimes due to personal time restrictions. The Camino is about healing yourself so as to find the strength to heal others, with this amazing book he has healed thousands & that is what matters, whether he walked the whole route or not makes no difference :-)
Enlightening - By: Sharanyaa, 12 Oct 2003 The book Pilgrimage was a fantastic novel! It was intresting to read through & the RAM practices were applicable to everyday life & many of them are very useful! The devil infestedin the dog was a little overated or maybe even a little silly but the rest of the book made up for that! The experiences describedin the book were very realistic & the feelings portrayed were very well conveyed to the reader!
