THE ARCHER BY PAULO COELHO
Photo taken by Carmen Perez | @Carmelita.87
The art of life in a small, tranquil, yet powerful package.
My attempts at archery have been a bust, I DEFINITELY am not an archer. However, if there is an archer character available in any video or board game I play, you can count on me to take up the bow. Legolas, eat your heart out. Although I lack talent in archery, I admire it and it is one of two reasons I checked out "The Archer" by Paulo Coelho at the public library. Shout out to the @laredolibrary! The second was because I have read more than a handful of Paulo Coelho's books and I knew I was in for an amazing journey.
The journey starts with a man visiting a village to seek retired master archer, Tetsuya. He requests that Tetsuya watches him shoot his bow to show that he has achieved perfection. A boy who looks on is in awe of the lesson Tetsuya imparts on the stranger asks him to teach him the way of the bow. The rest of the story is filled with lessons about allies, the bow, the arrow, the target, and posture; each symbolizing the challenges and lessons we learn in life through the lense of zen buddhism. Coelho is well known for his deep symbolism in his stories and this book is no different. In just 130 pages, Coelho inspires and offers up clarity and wisdom to the reader with his powerful prose. Throughout the book there are minimalist brushstroke illustrations in beautiful earth tones, making this a truly relaxing read. Tetsuya speaks to the reader in a soothing and instructional way you would expect a master archer to use when imparting his wisdom with his pupil.
"The Archer" is a short read you can finish in a weekend but you will think about for days after. For me, "The Alchemist" is still at top of my list of his works but this one is second. Happy reading!
Challenges:
Book 34 out of 100
2023 #BeatTheBacklist - "Standalone"
2023 #PopsugarReadingChallenge - "The Shortest Book on your TBR List"
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