The Winner Stands Alone - Motivational Book for Success & Self-Improvement | Perfect for Entrepreneurs, Business Leaders & Personal Growth

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).