The Winner Stands Alone - Motivational Book for Success & Leadership | Perfect for Entrepreneurs, Business Owners & Self-Improvement

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 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.This was one of the strangest books that I have ever encountered in so many years of reading, don't misunderstand me...strange, but in a good way.The story is simple-it does the dirty world of fame and how everybody is after the looks and money of the people. On the other side, serial killer Igor, narrates his story...a man who believes killing is justified busy a reason of love and long lost to someone else wife.it was a docent book compared to all books nowadays, involving fantasy, crime, thrillers etc..This book is really in every way though.There is a unique style of writing used by Paulo Coelho, he takes up a particular descriptive topic and expand on in every small detail....you will understand if of you read his book. Many people would consider this a boring drag but I would respectfully disagree with them....this story offers much more than a spoon Fed thriller, it has a larger meaning embedded inside. Definitely worth a shot.This book is very unlike any other book by Paulo, at least that I am aware of; and I have read most of his works. The book seems to be more of a exposure of the underpinnings of the Cannes film festival, as well as what he calls the "super-rich". I found most of the story very distrubing, but struggled with it until the end. I would certainly call it a dark mystery, and I'm not sure what Paulos intents were in writing it, other than to cast a dark shadow on the film and high fashion industries. Before writing this review I thought long and hard, trying to find some redeaming insights, but as of this moment I have found few.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.Great insight on the character and his lifestyle...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.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.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.Interesting look at modern society, glamour and the super rich. Based at the Cannes festival, murder and intrigue in the name of love are the key themes. Not one of Paulo Coehlo's finest (in my opinion) but definately worth a read.Wast of my time.... I could have read a better book than this.The book came as promised In a really good condition