The Winner (cannot) Stands Alone

The Winner stands Alone is an another decorative flower from the hands of Paulo Coelho. He is the author of famous novels such as Alchemist, Brida, Eleven Minutes etc. We know that he is the master of philosophical discussions which he presents through the plot. The novels such as Alchemist, Brida and The Aleph are great success due to unending philosophical presentations. In Eleven Minutes he talks about the prostitution; in the Alchemist he deals with search of the meaning and purpose of one's life. In the novel The Winner Stands Alone he talks about the cannes film festival.

The novel is unable to connect with general readers because of unrelated philosophical contents. This novel is understandable when you are in the field of cinema or media. Three major plots are intermixed together in this novel. Gabriela's searching for her career and her love, the police investigation on crime scenes and the antagonist's destruction of world.

The author do not give much importance on police investigation. In fact crime scene investigation forms vagueness in the novel. This is the only drawback in this novel. Otherwise as usual novel is well written. There are few questions raised in my mind when I was reading this novel.

1. What is the use of killing other people to get revenge on your Ex?
2. What is the strong reason for unexpected bond between Gabriella and other girl?
3. Spoiler: Why Gabriella neglects the golden opportunity? There is no strong reason behind this decision.

For Paulo Coelho lovers this book has a lot to engage with philosophical thoughts. For general audiences it is hard to relate them with the characters.

Goodreads- 3/5
Sharkz scale- 2/5