The Winner Stands Alone

The Winner Stands Alone
Paulo Coelho

The Winner Stands Alone is the enthralling new novel by the incomparable Paulo Coelho.The story is set during the Cannes International Film Festival and the entire action plays out over 24 hours. Igor is a wealthy Russian businessman. His wife Ewa left him two years ago and Igor has never really come to terms with their break up, especially as Ewa is now remarried to a famous fashion designer, Hamid Hussein. Igor is insanely jealous and when Ewa left him he told her that he would destroy 'whole worlds' in order to get her back, and he intends to keep his promise…Igor has followed Ewa and her new husband to Cannes and his plan is to cause as much violence and destruction as possible until Ewa realises how much he loves her and comes back to him. Ewa loved Igor but she was absolutely terrified of him. She knows that Igor has killed people in the past when he was a soldier, but she also knows a dark secret - that he once cold bloodedly murdered a beggar who was bothering them in a restaurant. Igor is clearly unhinged and he will stop at nothing to regain her love and so he goes on a ruthless killing spree until he tracks down Ewa…The star-studded film festival acts as a backdrop to Igor's maniacal murdering spree and we are ntroduced to various characters along the way, all of whom are desperately trying to get their big break in the shallow world of show business; Gabriela a young and naive actress who is being exploited by her agent and Jasmine a troubled young Rwandan refugee working as a model.The Winner Stands Alone is a gripping, fast-paced thriller, and Coelho cleverly weaves in elements of social satire, poking fun at our celebrity and money obsessed culture.

Paulo

Coelho

The Winner

Stands Alone

Translated from the Portuguese by

Margaret Jull Costa

For N.D.P.

who came down to Earth in order to show us the path of the Good Fight

O Mary conceived without sin,

pray for those who turn to you.

Amen.

And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Luke 12:22-27

Whoever you are holding me now in hand,

Without one thing all will be useless,

I give you fair warning before you attempt me further,

I am not what you supposed, but far different.

Who is he that would become my follower?

Who would sign himself a candidate for my affections?

The way is suspicious, the result uncertain, perhaps destructive.

You would have to give up all else, I alone would expect to be your sole and exclusive standard,

Your novitiate would even then be long and exhausting,

The whole past theory of your life and all conformity to the lives around you would have to be abandon'd,

Therefore release me now before troubling yourself any further, let go your hand from my shoulders,

Put me down and depart on your way.

Wait Whitman: Leaves of Grass

Table of Contents

Epigraph (#u3c0f478f-af48-5d4f-aa75-a2d670f1cc1d)

Preface (#uae704e4f-2d67-5ad2-a8e7-18e7e62c02e8)

Chapter 1 - 3.17 a.m. (#u7f9042e7-1ba1-5480-8010-22a42ef04478)

Chapter 2 - 7.22 a.m. (#uea0c958d-f10c-5b84-9cf8-6cacbb0e843e)

Chapter 3 - 11.00 a.m. (#ufe9137f7-3186-57d3-88b5-b96b54632143)

Chapter 4 - 11.45 a.m. (#u347e69d2-d8a9-53ac-a374-05269b4268f2)

Chapter 5 - 12.26 p.m. (#u21598fea-c609-5064-952a-c6a4e336ae4a)

Chapter 6 - 12.44 p.m. (#u3da95f51-6a84-5068-a7d4-cb4fce45e3c8)

Chapter 7 - 12.53 p.m. (#u6dff32b6-4984-5513-968f-04fc1e731b6e)

Chapter 8 - 1.19 p.m. (#u02bca420-8812-5641-b389-136324d7149a)

Chapter 9 - 1.28 p.m. (#u1e0771e5-f443-5c5f-9289-f98d29ad0a84)

Chapter 10 - 1.37 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 - 1.46 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 - 1.55 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 - 3.44 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 - 4.07 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 - 4.16 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 - 4.34 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17 - 4.43 p.m. (#litres_trial_promo)