Review: The alchemist

Coelho is a Brazilian writer with four books to his credit. Following Diary of a Magus (1992--not reviewed) came this book, published in Brazil in 1988: it's an interdenominational, transcendental, inspirational fable--in other words, a bag of wind. The story is about a youth empowered to follow his dream. Santiago is an Andalusian shepherd boy who learns through a dream of a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. An old man, the king of Salem, the first of various spiritual guides, tells the boy that he has discovered his destiny: ``to realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation.'' So Santiago sells his sheep, sails to Tangier, is tricked out of his money, regains it through hard work, crosses the desert with a caravan, stops at an oasis long enough to fall in love, escapes from warring tribesmen by performing a miracle, reaches the pyramids, and eventually gets both the gold and the girl. Along the way he meets an Englishman who describes the Soul of the World; the desert woman Fatima, who teaches him the Language of the World; and an alchemist who says, ``Listen to your heart.'' A message clings like ivy to every encounter; everyone, but everyone, has to put in their two cents' worth, from the crystal merchant to the camel driver (``concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man''). The absence of characterization and overall blandness suggest authorship by a committee of self-improvement pundits--a far cry from Saint- Exupªry's The Little Prince: that flagship of the genre was a genuine charmer because it clearly derived from a quirky, individual sensibility. Coelho's placebo has racked up impressive sales in Brazil and Europe. Americans should flock to it like gulls. (First printing of 50,000)

this is the first book i have ever read... and its an exceptional and unique one... i never new that books teach so much in life... this book has guided me in my life...

Este in raftul meu deoarece mi s-a parut o carte destul de ok de citit, m-a captivat din primele pagini.

I very rarely give books 5 stars, but The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho deserved all 5. More than 5, even, but since that is as high as the ratings go I’ll just have to leave it at that. In fact, even though I borrowed this book from the library and must return it in a few days, I will be purchasing it so I can reread it again and again and again.
It is hard to define what it is exactly that makes The Alchemist so moving. At 167 pages it is a very short book, and easily read in one to two days depending on how fast you read and how much time you have. The language and sentence structure are simple and easy to read – not simple in a childlike way, but simple in a pared down, highly accessible way. You won’t find huge words that you have to look up in the dictionary or complex sentences that lose you halfway through. It could be because it is a translation – I have not read much international literature so maybe it is common for translations to be easier to read than a book that was originally written in English. The English language is so huge and complicated I think we sometimes let our literature get bogged down by it. Plus we think it makes us sound smarter. But that is irrelevant to this discussion. What is relevant is that this book moves you through its depth. It is sort of like reading a poem in prose form – Coelho uses his elegantly simple style to explore themes that are anything but simple.
At its most basic level, the book is about a shepherd named Santiago. After having a recurrent dream, he sells his sheep and leaves his home in Spain to travel across the desert to the pyramids in Egypt. He believes that when he gets there, he will find a treasure. But the book is not about a treasure hunt – it is about a spiritual journey. The journey is based on the premise that each person, and everything else as well, has a Personal Legend to fulfill. That mysterious thing that you are supposed to do with your life. Along the way, you connect with the Soul of the World, and learn the unspoken language that allows you to communicate with everything in the universe. Of course, it also explores the idea that a good many of us never find or acknowledge our Personal Legend and, therefore, never even start the journey. We can still be content and to a degree happy, our lives just aren’t complete and wholly lived.
I love that this book is spiritual without being religious. Coelho weaves stories and traditions from several different religions into the book in a seamless and beautiful way. I read an interview with him where he acknowledges that while he is Catholic, it is mainly so he will have a framework for worshiping God and communing with others who are seeking God as well. He actually believes that all religions worship the same God, just in different ways, and he dislikes that almost all of them believe that theirs is the only way to God. That attitude is reflected in The Alchemist, but he is not pushy or preachy about it. I also love the timelessness that Coelho achieves. I don’t think he ever specifies a definite period in history when this novel is set. He refers to some historical events, but never says when this story is taking place and gives relatively few clues. Some stories take on this feeling that they could have happened at any time in history, and this book has that feeling. Which is part of the point of the novel, I suppose – that any person at any time can accept their Personal Legend and set out to achieve it.
There are so many more ideas and themes that I would like to discuss in regards to The Alchemist, but they are just too much for a book review. Maybe the next time I read it I will discuss few other aspects that I found striking. For now, I will just say that it is a worthwhile book to borrow and try to read. If you love it like I did, purchase a copy to keep on hand. If you hate it, return it and forget about it. Either way, if you go into it with an open mind, it is sure to make you think. 

Alchimistul in opinia mea este o carte pe care oricine ar trebui sa o citeasca macar o data in viata. Este un exemplu excelent despre cum poate evolua o persoana doar urmandu-si visurile.

The Alchemist is about a boy who is a shepherd He has a normal sheppard life, but he seeks adventure and thrill. One day the shepherd meets an old king. The old man promises the shepherd the directions to treasure, as long as the sheppard trades him for 1/10 of his flock of sheep. The sheppard believed in omens, so he agreed. The shepherd is distracted on his way to the treasure. He has many setbacks, but that doesn’t stop him! Will the shepherd find the treasure he’s been looking for? Come along with me as we find out more about this magnificent journey,in The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This is Navi from The Symphony of Colors. 

Wonderful
Probably one of the best books I've ever read, and I am a picky reader. My English class in highschool was to read this, and, even though it was an in-class thing I have read it several times since graduating. Even the most jaded and cynical of my friends have been 'thawed,' if you will, (albeit briefly) by its pages. Anyway, I am rambling, this is a fantastic book. 

This is a very good novel. butt not purely created by his own, it is based on an ancient arabian story.

Life changing
It explain why we are here..

The Alchemist