The Alchemist (1988), Paulo Coelho
Themes: Fiction, classics, fantasy, philosophy, spirituality, self help
Reading Format: Paperback
Pages: 172
3 STAR
This book I had often seen about, but heard very little surrounding it. To me, it presented a chance to feel inspired to chase my dreams, to not be afraid to achieve something great, that is what the blurb set out for me.
This book is a short tale of one boy from Spain, following his treasure and his destiny all the way to Egypt. It is about the choices he comes across, the patients he has and the tasks he must see through to reach his goal. Basically, this is one huge metaphor for how to get where you want to be in life and find your very own treasure, whatever that may be. Not once does the main character in this book give up, he pushes through even when experiencing hardship.
“There is only one thing that makes dreams impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
This book is filled with quotes that will stay with you and lessons that you can easily adapt into your own life. It reinforces the message that nothing is easy, some things take time, but they will always be worth it in the end.
With spirituality being a theme of this book, it has references to both Christianity and Muslim and how the two exist together. This was certainly out of my reading comfort zone to read a book centred around religion, but I felt I learnt a lot from it and came out with a better understanding of people’s faith and how it guides them.
Generally, whilst this was a short book, it was a poignant one. I don’t want to write too much more on it, because I feel it is a book you should experience for yourself.
I’ve heard many bad things about Paulo Coelho, but I’ve enjoyed many of his books. My favorite is “Veronika Decides to Die”, I highly recommend it. Thanks for your review, Beth.
Glad you enjoyed the review Andrea!
I read this book in High School and since then is still one of my favorite reads. Paulo Coelho manages to write beautifully about topics I don’t read often but I’m willing to pick them up just because of him. I have different versions of the book, even the Spanish version which is equally stunning and doesn’t miss anything against the other versions 🌸
It’s a very beautifully written book, certainly one to enjoy.
Your review is spot on, as I felt similar to you, just I rated this book much higher, maybe because I read it a few years ago, when I had a bit different look on rating books that I do know.
I loved Alchemist. I liked the language and writing style, it felt inspiring and just beautiful, however, I read it in Latvian, which means that it could have been a little bit of a different experience for me, as every translator have their own writing style as well, which can affect the book in different ways. That’s why I try to read as many books as I can in the original language 🙂
Thanks Inga, I’m glad you enjoyed the review!