The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Alchemist
Book Review: "Celestine Prophesy" for 10 year olds
Summary: 1 Stars
I read this book on the advice of a friend, and I have to say I found it horrible. After every section I kept thinking it HAD to get better. Some one saw me reading, and when I said I was having trouble getting into it told me it gets better. IT DOESN'T.
There are so many books out there that actually ARE inspirational I can't see how this one is on the top of the list for some people. Truly, it is written as if some one did it as a long jr, high school project. There is absolutley no depth to the plot or the characters.
Please - read something else and ignore the hype.
Book Review: "People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being."
Summary: 4 Stars
And young Santiago has learned what his is. At first, he studied to become a priest, but then the desire to travel struck him. And so, he leaves everything behind to become a shepherd. But there is something nagging at him: the need to become someone better. And that's when he gets the recurring dreams. He must find hidden treasure. Where is this treasure? According to a gypsy, it is all the way in Egypt. Then the boy meets a strange old man, someone who calls himself the King of Salem. The man tells him to find his treasure in Egypt, and that through this journey he will realize his own Personal Legend. Strength, faith and determination will get him everything he wants, he just has to believe in himself.
The Alchemist is an odd but beautiful story about seeking one's heart and dreams without letting obstacles and laziness stand in our way. The novel has many great quotes, passages full of wisdom, and it's almost like reading the Bible. The moral is quite clear -- we and only we are the ones who stop us from fulfilling our destiny. Things won't come easy, but we must try anyway. This simple message applies to everyone, and it'll hit close to home. Paulo Coelho has a way with words. I remember reading Veronika Decides to Die several years ago and loving it. What took me so long to read another one of his books? The man is an international phenomenon, having sold millions and millions of novels worldwide. I can see why people love him. The Alchemist is lyrical, lucid and full of that special brand of magic realism that only South American authors could write. I have only two things to say against it. One, there are loose ends. What happened to the Englishman the boy met in the caravan? He is mentioned in passing when the boy meets the alchemist, but we don't know for sure how he fares in his search. And speaking of the boy, I know his name is Santiago because his name is mentioned in the beginning. He is only known as "the boy" for the rest of the novel. Other than that, I love this book and will definitely read other stuff by Coelho in the future.
Book Review: "Wish it. Want it. Do it."
Summary: 1 Stars
I read this book after hearing countless reviews about its amazing and even life-changing qualities. However, what I found between the covers was nothing more than a poorly constructed plot with highly superficial characters, and buckets of dime-store philosophy and "wisdom" dumped over the top.
lines of wisdom include such commonsense bull as: "if you want something in life, do it." (paraphrasing)
In all it seemed like Brian's joke book, on Family Guy, "Wish it. Want it. Do it;" nothing more than poorly written self-help crap to cater to the oblivious masses of sheep.
Book Review: "life really is generous to those who puruse their Personal Legend"
Summary: 5 Stars
_The Alchemist_ is part allegory, part heroic epic. But it is moving, beautiful and almost saccharine. I loved it. The story revolves around a young Spanish goatherd who leaves all that is familiar in search of his "Personal Legend" - a legend which we all have, but all too often fail to realize by not following our hearts. The Boy, in following his heart, is led across the Maghrib finding love, facing danger and oftentimes questioning whether his journey is worthwhile or merely a fools errand. To tell how his journey ends would spoil the story, so I will refrain from doing so.
The story resonated with me for a number of reasons - working with young adults, I see everyday the small decisions we make, often without much thought, that lead our lives in one direction or another, soon taking us down a path from which there is no turning back and in unexpected (and oftentimes wonderful) directions. Such is the nature, I suspect, of one's "Personal Legend" - the Siren's Call of a course of study, a career, a move. Sometimes we second guess these decisions or we don't follow a hunch or gut feeling; Coelho encourages us to do so. There is something romantic in that, and above all, I am a romantic.
In discussing this book with students and colleagues, people seem to be of two minds of the book: either they love it or they hate it. (I have yet to find someone who is indifferent to it.) I suspect this may have something to do with whether one is as hopeless a romantic as I am, although this may not be the case. Following my heart, I enthusiastically recommend this book.
Book Review: **YAWN**
Summary: 1 Stars
The book is made up of only 200 pages, which should be a real quick read, but because of its dullness I struggled for 3 days trying to finish the book. The book lacked imagery and action. Don't waste your time on this one!