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September 12, 2014
If you go to Amazon search and type “The Al...” you’ll get this book as your first auto-complete option. And you’ll see that it has 4500+ reviews and you’ll know immediately that it’s immensely popular worldwide. Right now it’s only $2.75 on Kindle and at that price, you should absolutely give it a read. My copy is paperback and I’m pretty sure I got it at a Library used books sale a few years back.
The Alchemist is a relatively short "life's journey" type of book that's full of many big, thought-provoking phrases and passages about the meaning of it all and about one’s search for one’s own personal treasure. I think I made that sound a bit cheesy, but the story is certainly not that way at all. The basic plot follows a young shepherd from Spain who, driven by a recurring dream, undertakes a life-changing quest for his treasure. Along the way, he's aided and advised by omens and by a few key philosophical people who happen to teach us readers many significant lessons as they guide the shepherd. One of these influential people is a mysterious alchemist - thus the book's title.
This book is engaging and good, but I did not find it to be spectacular or life-changing as some reviews will lead you to believe. The text was originally written in Portuguese and it seems to me that the translation into English made the writing a bit stiff and simple. But, perhaps that was the style Mr. Coelho intended all along. And the text is quite straight-forward, not very subtle at all or overly metaphorical. Sometimes I like a more complex story with layers and meanings that must be deciphered. I suppose the shepherd’s entire journey pretty much IS a metaphor for man’s pursuit of the secret to life, but a lot of what the boy learns along the way is told to us word-for-word. Here’s an example:
(These words are spoken by a seer the boy encounters during his journey. The seer interprets dreams and tells people’s futures by “casting twigs”....or throwing them on the ground and studying the shapes they make.)
“When people consult me, it’s not that I’m reading the future; I am guessing at the future. The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances. How do I guess at the future? Based on the omens of the present. The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve upon the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.”
Rather than revealing these truths through a story or allegory, this seer simply says what he thinks. And that’s the kind of profound, highly philosophical, straight-forward writing you can expect in this book. Obviously there is some religion in the text too, but I don’t think Mr. Coelho knocks you over the head with it. If the above paragraph arouses your curiosity, you’ll definitely love The Alchemist.
One constant concept in the book that I truly enjoyed was this phrase: "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true". Simple and intriguing, this thought turns out to be the core of the novel's meaning. Conversely, if you feel that the universe is against you, perhaps you are working towards the wrong personal treasure. And you need to step back, think and move over to your proper path. Who knows, maybe reading The Alchemist will start you on your true way.
Happy Reading!
$2.75 on the Kindle - definitely worth it!
The Alchemist is a relatively short "life's journey" type of book that's full of many big, thought-provoking phrases and passages about the meaning of it all and about one’s search for one’s own personal treasure. I think I made that sound a bit cheesy, but the story is certainly not that way at all. The basic plot follows a young shepherd from Spain who, driven by a recurring dream, undertakes a life-changing quest for his treasure. Along the way, he's aided and advised by omens and by a few key philosophical people who happen to teach us readers many significant lessons as they guide the shepherd. One of these influential people is a mysterious alchemist - thus the book's title.
This book is engaging and good, but I did not find it to be spectacular or life-changing as some reviews will lead you to believe. The text was originally written in Portuguese and it seems to me that the translation into English made the writing a bit stiff and simple. But, perhaps that was the style Mr. Coelho intended all along. And the text is quite straight-forward, not very subtle at all or overly metaphorical. Sometimes I like a more complex story with layers and meanings that must be deciphered. I suppose the shepherd’s entire journey pretty much IS a metaphor for man’s pursuit of the secret to life, but a lot of what the boy learns along the way is told to us word-for-word. Here’s an example:
(These words are spoken by a seer the boy encounters during his journey. The seer interprets dreams and tells people’s futures by “casting twigs”....or throwing them on the ground and studying the shapes they make.)
“When people consult me, it’s not that I’m reading the future; I am guessing at the future. The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances. How do I guess at the future? Based on the omens of the present. The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve upon the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.”
Rather than revealing these truths through a story or allegory, this seer simply says what he thinks. And that’s the kind of profound, highly philosophical, straight-forward writing you can expect in this book. Obviously there is some religion in the text too, but I don’t think Mr. Coelho knocks you over the head with it. If the above paragraph arouses your curiosity, you’ll definitely love The Alchemist.
One constant concept in the book that I truly enjoyed was this phrase: "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true". Simple and intriguing, this thought turns out to be the core of the novel's meaning. Conversely, if you feel that the universe is against you, perhaps you are working towards the wrong personal treasure. And you need to step back, think and move over to your proper path. Who knows, maybe reading The Alchemist will start you on your true way.
Happy Reading!
$2.75 on the Kindle - definitely worth it!