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The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)
by Paulo Coelho (Goodreads Author)
Eleanor's review
bookshelves: never-finished
Jun 04, 07
bookshelves: never-finished
Recommended for:
religious zealots
Read in June, 2007
I picked up this book in an airport between flights, it's been pretty hyped up and was obviously the most-purchased book from the store. Even the girl on the plane next to me, obviously not an english-speaker, took great efforts to tell me that she loved this book.
The book's protagonist is an adolescent shepherd and reads as if it were written by one. Coelho abandons all subtlety, capitalizing the phrase "Personal Legend" and using it every other page in a story that has the ingredients of a successful fairy tale but stitches them together in such a barebones superficial way that reminds me of $1.50 starbucks cups wisdom or motivational stories told by commencement speakers with a religious agenda. It's initial message of 'follow your passion' is soon altered to 'the story of your life is written by the same hand who wrote the story of the world' and then to 'the heart of alchemy is the Soul of the World [sic] which all should strive to join.' 80 pages was more than fair. Very willing to sell/swap.
Needless to say I didn't read any of the "Plus" aspects of this edition.
The book's protagonist is an adolescent shepherd and reads as if it were written by one. Coelho abandons all subtlety, capitalizing the phrase "Personal Legend" and using it every other page in a story that has the ingredients of a successful fairy tale but stitches them together in such a barebones superficial way that reminds me of $1.50 starbucks cups wisdom or motivational stories told by commencement speakers with a religious agenda. It's initial message of 'follow your passion' is soon altered to 'the story of your life is written by the same hand who wrote the story of the world' and then to 'the heart of alchemy is the Soul of the World [sic] which all should strive to join.' 80 pages was more than fair. Very willing to sell/swap.
Needless to say I didn't read any of the "Plus" aspects of this edition.
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April
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rated it 5 stars
Jul 24, 2007 09:03pm
"probably not an english-speaker"? Religious zealots? my oh my - tsk tsk, how cold and void of meaning your life must be. I think you need to explore the world more and get out of your comfort zone. This book is intended for people with passion and drive. Its not just a novel - for entertainment reading. The story is simple - exactly! thats the beauty of the book - its simplicity. But with that simplicity is a complex philosophy that you obviously don't get because you took the story literally. I suggest u read the book with an open mind (non discriminatory). give it a chance, it might transform your life - for real. It is such a pity and a disappointment when people expect books to tell them things instead of honing their imagination and make the effort to think outside of the box. this comment, its the typical "joe blog" laziness
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I agree. I have a copy of the bible for when I want to be religiously enlightened. It leads me to believe that many people who enjoy this book don't read much or can't figure out good literature.
lol rhianna. plus, the end of the book is the best part! i understand it may have bored you, i personally have read books from him that i've enjoyed more , but perhaps you'd have liked it more if you'd read it all. dunno though
April wrote: ""probably not an english-speaker"? "To clarify, my judgement of her ability to speak English had nothing to do with her opinion of the book, it was just clear from the way she was speaking to me that she struggled with the language the way a cognitively-functioning non-native speaker would. Also, she liked this book, so....
Michelle wrote: "lol rhianna. plus, the end of the book is the best part! i understand it may have bored you, i personally have read books from him that i've enjoyed more , but perhaps you'd have liked it more if y..."A fair critique, maybe the ending was the bomb. I'll probably never know.
"The book's protagonist is an adolescent shepherd and reads as if it were written by one."I like this one best! :-D
I think you got it with the girl on the plane next to you: not an English-speaker. That says it all. Maybe she was just happy she managed to make it through the sniveling text?Actually, that was mean. I've noticed that non-native English speakers love Coehlo. He is a regular contributor to The Intelligent Optimist, which I had to stop subscribing to--great content, but the editorial staff were all non-native English speakers so the writing was a flat as a lizard drinking. Coelho fits right in. Flat, cardboard, and language like medium-density fibreboard: textureless.
I couldn't agree more. The writing was pedestrian, the message was muddled, the underlying philosophy was wishy-washy (not to mention irresponsible and foolish), and all the characters lacked pathos. Even after reading the reviews of people who 5-starred the book its appeal continues to be lost on me. I’m just glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it.
