The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a pleasant book to read but there wasn't much to it. A young man goes on a quest to find a treasure, has a number of learning experiences, comes to an understanding of the world, himself and his spirituality, and eventually does find the treasure. Ironically, the treasure isn't part of the spiritual quest but is, in fact, gold, jewels and so forth. Along the way he finds his true love, leaves his true love to continue his quest and, at the end, plans to return to his true love. The true love, by the way, is perfectly content to wait. Reading this book reminded me a bit of meditation. It slows the mind and let's you relax. I think reading this type of book is a good way to relieve stress. The message, insofar as there is one, is to pay attention to the world around you and take delight in the present because the past is gone and the future is unclear.



View all my reviews