From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho

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2017 Read Harder Challenge

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What Members Thought

Aug 22, 2015 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: translated, fiction

I have resisted reading this book for many, many years. It has been on the Modern Classics! tables and Great Books for Grads! tables of every bookstore I've been in for the past twenty years. But I was pretty "meh" on alchemy until quite recently, and the book description always just sounded so twee to me that I couldn't.

But then... The Egyptian pyramids. Maybe not my obsession with djinns, but some common story elements. Ginny recommended a different book by Coelho that I couldn't find. This ve ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2008 Renata rated it it was ok

Shelves: grownup, fiction

I thought about this book for a long time to see if I could figure out what I was missing, since so many people seemed to like it so much. I never figured it out and so I´m forced to go with my initial impression: this book was kind of lame.

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Maryam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

بسیار بسیار تاثیرگذار در ادامه چیزهایی که برای رسیدن بهشون تلاش می کردم.‏

3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 11, 2008 Arianna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed

I can't bring myself to rate this book yet. I need to let it sink in a little bit more - and I have to discuss it a bit with others. I don't know...it didn't strike me nearly as much as it seemed to do others, but then again, this may be blamed on the curse of something being built up so much to me that it inevitably falls short. Sigh. I don't know. It seemed too reminiscent of Richard Bach or Mitch Albom books - "cute," allegorical tales which tell you how to best live your life. I really can't ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2017 Dina rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club

Read for book club at work. I really enjoyed this one. I listened to the audiobook but did purchase a copy for my personal collection. I enjoyed traveling from Spain to Egypt with the shepherd. Interesting story. Looking forward to reading more of his work.

1 like · Like · see review