The Alchemist in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

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.‏

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Nov 29, 2008 Lydia Presley rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, inspirational

I'm giving this 3 stars, though I would rather give it 2.5 stars. Here's the deal on this book.

The writing is beautiful. Although it doesn't flow as much as I imagine it does in its native language, the story has a calming effect in the way it's laid out.

Santiago's struggles are easily related to. We all have goals and dreams that we want to pursue, and many of us have put them by the wayside, for various reasons. I got that - and I understand that what the author seems to want to portray is tha ...more

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May 01, 2007 shalini rated it really liked it

Synopsis:

The Alchemist is the story of Santiago a young shepherd in the Andalusian Mountains, who has a vivid and recurring dream. It’s translated by a fortune-teller who tells him to go follow it to find the buried treasures. The tale follows him on this journey wherein he encounters people and events that shape up his decisions and lead him to make some riches and relationships. He meets more people on this path who encourage him to fulfil his dreams, some even merging their journey with his.

H Synopsis:

The Alchemist is the story of Santiago a young shepherd in the Andalusian Mountains, who has a vivid and recurring dream. It’s translated by a fortune-teller who tells him to go follow it to find the buried treasures. The tale follows him on this journey wherein he encounters people and events that shape up his decisions and lead him to make some riches and relationships. He meets more people on this path who encourage him to fulfil his dreams, some even merging their journey with his.

He finds friends, money and love in this undertaking – only to lose all in one way or the other. When he finally reaches the spot of the buried treasure, he meets a man who tells him of a dream that he keeps having of hidden treasures under a tree in a church in a far of land. His description of the spot makes Santiago realise that it’s the church in his hometown and he returns to dig under it to unearth the riches. He then returns to reunite with his love and set up a life with her.

Lasting Impression on me:

The core theme running in The Alchemist is “When one wants something, the entire Universe conspires in helping one to achieve it.” Every day we get numerous choices but the decision to choose which one lies with us and that is what defines our life’s path for us. The concept of destiny is underlined by the fact that Santiago had to travel that entire journey to realise that what he seeks, lies buried from where he started. And every person he met who pushed him to fulfil his dream was the Universe egging him on by presenting him the opportunities.

Each person has their own journey to accomplish in this life and this has been set for them by their destiny; they alone can walk their path to fulfil it. We garner a close circle of well-wishers; only after learning who are not our friends. We learn to trust and analyse motives at the same time, of the people we interact with. We make judgements and decisions based with what we have and where we are at that point in life.

I found this very relevant with my life’s events – be it relationships, physical needs, money, love, happiness, job, car, travel – everything that came my way was what I wanted with all my heart. Any half-hearted attempt at wanting something usually ended in a failure. And everything was because of my choices; because of the decisions that I made.

My Rating:
The Alchemist is a must read for everyone who believes in destiny and wishes to find fulfilment in their life. **** ...more

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Jun 11, 2007 Jen Peters rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: drama

Very quick read. Inspiring fable for all adults. Enjoyed the many different settings. It felt more realistic that the main character didn't blindly follow his dream but had doubts and haardships along the way.

Some Favorite Quotes:

"When you want something , all the universe conspires in helping you to acheive it."

"When each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises."

"If you can concentrate always on t ...more

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May 18, 2007 Amy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

I listened to this and some of the fables within the fable were hard to follow and distracting. I think it's one of those stories that in a year, I'll be able to say more whether it truly had an impact. I did enjoy the lacing of the Muslim and Christian outlooks and how they affect the goals in our lives. An interesting read, but I'm glad it was relatively short. ...more

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Jan 02, 2017 Steve Sarner rated it liked it · review of another edition

The best part of this book are the disparate reviews on Goodreads.

Love the point - counterpoints. Is it bad? Is it great? I guess it's sorta Alchemy. ...more

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Mar 25, 2007 Beverli rated it it was amazing

This book gives perspective on life and how to acheive that what we desire most. It also touches on learning from the journey. But, best of all, its a great story!

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