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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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.

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Jun 17, 2007 Ann rated it liked it

I'm splitting the difference on ratings between what my 18-year-old self thought (4 stars) and what my almost-30 self thinks (2 stars). I originally gave this book 4 stars, I think because at 18 you're still really searching for yourself and your place in the universe. I identified with the boy's quest to find his "personal legend."

Not that I have it all figured out now, but I like to think I've grown emotionally and spiritually since then. Or maybe I'm just more jaded now. Whatever. The boy ha ...more

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May 24, 2012 Genesis Hansen rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandoned

Meh. He lost me at "Personal Legend."

I tried to read this for my library's book discussion podcast, but couldn't get through it. From what I read, I'd say it's a self-help book written as a fable. But the fable was too transparent, the story didn't engage me and I didn't find the self-help aspect to be enlightening. In the end I just couldn't motivate myself to keep reading. ...more

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Nov 19, 2007 Maggie rated it did not like it

I really disliked this book. At first, I thought it would be a really cool story. I bought in the airport and read about 60% of it on a plane, and I liked that part. But that was about a week age and I’ve hardly been able to make myself pick it up. I finally read some over the weekend and now I have about 5 pages left and I couldn’t even finish it last night. I think that part of the reason is just that it reads weird to me, the writing style is just strange. I think some of it is because of the ...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 14, 2015 Katy rated it it was ok

A "The Secret"-esque self-help book in the form of a novel. Even the appearance, from the jacket down to the inside font, is that of a self-help book. ...more

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