The Alchemist
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The Alchemist: a Good Read or Just a Waste?
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John wrote: "John Kennedy9-9-15
Goodreads Book Report
THE TALE OF AN ALCHEMIST
The Alchemist was written by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. Coelho was born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in 1947. Coelho’..."
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I read every book two times. For the first time, I don't judge, but only feel thing the book normally let me feel. On the second time, I judge it with the eyes and ears of my own logics.The Alchemist is a good read indeed. I read it in English. Due to translation, some literary value must be lost, but still it is amazing.
The Storytelling is really natural to Paulo Coehlo. It is also a good inventory of middle-eastern/Arabian philosophy which is compatible with todays Sufi Philosophy.
Though I am a non-believer and most of the theories here are obsolete to me, I can't deny that it was a real pleasure to read this book.
Pardon my English, I am not a native speaker.
I also enjoyed this book. This boy was obviously on a journey and was taught a few things along the way! I really enjoyed it!
For me it was an "okay" read. Although I read it 3 times, it's not one of my favorites. I think of the Alchemist as "just another book".
Ola wrote: "For me it was an "okay" read. Although I read it 3 times, it's not one of my favorites. I think of the Alchemist as "just another book"."I feel similarly. More specifically, I feel like The Alchemist is an adventure/journey book that happened to get picked up in the mainstream and readers thought, "Wow! What a fun and inspiring adventure!" But if you already read "adventure" books with decent character development all the time, this book wouldn't really stand out that much :D ...
Zelyaine wrote: "Ola wrote: "For me it was an "okay" read. Although I read it 3 times, it's not one of my favorites. I think of the Alchemist as "just another book"."I feel similarly. More specifically, I feel li..."
Exactly. For well-read people it is not very impressive.
The narrative aptly captures the reality of the life that we live.What we greatly seek lies within our immediate.
We must always look inward rather than look outward and beyond us for the very solutions which we aid us to attain inner peace, prosperity and unusual possibilities.
It starts from where we are ......
Putting questions of the quality aside, it's still not a waste of quantity. A slender tome, just a bit longer than a novella. Someone that enjoys fables could quickly finish it and form an opinion.
I had read this long time back, but i could still clearly remember the story. This is a good book. This reminds me that grass is greener where you water it and follow your dreams
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9-9-15
Goodreads Book Report
THE TALE OF AN ALCHEMIST
The Alchemist was written by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho. Coelho was born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in 1947. Coelho’s other notable work include The Pilgrimage, The Valkyries, Brida, and Veronika Decides to Die.
The novel, The Alchemist, has a very intriguing setting which takes place in a variety of places such as Andalusia, Spain; the Northern tip of Africa; and Egypt. The time period of this novel is approximately late 1700s to the early 1800s. The book is heavily influenced by Middle-Eastern culture.
The protagonist of this novel is a young shepherd named Santiago who resides in the rolling hills of Andalusia, Spain. The antagonist of the novel would be Santiago’s self doubt.Santiago is an entirely dynamic character who changes from giving up on his dream to embracing it. Other major characters include Melchizedek, The Alchemist, The Englishman, and the Crystal Shop Owner. Melchizedek is the self- proclaimed King of Salem who inspires the protagonist, Santiago, to fulfill his destiny. Melchizedek is a flat character whose only characteristic is that he believes and wants other people to believe in omens. The Alchemist acts as a teacher to Santiago later on in the novel and assists Santiago during the last leg of his journey. The Alchemist is primarily a static character that does not change over the course of the novel. The Crystal Shop Owner acts as an example of what Santiago will become if he abandons his destiny. The Crystal Shop Owner is also a static character that does not change throughout the novel. The Englishman accompanies Santiago on his journey through the desert. The Englishman is a flat character whose only characteristic is that he is obsessed with alchemy.
The novel’s most important theme is to never give up on your dreams and to always aspire to achieve them. A secondary theme of the novel is to believe in omens, since they will guide you through hardships. An overall thematic statement of this novel would be that you must persevere through hardship.
Overall, this novel was adequate at best. The setting of the novel truly was enjoyable and entertaining, but the setting alone does not make this novel an exceptionally good read. The use of some of the author’s wording was somewhat bothersome; furthermore, it irked me every single time the phrase “Personal Legend” popped up since it can easily be replaced with the word destiny. With the exception of a philosophical standpoint, this book was not very exciting nor delivered the reader with any real suspense until the very ending of the novel. The attack at the oasis was incredibly lackluster which is irritating since it was a waste of so much potential. If the author decided to be far more descriptive and make the oasis attack longer, it would have been far more exciting than it is. On the other hand, this novel does deliver many philosophical statements which some readers will find enjoyable such as “Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure.” Ultimately, if you find philosophical teachings enjoyable then I recommend this book; otherwise, I do not recommend The Alchemist.