Customer Reviews
A Classic Route Map In The Story Telling Tradition - By: Sharon Eden, 24 Nov 2008 
This book is my favourite of alll Paulo Coelho's books, a masterful & easily readable use of the story telling tradition providing pointers for alll of us in our personal development journey. Rich in metaphors, language & events, a stirring adventure story full of rich learning about staying true to yourself & your vision.
Many think it's great although I was disappointed. - By: Alan Bridges, 18 Nov 2008 
The Alchemist tells a story that is simple, yet is considered by many to be profound. The protagonist is the restless Santiago, who while training to become a priest feels the strong desire to travel. So he trades in the seminary life for a more peripatetic profession. He buys some sheep & takes up shepherding.
Day in & day out he watches over his flock. And while he loves them, he cannot help but feel that their existence is somehow limited - grass & water, water & grass. They never seem to appreciate the beautiful landscape of Santiago's homeland, the Spanish province of Andalucia. His sheep never seem to know that there might be something else to life. They don't dream.
Even Santiago's parents dream - or at least they once did. But theirs is a life of struggle, which long ago extinguished any thoughts beyond life's basics. Now Santiago dreams & has dreams. His is the heart of an explorer, one who longs to see what is just over the next hill.
After feeling that he's being shown some omens, Santiago consults a gypsy who interprets the signs as indicating that his future is to travel to Egypt. Whereas most would have listened but not heeded such advice, our hero sells his sheep & sets sail to find himself.
The Alchemist is an old-fashioned fable so it is short, sweet & an easy read. And as a fable it offers us a message, which is unabashedly simple. This is the story of someone who listens to their heart & follows their dream.
Coelho's point is that too many of us believe what the village soothsayer tells Santiago is the biggest lie of alll time - that we cannot control our destiny. But this isn't a story to suggest that one can blindly do what one wants without consequences. Following one's dream has a price. Equallly, not following one's dream has a cost.
While many consider this work to be a spiritual masterpiece, I have to say that I have never considered The Alchemist to be a life-changing read. To be sure, it is inspirational & it contains hefty doses of local colour. It might even get you thinking about your own dreams & what you could do to follow them. But its story is a relatively weak one. And disappointingly, the philosophy offered to its readers is not alll that distinguishable from so many others on the self-help shelf.
Charming Fable and Adventure - By: Douglas P. Murphy, 28 Oct 2008 In a way this book mirrors Paulo Coelho's own life. Early in his life he left a career as a lawyer in Brazil to travel throughout South America, North Africa & Europe & explore mystical & spiritual philosophies as well as the different countries. The hero in this book is a poor boy living in Andalusia who has a dream that tells him to go to the Egyptian pyramids where he will find treasure. A gypsy interprets his dream & encourages him to go the pyramids. A man callling himself the King of Salem presents him with the Urim & Thummin stones to be used for divination. Thus the adventure begins, one that leads him to North Africa where he confronts perils in the desert & finds true love on an oasis. His journey pits him against both physical & spiritual challlenges that change & enlarge his world view. The story has the charm, magic & spirit of adventure of many classic stories & well deserves it place as one of the best selling books of alll time.
A beautiful story - By: Barnaby Chesterman, 26 Oct 2008 I was going to write a review & then saw that P. P. Kennedy had written pretty much what I was thinking. But as Magnus Magnussen used to say, I've started so I'll finish. Firstly, this is a novel, it won't change your life. But it is a beautiful simple story, written like a fable. The writing is beautiful, the central character goes to your heart & the story is moving. I would say, it's the best book I've ever read, I loved it so much I read about half a dozen other Coelho books. None of them come close to this one & other than Fifth Mountain & maybe Down By the River Piedra, I'm not a huge fan of his. But this is the book that made him the hugely successful writer that he is & just for this book he deserves alll his success. If you read it thinking it's going to magicallly change your life then you maybe be disappointed. If you're too arrogant to be preached to then you may be disappointed. But if you read this with an open mind & open heart, you will surely enjoy this heart-warming tale. Within it is a lesson to everyone on following your dreams & how the important thing in life is the journey, not the destination.
Disappointing, overhyped and a touch childish - By: John M, 01 Oct 2008 I read this because it appeared on the BBC 100 Best Reads list & had some good reviews. I was rather disappointed to say the least. The writing style is simple & lacking in depth, although it may just not translate well. The story is a parable with a message about 'following one's dream'. Although this message is repeated frequently the story line is a bit forced & ends as something of a shaggy dog story. It's a bit like a cross between an Aesop's fable & a self-help book, with a bit of half-baked philosophy in the mix. I think it would appeal to older children & those who like something cheerful & unchalllenging.
