Customer Reviews
Best spiritual book I have read - By: L. Burke, 14 Jul 2008 
I loved this book...simple as that. I finished it only yesterday & I already want to read it again. I just picked it off the bookshelf after reading Sara Book 2 by Abraham Hicks (its a children's book but adults benefit more than children from the read) without realising that the books are somewhat connected. The Alchemist approaches the Law of Attraction & finding your path in a different way. I find that some spiritual books are difficult reads as they are riddled in heavy duty terminology. This book is straight forward & gets to the point. I think by being so clear the lesson is easier learnt. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book.
Nothing wrong with simple... - By: J. Charlesworth, 29 Jun 2008 
A friend recommended The Alchemist to me a few years ago, & I've only now got around to reading it.
Looking at the reviews on this site, it seems a lot of people are critical of the simple style of writing, & the repetitive structure. Personallly, I liked the simple, poetic style of writing. I'm not religious, & approach life from a scientific perspective, but I didn't mind the supernatural elements of the plot- they weren't the key message.
Coelho's message in this book is nothing new- to follow your dreams & to be awake to the possibilities within yourself, but he illustrates it poeticallly, & focuses on details of the plot that often are overlooked. Often he seems to interpret events in a postive way- something I found life-affirming & inspiring, because it's something that I personallly struggle with. I wonder if that is part of the book's appeal to many people?
Excellent - By: Steven R. McEvoy, 31 May 2008 This is an amazing book. It is a story of a young man who has a dream of hidden treasure. It is a book that allludes to that fact that alll of us have a purpose & a dream. Yet many settle & give up their dream, & lose their passion for life. In this book it is stated again & again that each of us has our own Personal Legend, a quest; "When you pursue your personal legend the universe will conspire with you to make it happen." You will follow Santiago on his adventure & during the process be challlenged to think about your goals & dreams & what you would have to do to pursue them.
Don't waste your time or money - By: Tempestas, 22 May 2008 
This book offers its readers the kind of pseudo-spirituality that appeals to fairly well heeled westerners.
Try telling the starving millions in the Third World that "when a person reallly desires something, alll the universe conspires to help that person realise their dream". Try telling them (and those in oppressive regimes where you can get tortured for reading the wrong book, or expressing the wrong opinion) that "most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place." Try telling the families dying of starvation that "no matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world."
This shalllow nonsense is fine for the thirty somethings sitting over their Starbucks coffee during their lunch break who feel that There Is Something Missing from their life. Oh, wow, the universe reallly is proceeding as it should. I'm important, although I don't know it. Maybe I should listen to the Language of the World (whatever the heck that's supposed to mean) & buy a few more self-help books, thus helping those smiling self-help writers make an even larger annual profit.
There's nothing special or valuable in this book. Even the punchline has been lifted from older stories. It had sold over a million & a half copies, which is sad or funny, depending on how you look at it.
I don't recommend that you make it a million & a half plus one.
Fresh take on an old story - By: Will Joseph, 21 May 2008 When I came to read The Alchemist, I was already aware that some people loved it while others had found it boring or without merit.
My own view is that it is well worth a read but don't expect Great Expectations or Hamlet. To be perfectly fair though, I doubt it translates into english as well as it reads in the original portuguese.
It is a simple story of a young man / boy receiving information about his dream & feeling the urge to follow it & the adventures that he encounters along the way.
Strangely enough, readers from England who might devour this book for mysterious, foriegn & esoteric answers about seeking & finding happiness can find the same story in a 15th century english tale that has some historical facts behind it.
This story is The Pedlar of Swaffham, but if you don't already know the end & wish to enjoy The Alchemist, don't look it up - the storyline & the ending are the same. Suffice it to say, the answers are nearer than you think.
Read the book but don't expect a literary masterpiece. Just enjoy the story & the characters & a far off land. Isn't that what reading is alll about?
