A good parable—like "The Prodigal Son"—should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. The problem with this little book is that it does precisely the opposite. Paulo Coelho's message—and, boy, is this a book with a message—is that each of us has our own Personal Legend, and that if we recognise that legend and pursue it sincerely, everything in the Universe (which is after all made up—wind, stone, trees—of the same stuff we are) will conspire to help us achieve it. Corollaries: 1) pe...

(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Simply composed and almost scripture-like, at times, Paulo Coelho's *The Alchemist* reads a little too much like a children's fable. However, the story definitely picks up steam by the end. A solid read, especially if you're looking for inspirational book reviews.

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."The Alchemist ~~ Paulo CoelhoLet me start this review by saying I'm genuinely amazed by how intensely people feel about this novel – whether they absolutely love *The Alchemist* or completely despise it. I'm one of those who love it. But I also get why some people passionately dislike it. Paulo Coelho clearly aims to ignite strong emotions with *The Alchemist*, and he definitely succeeds, especially in those who are s...

The problem with Paulo Coelho's *The Alchemist* isn't just that it's plain bad—which, let's be honest, it absolutely is. It's that hordes of people are eager to trap you at parties and drone on about how it completely revolutionized their existence. Honestly, you might as well slog through it just to gauge how remarkably dim-witted someone must be to derive any sort of philosophical sustenance from this bottomless well of clichés. The profound life lessons you're supposed to glean from this book...

Everything is written! As soon as I finished reading *The Alchemist* by Paulo Coelho, I felt the world fall silent. Everything just stopped.And I just want to stay silent for the rest of my life...Reflecting on life... hoping the Soul of the World engulfs me, so I can philosophize about life as my heart desires.This novel is filled with symbols, wisdom, heritage, morals, and even Islamic verses.While reading, you feel Andalusian winds caressing your mind, making you smile between one piece of wi...

***spoilers and bitterness ahead--you've been warned!***I'm not sure I can capture my utter disdain for this book in words, but I'll give it a shot. I read this book about three years ago and just had to re-read it for book club. It was a steaming pile of crap then and, guess what?, it's a steaming pile of crap now. The main reason I hate this book: it's trite inspirational literature dressed up as an adventure quest. You go into it thinking it's going to be about a boy's quest for treasure. If ...

I need to start this review by stating two things: 1) I can't stand self-help books, and 2) I'm a feminist (no, I don't hate men—some men are quite awesome, but I am very conscious of women and our place in the world).Short summary (mild spoilers): A boy named Santiago follows his 'Personal Legend' in traveling from Spain to the Pyramids in Egypt searching for treasure. Along the way, he learns 'the Language of the World,' the 'Soul of the World,' and discovers that the 'Soul of God' is 'his own...

Complete and utter drivel. *The Alchemist* by Paulo Coelho is badly written, self-righteous, condescending, preachy, and worst of all, the ending is morally questionable. All the fables and stories feel stolen from elsewhere; religious ideas and spirituality are badly mixed, and everything is just so painfully obvious. The book harps on about tapping into the Soul of the World, the Language of the World, about finding your one true path and other such nonsense. The basic premise is that if you r...

I feel like everyone LOVES "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, but I was kind of underwhelmed. I know that translation affects the quality of writing, but I could not get into this writing style at all. I felt like it was totally affected and contrived. Paulo Coelho was going for this "fable/parable" style, but it seemed to fail miserably. The parable-like quality felt forced, and I thought the "moral" was pretty stupid. If you're looking for insightful book reviews, this might not be it. Moral: e...

I really disliked this book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I dislike it in the same way I dislike a lot of modern self-help books. Their core message is that if you really, *really* want something to happen, and you want it with every fiber of your being, without caring about anything else, without allowing yourself to doubt or listen to criticism, then it *will* happen. I disagree with this idea, not just because it's demonstrably false, but because it's actively harmful. Just because we des...