The Alchemist
Ratings1,664
Average rating3.5
Social media was raving over this book so I had to check it out. This book is about finding your “Personal Legend”. Your mission on earth. It's about a boy named Santiago who is a shepherd. He goes on a journey to find his personal legend. It was slow paced but still a gem. I love the message of the book. I'll leave you with two quotes from the book.
1: “If a person is living out his personal legend, he knows everything he needs to know. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure”.
2. “And anyone who interferes with the Personal Legend of another thing never will discover his own”.
I love the ending. The only reason why I didn't give it five stars is because it was too slow. I kept falling asleep and having to reread paragraphs.
I am asking myself why I continue to read an author I really do not like. This is definitely the last one.
This story was just a ton of phrases most people know or have heard. Its not really a self-help book, but I think it tries real hard.
A book that meanders, meanders, meanders... meanders some more... and builds up to a miserably underwhelming conclusion.
I remember I felt a sensation of freedom and hope after reading this. I was still a child but probably I understood the meaning hidden in the story. When I think about the alchemist I imagine a big eagle flying above rocky mountains, in a shiny and glorious day, a new beginning after all.
I thought about this book for a long time to see if I could figure out what I was missing, since so many people seemed to like it so much. I never figured it out and so I´m forced to go with my initial impression: this book was kind of lame.
This book can be summed up by two one hit wonders. Listen to Your Heart by Roxette and What is Love by Haddaway. Mix in some religious allusions and affectations and there ya go. But then again, I could be describing any self help book. I've tried reading this book a few times over the years and I stand by the 3 star rating I gave it previously.
Pretty short book. It was an interesting read with some pretty obvious metaphors woven in throughout. I wouldn't say it's worth all the hype it gets, but it is worth the money.
Just re-read this a second time to remind myself what it is so appealling about this book that people still read it after 36 years that it has been published the first time.
I get that it suppose to be motivational and inspire you in some way but I'm a realist and if you like to have rose-colored glasses on, this book is for you.
Yes, it's as silly as you heard it was. Why does it get a second star? Because it's mercifully short.
Contains spoilers
Colorful imagery and decent writing. Little rough in some areas but overall the story somehow would instantly whisk me away into its world each time I would pick it up.
4.1/5
This is a book I think I will have to re-read sometime in the near future. I don't think I could read this book only once and really understand everything it has to offer. It was a great allegorical fiction, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who feels like they've hit one of life's crossroads.
This book is an allegory for the age old question of not knowing what to do with your life. The main character starts as a shepherd and it's by meeting people and listening to their stories (and his heart) he rises to become a world traveler and alchemist.
The Alchemist is so adorned with optimism, one can't help but think of how it feels so quintessentially... adult adventure? I digress in the course of understanding that this is really just relatable to people of all ages.
I think as an adult, what The Alchemist does beyond strongly evoking a fable later repeated in parts in self-help books is to simply invite people to trust in themselves—their hearts. The ethos of Alchemist seems easily mistaken for essentialism or privilege, when it is more about existence and determinism.
Much of the story isn't so strong as much as it ridiculous, but its a ridiculousness rooted in childlike adventurism, the type of stuff that teeters on escapism yet finagling its way into meaning and value. The ending is quite interesting to think about in this regard, in comparison to the stuff that happens before it.
What can I say that hasn't been said already? This is one of those "must-read" books. For someone who is strongly guided by spirituality, the fleeting nature of life and time and everyone's individual journeys, The Alchemist was a perfect fit. Coelho blends cultures, locales and lessons in a seamlessly entertaining manner. His prose is poetic in its simplicity and the obvious sincere warmth of the voice. It was a surprisingly quick read, and I can see myself revisiting the world of the Shepard and the desert in the years to come.
From the "10 Years On" Introduction:
Why is it so important to live our personal calling if we are only going to suffer more than other people? Because, once we have overcome the defeats - and we always do - we are filled by a greater sense of euphoria and confidence.
Spoilers in quotes below.
From One:
"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected."
"We have to be prepared for change, he thought, and he was grateful for the jacket's weight and warmth. The jacket had a purpose, and so did the boy."
"What's the world's greatest lie?" the boy asked, completely surprised.
"It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."
All things are one. "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
There was also the merchant's daughter, but she wasn't as important as his flock, because she didn't depend on him. Maybe she didn't even remember him. He was sure that it made no difference to her on which day he appeared: for her, every day was the same, and when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognise the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.
"That's the way it always is," said the old man. "It's called the principle of favourability. When you play cards for the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner's luck."
"Why is that?"
"Because there is a force that wants you to realise your Personal Legend; it whets your appetite with a taste of success."
"Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you," said the wisest of wise men. "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."
It's too bad that he's quickly going to forget my name, he thought. I should have repeated it for him. Then when he spoke about me he would say that I am “Melchizedek, the king of Salem.He looked to the skies, feeling a bit abashed, and said, “I know it’s the vanity of vanities, as you said, my Lord. But an old king sometimes has to take some pride in himself.”
The sale of his sheep had left him with enough money in his pouch, and the boy knew that in money there was magic; whoever has money is never really alone.
He recalled that when the sun had risen that morning, he was on another continent, still a shepherd with sixty sheep, and looking forward to meeting with a girl. That morning he had known everything that was going to happen to him as he walked through the familiar fields. But now, as the sun began to set, he was in a different country, a stranger in a strange land, where he couldn’t even speak the language. He was no longer a shepherd, and he had nothing, not even the money to return and start everything over.
But now I’m sad and alone. I’m going to become bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me. I’m going to hate those who have found their treasure because I never found mine. And I’m going to hold on to what little I have, because I’m too insignificant to conquer the world.
“I’m like everyone else—I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does.”
As he mused about these things, he realized that he had to choose between thinking of himself as the poor victim of a thief and as an adventurer in quest of his treasure.
There must be a language that doesn't depend on words, the boy thought. I've already had that experience with my sheep, and now it's happening with people.
From Two:
“Today, I understand something I didn’t see before: every blessing ignored becomes a curse. I don’t want anything else in life. But you are forcing me to look at wealth and at horizons I have never known. Now that I have seen them, and now that I see how immense my possibilities are, I’m going to feel worse than I did before you arrived. Because I know the things I should be able to accomplish, and I don’t want to do so.”
There had been a time when he thought that his sheep could teach him everything he needed to know about the world. But they could never have taught him Arabic.
“Maktub,” the merchant said, finally.
“What does that mean?”
“You would have to have been born an Arab to understand,” he answered. “But in your language it would be something like ‘It is written.”
But the sheep had taught him something even more important: that there was a language in the world that everyone understood, a language the boy had used throughout the time that he was trying to improve things at the shop. It was the language of enthusiasm, of things accomplished with love and purpose, and as part of a search for something believed in and desired. Tangier was no longer a strange city, and he felt that, just as he had conquered this place, he could conquer the world.
He suddenly felt tremendously happy. He could always go back to being a shepherd. He could always become a crystal salesman again. Maybe the world had other hidden treasures, but he had a dream, and he had met with a king. That doesn’t happen to just anyone!
He still had some doubts about the decision he had made. But he was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.
“We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it’s our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.”
Although the vision of the date palms would someday be just a memory, right now it signified shade, water, and a refuge from the war. Yesterday, the camel’s groan signaled danger, and now a row of date palms could herald a miracle.
The world speaks many languages, the boy thought.
At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke—the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart. It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs here at the well. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen—the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was, for all his life.
And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one’s dreams would have no meaning.
He felt sleepy. In his heart, he wanted to remain awake, but he also wanted to sleep. “I am learning the Language of the World, and everything in the world is beginning to make sense to me…even the flight of the hawks,” he said to himself. And, in that mood, he was grateful to be in love. When you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought.
“You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love…the love that speaks the Language of the World.”
“There is only one way to learn,” the alchemist answered. “It’s through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey. You need to learn only one thing more.”
“The desert will give you an understanding of the world; in fact, anything on the face of the earth will do that. You don’t even have to understand the desert: all you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation.”
“Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there.”
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
“And his heart told him something else that the boy had never noticed: it told the boy of dangers that had threatened him, but that he had never perceived.”
In the silence, the boy understood that the desert, the wind, and the sun were also trying to understand the signs written by the hand, and were seeking to follow their paths, and to understand what had been written on a single emerald. He saw that omens were scattered throughout the earth and in space, and that there was no reason or significance attached to their appearance; he could see that not the deserts, nor the winds, nor the sun, nor people knew why they had been created. But that the hand had a reason for all of this, and that only the hand could perform miracles, or transform the sea into a desert…or a man into the wind. Because only the hand understood that it was a larger design that had moved the universe to the point at which six days of creation had evolved into a Master Work.The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles.
The alchemist said, “No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.”
The Alchemist is a beautifully written, inspiring tale about following your dreams and discovering your true purpose. Paulo Coelho's timeless message of hope and perseverance resonates deeply with me
Well, I cant write a review in few words on this book. Its an outstanding one. I dont think most readers will find it understanding. Its more of a spiritual world. Want to re-read some day!
Summary: A shepherd boy has a dream that leads him on a journey to discover his Personal Legend, a treasure, and the truths of the world.
This book has been translated, and it is a pretty quick read. It is heavily focused on philosophical thought and gives the reader a lot to think about. Even though this book wasn't my personal favorite, it is, in my opinion, a really good book that will cause the reader to think about things in a new light.
After a long time sitting on my ‘to-read' list, I finally got around to ‘The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho, not through the pages of a book but through an audiobook narrated by Jeremy Irons, whose profound voice was perhaps the only reason I managed to finish it.
The book, published 36 years ago and holding a decent rating on Goodreads, tells the story of a shepherd boy who, guided by omens and a prophetic king, embarks on a quest across Africa to find a hidden treasure. Along the way, he meets various characters, including a wise alchemist, faces life-threatening challenges, and learns important life lessons. Eventually, he discovers a deeper universal truth, finding his treasure and transforming in the process.
Despite its popularity, ‘The Alchemist' didn't resonate with me. It felt overly preachy and philosophical, more like a fable than a novel, which might be due to its translation from Portuguese. While it might have been enlightening back in the day, it feels a bit dated now. I'm glad to have crossed it off my list, but overall, it was underwhelming.
What a load of nonsense! What an abhorrent immoral misleading pile of lies!
The world would've been a Hellish landscape, in a far worse shape than it is now, if people left everyone and everything behind in pursuit of what the voice in their head told them.
This book is corrupt to its vile core, preaching and praising selfishness above all and many other vices on the way.
The Alchemist is not a roadmap to fulfilling dreams, but a dreamy escape from reality, leading to misery, self-centeredness, and a total lack of compassion and understanding towards other fellows.