البحث عن الاسطورة الذاتية .. ان الانسان يفضل مؤمن باحلامه و اهدافه مهما حصل و طول الطريق هيلاقي علمات و اشارات

لازم الثقة في النفس البشرية انها لازم توصل

الحب مش في كل الاحوال "بيعطل الانسان عن احلامه و اهدافه " زي شخصية فاطمة في الرواية

انها انتظرته و كانت مؤمنه هي كمان باحلامه و اهدافه و مؤمنة اكتر انه لازم يوصل و يحققها
و الثقة الاكبر انها هيرجعلها مهما انتظرته

الرواية متشبعة بكم رائع من الحكم و المقولات الحكيمة

و ترجمة بهاء طاهر لم تفسد الرواية بل على العكس رائعة

انصح بقرائتها ^_^

"When you want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it". Well, I want that week of my life back (yes, a week; I ended up avoiding that thing).
The Aesop's fables that came with my chocolates brought me more inspiration than this book. I knew it wasn't my kind of thing. But, it was a recommendation, and everybody was talking about it, so I tried. He describes a couple of clichés using an annoying writing style. Dream big. Make that dream come true, no matter what. Find your treasure. Shepherd. Universe this, universe that.
I want that week back.



Jun 23, 2013
* Also on my blog.

Simplistic. an initiatory journey, but which would take us as children. I don't like Coelho's style; we think he takes us for dummies (I don't put 1 star because I managed to finish it: not too complicated!!).

My father recently sent me an email offering to buy me a book as a birthday present, and asking me if there was something in particular that I wanted. He does this pretty much every year, and every year, I’ll send him suggestions and he’ll reply “I saw your list, but what about these other books that *I* loved and that I think you should read?”. OK, I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea. It was after one such conversations that I ended up with a copy of “The Alchemist” – when I had rather clearly expressed my desire for something else entirely. To be fair, my father’s taste is not always terrible: he introduced me to Christopher Moore, for one thing. But very often, he hits awkwardly far from the mark in his attempt to convert me to his literary tastes.

“The Alchemist” is painfully representative of his style, and this recent interaction led me to realize how ironic that is. Dad likes his books poetic, inspiring, challenging (but not too much). And the most annoying part is that he very earnestly feels inspired by the sort of sentimental drivel that he persist in peddling at me. I’m too literal-minded to be as affected as he is by books like this: I understand he just wants me to listen to my heart, go after my dreams and do things I am really passionate about. Just like the book, his intention is really good, but the ham-fisted delivery, full of unrealistic and impractical advice, is just painful.

This book is an un-subtle, preachy New Age story about a Spanish shepherd named Santiago who dreams of a treasure buried by the pyramids of Egypt. So, naturally, he dumps his flock, goes to Morocco, falls in love, travels to Egypt and realizes the treasure was love all along. There is something sweet about it, sure, but also something aggressively illogical, and my cynical brain couldn’t stop thinking how much of a selfish little shit Santiago was. Easy for him to follow his dreams, as he has no family to take care of, no rent to pay, no one to be accountable to. I was also mildly disturbed by this idea that if you are true to the quest for your “personal legend”, things will unfailingly work out in your favor. This brand of delusional magical-thinking is actually incredibly damaging, because it encourages people not to worry too much about the consequences of their actions – why would you care if you are deeply convinced everything will work out well for you?

Needless to say that dad’s present ended up at the used bookstore that year. Hopefully this year, he follows my list and doesn’t try to get me more Paolo Coelho...

(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Composed simply and scripture-like, it reads at times too much like a children's fable, but picks up steam by the end.

damn.

3.5 stars! A super quick read that was completely different from what I'd normally read. I loved the themes of dreams and pursuing your personal legend. I also loved the adventure/quest vibe.

Utter drivel. The book was badly written, righteous, condescending, preachy, and worst of all, the ending was morally questionable. All the fables and stories are stolen from elsewhere, religious ideas and spirituality are badly mixed, and everything is so obvious.

The book harps on about tapping into the Soul of the World, the Language of the World, about your one true path and other nonsense. The basic idea is that if you really want something and "listen to your heart", the whole universe will help you achieve it if you only look for omens. A questionable idea in a world where people no longer want to work hard and achieve independently.

It reads like a really bad self-help book written for 8 year old children and disguised as a symbolic parable. I read a lot of books and I can safely say this is the worst book I have ever read. It's only saving grace was that it was mercifully short.

رواية غيّرت روحي. جربت بعدها قراءة شيء آخر لباولو كويليو فتأكدت أن هذه الرواية هي الوحيدة تقريبا التي تستحق القراءة. أنصح بترجمة بهاء طاهر الصادرة عن دار الهلال بعنوان: ساحر الصحراء.

أحمد الديب
2007

Welcome to the best game show on Goodreads, the pre-review game Who Said That? [Insert audience applause] Guess if the following quotes are from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho OR from a CEO/inspirational memoir:
1. The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.
2. The only thing worse than starting something and failing is not starting something.
3. Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up following you.
4. Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.
5. Sometimes theres a sign that something really great is about to happen. You’re about to grow and learn a lot more about yourself.
6. Life is fragile. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow so give it everything you’ve got.
7. People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.
8. A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.
9. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
10. Pessimists may be right in the end, but an optimist has a much better time getting there.
11. Without passion, you don’t have any energy, and without energy, you simply have nothing.
12. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.


Answers
1. Alchemist
2. Seth Godin, Founder of Squidoo
3. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
4. Alchemist
5. Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo
6. Tim Cooke, CEO of Apple
7. Alchemist
8. Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State
9. Alchemist
10. Samuel R Allen, CEO of Deere
11. Whoever the ghost writer is for Donald Trump books
12. Alchemist


Jokes aside, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an endlessly quotable book. It reads like a fable, with very catchy and accessible writing that is meant to empower and make you feel good. This really works for a lot of people—I mean this was a widely successful novel—and I’m happy that so many people could be moved and inspired by a book. Especially a book that unites people around the world by being an international success. Unfortunately, for myself at least, it all comes across as a pristine facade without much behind it, offering something that can be quickly digested but isn’t actually filling. This is a book that I recall enjoying enough when I read it as a teen but haven’t thought of since, so when someone picked it as our next read for our book club I was excited to revisit it seeing as I remembered literally nothing about it. I hate to say it, but being fun but forgettable is my takeaway from it again.

‘There is only one way to learn... It's through action.’

Coelho said the book was written very quickly because ‘the book was already written in my soul,’ and in the forward he discusses how this novel was his own Personal Legend. ‘I was living my own metaphor,’ he said, being thrilled just to get it picked up by a Brazilian publisher who, in 1988, only ran 900 copies assuming it would not be a big success. The book ended up taking off, with the 1993 English translation becoming a massive hit and lead to numerous further translations. Coelho even holds a Guinness World Record for “most translations of a single title signed by the author in 1 sitting”, signing his book in 53 different translated editions at a book event in Germany. So I can really appreciate that aspect, and his own personal journey into publishing and believing in himself is honestly better than the book itself.
n  n
Fun fact: The Alchemist had a big boost in sales when then-President Bill Clinton was photographed reading it.

For those who don’t know, the story follows a young boy, Santiago, as he journeys across the desert and meets a lot of interesting people along the way. Literally every person has a pearl of positive wisdom to share it seems, and it becomes a rapid fire of empowerment quotes that could all go on one of those inspirational posters made for office walls in the 90s. Actually, I’m fairly certain I’ve seen one that quoted this book. The characters all feel like a mouthpiece for Coehlo to pass along his positive message, or wisdom, and one can easily imagine this being a self-help book had he not decided to attach a fictional narrative to it. It is a nice message, that you have to believe in yourself and in your goals and, if you truly do (“only those who are true of heart” vibes like in fairy tales) the universe will conspire to help you achieve your goal. Which is a nice inspirational message and sometimes that is what you need to hear to break free from self doubt. Particularly as another primary message is that we must overcome fear to accomplish what we need to do. ‘Don't give in to your fears,’ Coelho writes, ‘If you do, you won't be able to talk to your heart.’ So great, yea, believe in yourself. I dig that.

‘To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation.’

I do, however, see it as a bit of a back-patting perspective. Like yes, if you are successful it is nice to feel like it is because you are pure of heart. He tells us that those who don’t follow their dreams end up in ruin and sadness. This is sort of a success fallacy in a way, as it implies that if things are bad its because you just didn’t try hard enough. Which…ehhhhh…I mean there are a lot of forces acting in society that gatekeep and sometimes it’s more than just not overcoming adversity. And I get it, keep trying, yea, but it feels a bit like shaming? Which is honestly overthinking it though as this book is not that nuanced or deep (something I kept saying during debates over minor details during book club: “I don’t think he even considered that and its beside the point because it’s not actually that deep”). It is meant to be a fun and empowering story that paints in broad strokes and yea, I get why it means a lot to many people. For me it just seemed a bit flat and like a snack when I wanted a meal.

‘Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.’
Okay, fine, I don’t know how to write a good book or how to live my life either, but I just know this one wasn’t it for me.


I did appreciate how it was aimed at a general positive idea of spirituality that, while using different religions, was not necessarily religious. Spiritual, or mystic would seem the better term. I liked the idea of the universe, the sand, the wind, etc as conscious entities that can collaborate with you. While I really disliked the deus ex machina ending, the whole idea of the world as a spiritual presence was well done. Coelho does sort of pull an orientalism in his depiction as an outsider of the region as this wild and savage land full of wise sages and cutthroat robbers, but it does seem with the aim of capturing the feel of One Thousand and One Nights or other tales of adventure and ‘finding yourself’ in exotic locale. Which I think is a topic that people have had a more nuanced discussion on since this book was written.

‘It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting,’ Coelho writes, and this I can agree with. However, in The Alchemist, the general tone of the book is that dreams seem a thing only for men. Fatima, Santiago’s love interest, lacks much agency in the tale and is more or less written as a prize for following his Personal Legend. She is an element of his journey, while I guess he is all her journey gets to be. He tells her ‘I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you,’ which…isn’t all that romantic or great? Hey, the universe popped you into my life, guess you’ll do for a bride. C’mon, man, does she have any personality or intelligence you enjoy and don’t just tell me how beautiful she is. Didn’t vibe with any of that aspect of the book.

I also didn’t really like the ending. Sure it is riffing on the whole “it’s the journey not the destination” aspect but it felt a bit flat for me with the deus ex machina moment. It is a happy ending though, and one full of success and rewards. As a bookclub member pointed out, it sort of resonates with a quote by T.S. Eliot: ‘We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.’

So in the end, I’m mostly ambivalent to this book. I see why people enjoy it and it is admittedly pretty and sweet and uplifting. It’s a good vibe to be in. It didn’t do much for me, but that’s alright too.

2.5/5

The moral of this story is absolutely intrinsic!!!!!!

I highly recommend reading this short novel and opening your eyes to more than just the world in front of you. This is the kind of read that leaves you pondering about life and the choices we make, well after you’ve finished reading. It’s the kind of book you read more than once.

Written exceptionally well, it’s an effortless and comfortable read that warms you like a cozy blanket. It left me thinking silently for quite awhile after I closed the book. I honestly just lost myself in thought and how we can so easily lose sight of what’s important in life. How we can be quick to assume instead of coming from curious.

This isn’t just a novel, it’s a lesson. If you like books that leave you enlightened, this is a good one to read.

Yoruma değmeyecek kadar lüzumsuz buldum, yemek tarifi bırakıyorum, enfestir. Yapıp yersiniz.

Patates Musakka (Göçmen Usulü)

4 adet patates
Yarım kg kıyma
1 adet soğan
1 yemek kaşığı salça
Tuz, karabiber, nane
Zeytinyağı

Sos için;

1 yumurta
10 yemek kaşığı dolusu yoğurt
Tuz


Kıymamızı soğanla kıyma tek tek ayrılıncaya kadar güzelce kavuruyoruz. Patateslerimizi küp küp doğruyoruz. Daha sonra ayrı bir kapta patateslerimizi kavuruyoruz. Çok kavurmaya gerek yok 10 dk yeterli. Daha sonra kıyma ve patatesleri birleştirip salçamızı ekliyoruz. Bir yandan yoğurt, tuz ve yumurtayı güzelce çırpıyoruz. Fırın kabımıza patates-kıyma karışımını yaydırıp en son üzerine yumurta ve yoğurt karışımını kaşıkla düzgünce sürüyoruz. Üzerine nane serpip, kızarıncaya kadar pişiriyoruz. (200 -180 aralığında)