SPOILER ALERT!

This book is very inspiring and what I really need right now to motivate myself with my everyday endeavors. In the end the boy in the story who was searching for his treasure, despite the long travels and experiences, find his treasure not in the place where he suspected it to be, but in the place where he came from. It's just pretty ironic that what have you looking for is in the end is just beside you right from the beginning. It's just that what he learned and discovered from his travel is another treasure that he should realize in order to appreciate himself and the things around him.

A very inspiring and positive book, it actually gives me hope that the things that I aspire for will in the end I would achieve if only I strive hard and don't lose hope until I get it. Sometimes the detours and the problems that we face now were later on in our life will make sense and when you remember that moment especially if you had overcome it you will know that you are thankful for that to happen because in the end you would learn something from it.

(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.

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n    “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”n  

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~ Rating- 1 star ~

Content/ Trigger Warning- Poverty, Sexism, Desert

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is an extremely hyped up book. I picked it up in the hopes of finding an interesting read that I could gain something from, but I hadn’t expected to be so thoroughly disappointed.

The Alchemist isn’t a terrible book, rather I am the wrong kind of reader for this book. The message of The Alchemist is to essentially find the true meaning of life and follow your heart all the time. While I agree with it to a certain extent, I didn’t like the way it was portrayed in the book. It made not following a ‘personal legend ’ a bad thing and people who don’t abandon their fairly happy life in pursuit for a greater goal a bad thing, which I disagree with. Apparently if you don’t leave your life to search for a ‘personal legend’ then you are either unhappy, afraid, or both. That makes no sense. It is not a bad thing to keep living your life the way it is, in fact it is an admirable thing to find happiness in what you already have.

There were some sentences in The Alchemist that were quite cliche, like-

n  “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”n

Yes that is true, but it is never the only factor that is responsible. Sometimes people may not have enough resources to achieve their dreams, or sometimes they may not have the ability. Sometimes people can’t abandon their life only for the sake of a dream that might not be achieved. I’m not saying that we should never make an effort to pursue our dreams, but we should also be practical and plan it properly. The fear of failure is more of a mental aspect, but overcoming it does not guarantee that your dreams will be fulfilled.

The main character in The Alchemist is a shepherd, Santiago, who is earning enough income, has a passion for reading. He has plans of getting engaged to someone and is content in his life. When he is offered the opportunity to pursue something, (which by the way, he doesn't even know what at this point) he jumps right at it for absolutely no reason. The character doesn’t think it through properly. Someone tells him to go in search of some hidden treasure and pursue his ‘personal legend’ and he listens. It is so impractical, irrational, and something that wouldn't exactly work out in real life. If everyone abandoned their life and went to a desert to pursue a ‘personal legend’, the world would collapse, and there would be no one to ensure it functioned.

What bothered me a lot more than this though, was the fact that the male characters are the only ones who are allowed to pursue a ‘personal legend’. The female characters in this book are expected to wait around at home, while the male characters leave everything behind.

We have sentences these-

*Mild Spoiler alert*

n  “The desert takes our men from us, and they don't always return. We know that, and we are used to it. Those who don't return... they become part of the Soul of the World. Some do come back. And then the other women are happy because they believe that their men may one day return, as well. I used to look at those women and envy them their happiness. Now, I too will be one of the women who wait."

And, "The boy fell to his knees and wept. He thanked God for making him believe in his Personal Legend, and for leading him to meet a king, a merchant, an Englishman, and an alchemist. And above all for his having met a woman of the desert who had told him that love would never keep a man from his Personal Legend."n

Now I get it, this book was written years ago. I also get the fact that this is Santiago’s story, and I don't expect anyone else to tag along with him on his personal legend. But that still doesn’t make me want to ignore this, as it was just upsetting and something I hadn’t expected in a book hyped so much.

In short, The Alchemist was a thorough disappointment. I like the general message of the book, but I wish it was discussed in more depth and I wish the other side (and more practical side) wasn’t completely ignored and tagged as ‘bad’.

Before people argue that this is fiction and I should not take it so seriously, I picked this up expecting a life-changing read, so I suppose I can complain if it didn’t meet the mark. If you are debating whether you should read this, my advice is to read through the quotes. If you find them inspiring, I’d recommend reading the book!

Audiobook Comments
The narration was alright. Nothing extraordinary, but not bad either. It would be good for beginners I’d recommend it. Audiobook Rating- 3/5 stars.

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n    “Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”n  

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n  n    Review written on September 10th, 2021.n  n

DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite


..........................................

Finished. Didn’t really enjoy this. In short, good message but poor execution. Probably 1.5 stars. Review to come soon. I’ll try to write it by tomorrow.

I need to start this review by stating 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 soul.'

If the statements in quotes above ('personal legend', etc) fascinate you, then you'll enjoy this book. If you think they are hokey and silly, then you'll think this is a terrible book. If you think statements such as "When you want something, all the universe conspires you to achieve it" and "All things are one" are moving and life-changing, you'll love this book. If such statements have you rolling your eyes, then this isn't your cup of tea.

Its not that I find anything wrong with these messages. They are important, but must be balanced with responsibility. In my experience, 'following your dreams' (or personal legend) is not the only way toward wisdom and strength. Is the person who struggles to put food on the table every day for his or her family, consciously realizing that he or she may not be following his or her 'personal legend' any less heroic than some traveler who leaves everything and everyone he or she is responsible for to go on a spiritual quest? Coelho comes close to labeling such people, as losers in life, which I find completely off the mark as some of these people have the most to offer in terms of wisdom.

The issue of responsibility is also part of this book's sexism. The main male characters in the novel have 'Personal Legends' - they are either seeking them, or have achieved them, or have failed to achieve them. But Coelho never mentions 'Personal Legend' with regard to women, other than to say that Fatima, Santiago's fiance, is 'a part of Santiago's Personal Legend." Thats fine, but what about her own Personal Legend? Instead of traveling to find her dreams, she is content to sit around, do chores, and stare everyday at the desert to wait for his return. This is her 'fate' as a desert women. The fact that women don't have Personal Legends is even more galling considering the fact that according to Coelho, even minerals such as lead and copper have Personal Legends, allowing them to 'evolve' to something better (ie, gold).

In the ideal world presented in THE ALCHEMIST, it seems that the job of men is to seek out their personal legends, leaving aside thoughts of family and responsibility, and its the job of women to let them, and pine for their return. Of course, someone has to do the unheroic, inconvenient work of taking care of the children, the animals, the elderly, the ill...If everyone simply goes off on spiritual quests, deciding they have no responsibility other than to seek their Personal Legends, no one would be taking responsibility for the unglamorous work that simply has to take place for the world to run.

On the other hand, what if both men and women are allowed to struggle towards their 'Personal Legends,' and help each other as best as they can towards them, but recognize that their responsibilities may force them to defer, compromise, or even 'sacrifice' their dreams? This may seem depressing, but it isn't necessarily. Coelho seems to think that Personal Legends are fixed at childhood (or at birth, or even before) and are not changeable: they have to be followed through to the end, no matter how silly. But in my experience, many people have chosen to adjust, compromise, and even 'give up' on their dreams, only to find that life grants them something better, or they have a new, better dream to follow, a path providing greater wisdom. For me, these people have a more realistic, more humble, more fair, and less cliched vision of the world than Paulo Coelho's vision in THE ALCHEMIST.

This Review ✍️ Blog

There are a number of “should read” books on my TBR... The Alchemist is probably one that’s been on my list the longest.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it. I’m slightly disconcerted that it didn’t WOW me as I was led to believe— having read the 25th anniversary edition with a strong preface, I’m wondering why I wasn’t transformed by this classic?

Some lovely philosophical musings and plot devices to prove some long recognized adages. A few passages gave me pause and I even re-read one or two to make sure I understood them. I will admit to thinking of the stasis of my own life once or twice, now that I’m middle-aged. I definitely identified with the crystal shop owner more than I’d care to admit.

A quick read, I can see why so many have this on their “must read” lists but a five-star read it was not.

At least not for me.

(Reviewed 1/5/19)

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 to help you."

The Alchemist, categorized commonly as fiction, self-development as well as philosophy by most readers, did indeed give the feeling that it belongs to all these types, and then some. I believe, however, the meaning of the books is going to be entirely different from reader to reader, depending on his or her personal philosophical, religious, social and traditional systems of belief.

It's true that most might interpret much similarly the parts on not giving up, having unshaken faith and pursuing one's dreams amid numerous challenges. But there are a quite a lot more in this book, which could be interpreted in various ways. The intangible connection shared by everything that is in existence, certain implications that this is actually a one's journey to understanding universe or enlightenment, the drastic differences in how a single situation is viewed and understood by different spectators, are some of these differences.

But in the end, irrespective of your beliefs, you will well enjoy this book, that is most suited your own way of seeing the world.

"The story of one person is the story of everyone, and one man's quest is the quest of all humanity,"

"It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them."

n  الرواية التّي سبّبت .. ظاهرة الإحتباس الحراري :n

قد يبدوا العنوان غريبا نوعا ما.. ولكن صراحة أحبّ العناوين الغريبة " الرجل الذّي حسب زوجته قبعة " ، " انتحار حمار " و عناوين أخرى غريبة يزخر بها عالم التأليف والكتب، ولكن ما سبب اختياري لهذا العنوان ؟

حسب وكيبيديا هذه الرواية تمّت ترجمتها إلى حوالي 67 لغة .. وبيع منها 65 مليون نسخة في 150 بلد، وفي مقال آخر .. يقولون أنّه لصناعة طن من الورق نحتاج إلى قطع 17 شجرة طول كل واحدة منها هو 11 متر .. هذا بالإضافة إلى عمليات التصنيع والنقل وما يصاحبها من انبعاثات غازية. سيقوم محبّوا الرياضيات والإحصائيات بحساب عدد الكتب في الطن الواحد ثمّ عملية ضرب هذه الأطنان في عدد الأشجار اللازمة لصناعتها .. ويضيف إليها تقديرا نسبيا لكمية الانبعاثات الغازية أثناء عملية النّقل والصّناعة .. ثم يقوم بتقسيم النّاتج على عدد البلدان التّي تمّ فيها طبع أو بيع هذه النسخ . لنجد أنّ هذه الرواية بشكل ما أو بآخر كانت سببا في ارتفاع درجة حرارة الأرض مسبّبة ظاهرة الإحتباس الحراري .

في النّهاية.. ماذا عسانا نقول يا كويلهو؟ لقد غيّرت حياة البشر بسبب روايتك.. ملايين البشر تغيرت حياتهم بسبب ظاهرة الإحتباس الحراري، ذوبان القطبين الشمالي والجنوبي بسبب ارتفاع درجة الحرارة أنت السبب فيه .. تغيير الفصول وتداخلها أنت السبب فيه.. الأعاصير القويّة والعواصف المتقلبة أنت السبب فيها .. ثقب طبقة الأوزون أنت السبب فيه .. اجتثاث أشجار غابة الأمازون ( وأنت من البرازيل وتعرف قيمة هذه الغابة ) أنت السبب فيه .. لقد قتلتنا يا كويلهو بروايتك هذه .


أخيراا :

من الروايات القليلة جدا التّي قرأتها بسقف توقعات مرتفع .. ولكن للأسف خاب ظنّي والسبب فيّ أنا وليس في الرواية طبعا

n  عن المراجعة :n

" I did it my way "

- Frank Sinatra .
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If books were pills, Alchemist would be a sugarcoated placebo with no real effect. Let's call it a feel-good homily. I have never read a book as meretricious as this one. Many reviewers have pointed out the problems with this 'celebrated' novel so I'd rather not expend any more words. Suffice it so say that this is a good example of portentous writing that is best avoided if your benchmark is quality literature.

Superficially deep (ie deep on the surface and shallow underneath), but actually rather pretentious new age waffle - yet somehow manages to be beautiful despite that. I would have enjoyed it in my late teens/early 20s (when I enjoyed Jonathan Livingston Seagull), but reading this as an adult, I found it annoyingly unsubtle.

Reading, and disliking this, was something of a watershed: a few years earlier and I'd probably have loved it, but as it was, I realised I'd turned into a cynical adult (and I know where I get that from!).

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!!).