(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: On chasing dreams, don't settle themes, enjoying silver linings, but too cliché and child's play, relies on stars aligning.

*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:

Progress updates:

06/08/2024 - Preamble
(1) It's been a very long time since I first read this. Really, this is one of the earliest novels I read when I began reading recreationally.
- I remember at the time not getting what all the hype was about and thought it, while quite well done, was fairly ordinary.
- It'll be interesting to see if I'll change my tune at all after so many years.
(2) No real chapter breaks, which is a shame. I like boundaries.

06/09/2024 - Prologue
(1) You know, I'd just been wondering why the original cover art was "Narcissus" by Caravaggio. I couldn't understand why. Well, the prologue answered that question immediately albeit not directly.
- My first thought is it's symbolic of this book in concept. The prologue tells the story of Narcissus, but then adds to it. Which is to say this book might use existing folklore as a base to build its fiction upon.

06/12/2024 - Andalusia
(1) Melchizedek's interesting. He says he's the Biblical King of Salem, who dealt with Abraham. So, he's either a liar/conman or in some way divine.
- You'd think Santiago, who attended seminary, would be either awed or skeptical. He seems neither.
- Presuming he's divine, the way he disrupts Santiago's life, overturning the status quo, makes him an archetypical trickster.
- This is magical realism, I suppose.

06/13/2024 - Tangier
(1) "The boy knew that in money there was magic; whoever has money is never really alone."
- True, albeit cynical. You're never alone because people want your money.
- Of course, it implies the inverse is also true. Losing all his money means he's now really alone and has no ability to make things magically happen.
(2) This whole Tangier section is about blessings in disguise and not settling for the familiar.

06/14/2024 (1) - The Caravan and Oasis
(1) "Once you get into the desert, there's no going back, and, when you can't go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward."
- That's the difference between the Crystal Merchant, who looks back and never sees Mecca, and the Englishman, who builds a forge in the desert.
- This whole section is like one big Nike ad. So many metaphors all amounting to the same "Just Do It!" call to action.

06/14/2024 (2) - The Desert
(1) It's interesting how figures here tie themselves into a Biblical lineage, as if to imply this story is Biblical as well.
- We saw this previously with the old man who insisted he was the Biblical Melchizedek.
- At the oasis, the tribal elder says they were the very people who purchased Joseph and brought him to Egypt.
- Like Joseph, Santiago is a foreigner who saves the locals and is made a court official.

06/15/2024 (1) - The Military Camp
(1) It's around this point in the book that you realize the titular "Alchemist" isn't the alchemist character, but Santiago.
- Because turning lead into gold is a metaphor for leaving a mundane life to pursue treasure.
(2) "Usually the threat of death makes people a lot more aware of their lives."
- Hitting rock bottom usually spurs people into action.
- That's why the boy was robbed of everything three times.

06/15/2024 (2) - Epilogue
(1) Ultimately, this is one of those "it's not you it's me" books.
- I can understand why it inspires so many people and why it's one of the most popular books on this site.
- But (call me jaded, cynical or a grump) the book-long refrain that the universe conspires to make your dreams come true just seems quixotic and trite.
(2) Overall, a better experience than before, but nothing to make me change my rating.

I simply could not finish this book. I got halfway through it only to wind up on goodreads.com to see what others thought. I simply felt guilty panning a book that has received such global acclaim; more than that, I felt lame and inadequate.

Well, it turns out that my sentiments were echoed. I basically felt I was reading an overblown parable and that the same lessons were being spelled out again and again. It was like the 16th verse of a hymn.

Throughout my life I have periodically reflected to get a sense of who I am, where I am going and whether I want to end up there. I am an extremely introspective person and I am constantly evaluating and re-evaluating my person; sometimes for the better, sometimes out of necessity. To put a fine point on it, I regularly do that which is, for lack of a better word, preached in this book. The problem I had with The Alchemist is that instead of feeling reinforced and validated, I felt uncomfortable and nagged.

3.5 Stars

The Alchemist is an interesting little spiritual fable. A little bit of several religions have an influence on the journey to enlightenment. Not a whole lot of exposition as the author gets right to the point throughout. It should be a quick read (unless you don't care for it - and I have seen many less than satisfied reviews).

When I read this I was reminded a lot of Siddhartha. I read that one earlier this year so I have it fresh in my brain. Both of them are short novels (novellas, really) that tell about a simple and fairly unremarkable boy going through many encounters to find ultimate enlightenment. With this being the case, if you liked Siddhartha, I think that not only will you like this, you should read it for sure!

With that, I will end my review - leaving it short, just like the book!

كلّ شيء مكتوب !

ما إن انتهيت من قراءة هذه الرواية حتى أحسستُ أن الدنيا سكتت ، و العالم سكت

و أنني أريدُ أن أسكتُ باقي عمري ..

أتأمل الحياة .. لعل روح العالم تغمرني فأفلسف الحياة كما شاء لي قلبي

مليئة هذه الرواية بالرموز و الحكم و التراث و الأخلاق بل وحتى الآيات الإسلامية



تحسّ و أنت تقرؤها برياح أندلسية تلفح فكرك ، تجعلكَ تبتسم بين حكمة و أخرى

ببساطة القدر ، و تعقيد البشر .. بعمق المعاني ، و سطحية الفهم

هذه الرواية تجسّد القدر و الحكمة في أسمى معانيها ، كما نؤمن بها تمامًا

أحببتُ حكمها جدًا " كيف يتحدّث الكون لغة واحدة هي الحب ، العمل ، متعة الهدف

و كيف نتعلّم تقديس الحياة من حولنا على بساطتها، والتفكّر في كلّ أحداثها على أنّها منحٌ و إشارات يلقيها الله في طريقنا لتقودنا نحو ذواتناو مجدنا

و كيف أن الكنز قريب جدًا جدًا من أحدنا كما كان قريبًا عند شجرة الجميز التي نام تحتها سانتياغو أو الفتى - كما يسميه الكاتب - إلا أن العمل من أجل الحصول و الجهد المبذول و التعب المضني في سبيل الوصول.. كان هو الغاية .. و هو سرّ الوجود و " الإنجاز العظيم " فما معنى الكنز إن لم تستحقّ الحصول عليه !!

أحسستُ بالقرب الشديد من جوّها ، صورة الراعي ، و الخيميائي .. إكسير الحياة والإنجاز العظيم ..روح العالم و الأسطورة الشخصية

حقًا ، لقد خلق كلّ منا لـ يحقق أسطورة

و الحياة لا تمنحُ الفرص إلا للراغبين

The book is full of messages and symbolizes our life actions interwoven in very complex yet elementary patterns that can be deciphered if one persists and has a longing in his heart. It is not just following the heart blindly but never ignoring what it says. Its important message is to keep in accord with your heart no matter where it takes you because the treasure is where there is the heart.

Now, that was the gist of the book. But my reading experience with this book was horrible and, most importantly, boring. It was a letdown except for its insights (which were rather scattered but impactful). It was more like a new age book, with some elements of prophetic vision, aimed at opening a new dimension of spiritual values within. However, it didn't strike a chord.

" عندما تقع كنوزٌ كبيرة أمام أعيننا ، فإننا لا ننتبه إليها ، أوتعلم لماذا؟ لأن الناس لا يؤمنون بوجودها ."
أحد أشهر الروايات في التاريخ ، استمررتُ في تأجيلها لشهور حتي وقعت بين يدي أخيرا غيرَ مدركٍ كمَّ التأثير التي قد تتركه هذه الصفحات المعدودات.

راعٍ للغنم في ربوع الأندلس كانت أبعد أمانيه أن يمر بكل أراضي الأندلس ليستكشفها و يعرف أسرارها ، ليحلم في إحدي الليالي بحلمٍ غريب يغير مجرى حياته للأبد و ينقله نفسياً و روحياً من راعٍ للغنم إلي شخص جديد - تجدد هدفه و إيمانه - ليتخلي عن كل شيئ بين يديه ساعياً لتحقيق أسطورته.

يسرد لنا الكاتب البرازيلي بأسلوب فلسفي عبقري عن قصة الراعي العجيبة ، كل فصل في الرحلة يحمل معانٍ عديدة و يرنو بالعقل ليصله بالقلب في قالب بديع ، ملئ بأحلام الناس .

ربوع الأندلس الخضراء و المعالم الإسلامية الشاهقة ،
أحياء المغرب و أسواقها ،
شدة و قسوة الصحراء الشاسعة .



رواية تُقرأ بالقلب أولا

I really disliked this book. I dislike it in the way that I dislike a great deal of modern self help books. Their basic message is that if you want something to happen, you need to want it as hard as you can, without caring about anything else, not allowing yourself to doubt it, or let criticisms will get in the way then it will happen.
I disagree with this notion, not only because it is false, but because it is bad.
Just because we desire something, does not make it good. This idea of 'following your heart' is often wrong. Who are we to be the arbiters of truth? Why should our hearts be sources of information that go beyond logic, doubt and reasoning? Haven't we all desired things that have turned out to not be in our best interest, or to be harmful to others? Andrew Jackson was a man known to have a lot of integrity. He was always 'true' to himself and followed his heart. Andrew Jackson is the man who initiated the 'Trail of Tears'. Moving Native Americans from their homes and into reservations.
Next, this idea of not letting ourselves doubt or consider doubts. This is a terrible and dishonest way to live. If we don't consider doubts, and entertain them often, then we are deliberately blinding ourselves. Deliberately making ourselves ignorant. If someone doesn't give serious consideration to the idea that they may be wrong. Give serious thought to why they believe what they do, and that perhaps those who doubt them may be correct, then they are behaving in a dangerous and dishonest way.
Not giving heed to the concerns doubts and criticisms of others is something I believe is a major fault in modern society. Often, people fail to recognize the needs of the group and the community. We place so much emphasis on the needs and rights of the individual. This causes people to focus so much on themselves to the detriment of others around them. At times, it can be beneficial to go against the group, but one should first give serious consideration to the groups concerns.

According to Ideas like the Alchemist, groups like, the Westboro Baptist Church,(godhatesfags.com) should be seen as American heroes. These are people who take a totally irrational stance, and stick to it as hard as they can in complete defiance to the views of everyone around them.

A lot of people recommended The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho to me.

tl;dr - important message, disappointing execution.

for this to have been described as a story that changes lives, im a little let down. whilst this certainly had the potential to be ‘life changing,’ i felt there were many aspects which kept the story from delivering what could have been a meaningful experience.

firstly, this is told like a parable. i would consider this story to fall more along the lines of religious allegory than philosophical text. that, in itself, is neither here nor there. however, i read somewhere that effective parables should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. unfortunately, this book does neither of those things - it pampers to the egos of the self-righteous and chastises those who dont adhere to certain values. which is a shame, because this was supposed to be a story about following ones heart by chasing dreams and passions. too bad that message got lost somewhere along the way.

secondly, i didnt connect with the any of characters, as i found them to be very two-dimensional. for a story that was meant to be about personal growth, i did not get any sense of emotion in the writing. a boy sells his entire livelihood, sets sail for distant continent, and crosses an entire desert in search of something he desperately desires - and yet, i couldnt care less about his journey. also, the portrayal of women in this is frustratingly poor.

anyways, i liked the idea. i personally try to live my life by many of the lessons and teachings in this book - i believe it is important for one to follow their dreams, to always listen to their heart, and to never give up on something they are passionate about (as much as realistically possible). but i think the effectiveness of those messages was lost in this story.

↠ 2.5 stars

Everyone (save one guy) said I would love this book. Three of my four roommates have their own copies. That one guy was right. Now this may be because he planted that seed of discontent, or it may be because this was the least creative and most redundant book I've read in a while. It answered the question, what happens when you put The Hero With a Thousand Faces, The Bible and 1001 Arabian Nights in a blender? That said, I didn't hate it. Two of the central themes (which were hammered in over and over again) are two of my favorite world views - ones I hold very dear to my heart. I understand that everyone has their own path and if it takes this silly little book to realize these two important messages, I'm just happy the reader finally discovered these truths. A) As the far more prolific writer Joseph Campbell says, Follow Your Bliss and B) As the far more prolific writer Ralph Waldo Emerson says, Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. (See the pattern.) To explain my aversion to the third nail in the coffin of stolen redundancy, I will tell you story. I have a small collection of fortunes from fortune cookies. (I have always been in the habit of collecting good omens.) To make the list, a fortune must convey a good message when applied to life and even better when the requisite "Dirty Fortune Cookie Ending" is added. During my freshman year of college, I got the fortune "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also . . . . . between the sheets." Hilarious, right?! Sex, love, treasure, oh the glorious metaphors. Fast forward two years, when I discover that my hilarious fortune is actually A BIBLICAL QUOTE! Straight out the OT. Well, I was shocked and appalled. I was being proselytized to by a cookie! Now, I realize that this is my own issue, but I don't want a bible-thumping cookie or 200 year old Alchemist ramming the OT down my throat. To anyone thinking about reading this book, I have given you the two things that need be learned from it. Now go read some Joseph Campbell.

Whenever I felt lost, depressed, sad, numb, conflicted, frustrated, exhausted, I get this book into my hands and follow the journey of young shepherd Santiago who is looking for a worldly treasure. As like T.S. Eliot says: “ The journey not the arrival matters.”

This journey is about self discovery, fighting with your own demons, letting your heart being your own eyes and leading you throughout the dark and threatening roads of life. It’s epic, uplifting, motivational, inspirational,heartfelt, poignant!

Here are my favorite quotes of the book:
“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.”

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”

“Don't give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”

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

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Coelho’s finest?

Andalusia, Spain. Young poor shepherd Santiago has a very vivid dream in which he finds some lost treasure in a remote unknown location. After consulting a fortune teller, he learns that in order to find it he may need to travel as far as the Egyptian pyramids. A practically impossible task, since he doesn’t have a map, any rational reason, or even the means to fulfil it. This is the story of his fantastic journey, and how he attempts to fulfill a wild quest, that could potentially change his life.

Coelho’s most acclaimed masterpiece and famed work hands down; a very short allegorical tale about listening to your heart, and following your dreams, no matter what. I particularly enjoyed the exchanges with the mysterious old king, the time spent with the crystal merchant, and meeting Fatima, the desert girl. The oasis and the encounter with the Alchemist was good, but felt a bit farfetched, and his teachings somewhat repetitive. Still, a considerable amount of quotes and moments to remember by; with some very nice plot twists, a sublimely satisfying ending, and a spiritually uplifting message. I remember enormously enjoying this novella back in the day, the wowing feeling sadly gradually diminishing over the years. Still, I don’t regret reading it; this was overall a worthy read, and memorable, despite de glaring self-help vibes. I liked learning about the “Personal Legend”, among other curious esoteric concepts. Recommendable, for the right audience.

Personally I must admit I enjoyed  Veronika Decides to Die a lot more; but if you ever had in mind picking up Coelho someday, this is a good choice too. A highly uplifting story with a very memorable message, for those willing to listen to it.

-----------------------------------------------
n  PERSONAL NOTEn: The introduction also mentions this story is plagued with symbolisms. I wouldn’t be able to point out a single one, but that’s because I simply don’t register them. Yes, I’m that stupid; for certain things.
[1988] [182p] [Classics] [3.5] [Recommendable] ["When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”]
-----------------------------------------------

★★★★★  Veronika Decides to Die
★★★★☆  The Alchemist  [3.5]
★★★☆☆  The Fifth Mountain  [2.5]
★★★☆☆  The Pilgrimage  [2.5]

-----------------------------------------------

¿Lo mejor de Coelho?

Andalucía, España. El joven y pobre pastor Santiago tiene un sueño muy vívido en el que encuentra un tesoro perdido en un remoto y desconocido lugar. Después de consultar una adivinadora, descubre que para hallarlo necesitaría viajar tan lejos como hasta las pirámides egipcias. Una tarea prácticamente imposible, ya que no posee un mapa, ni una razón racional, o los medio para completarla. Esta es la historia de su fantástico viaje, y cómo intenta lograr una alocada misión, que potencialmente podría cambiar su vida.

La obra maestra más aclamada y famosa de Coelho por lejos; un muy corto relato alegórico sobre escuchar tu corazón, y seguir tus sueños, sin importar qué. Particularmente disfruté los intercambios con el misterioso viejo rey, el tiempo que transcurrió con el mercader de cristales, y el encuentro con Fátima, la chica del desierto. El oasis y el encuentro con el Alquimista fue bueno, pero se sintió un poco demasiado increíble, y sus enseñanzas un tanto repetitivas. Aun así, una considerable cantidad de citas y momentos para el recuerdo; con unas muy interesantes vueltas de trama, un sublimemente satisfactorio final, y un mensaje espiritualmente elevador. Recuerdo disfrutar esta novela corta enormemente en su día, la maravillosa sensación de asombro lamentablemente gradualmente disminuyendo con el correr de los años. Sin embargo, no me arrepiento de haberla leído; esta fue por sobre todo una valiosa lectura, y memorable, a pesar del llamativo tinte de autoayuda. Me gustó conocer la “Leyenda Personal”, entre otros curiosos conceptos esotéricos. Recomendable, para la audiencia correcta.

Personalmente debo admitir que disfruté  “Veronika Decide Morir”  mucho más; pero si alguna vez tuviste en mente leer Coelho algún día, “El Alquimista” es también una buena elección. Una historia altamente elevadora con un mensaje muy memorable, para aquellos dispuestos a escucharla.

-----------------------------------------------
n  NOTA PERSONALn: La introducción también menciona que la historia está plagada de simbolismos. Yo no podría señalar ni uno sólo, pero eso es porque simplemente no los registro. Sí, soy así de idiota; para ciertas cosas.
[1988] [182p] [Clásicos] [3.5] [Recomendable] [“Cuando realmente quieres una cosa, todo el universo conspira para ayudarte a conseguirla.”]
-----------------------------------------------