Rating: 
Summary: Great read with inspirational message
Review: Like other uplifting novels that show us not only the bad side of human nature, but the positive aspects as well, THE ALCHEMIST will hold its own in that category. Wonderfully told with expert pacing and warmth, author Paulo Coelho has truly given us a gift. With a message and writing reminiscent of McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, this stellar tale about finding out who you are and following your dreams will reverberate with you long after you've put it down. This is one you'll want to pass on to friends (and a few enemies). Highly recommended.Also recommended: McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD
Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant, Beautiful Tale for Young and Old
Review: After reading The Alchemist several years ago, I recently reread it, and found that it is one of those few books that has the power to change your life every time you read it. What I find so marvelous about this book is that it can be read on many different levels: younger readers could enjoy the fairy-tale adventure of Santiago as he seeks out his treasure, whereas older readers pick up on the extended allegory woven into the novel. Every page is rich with symbolism and hidden threads of meaning.
What is so very brilliant about this book is that it has the ability to take one of its messages and connect it macrocosmically with the very structure of the novel. One of Coelho's main ideas is that omens and signs about one's destiny are scattered throughout life in order to be found, and in the actual novel, Coelho has scattered his own foreshadowing and metaphors in a way that mimics an inherent truth about life. The effect is that the reader learns to have trust in life, and it helps them to believe that when they follow their own Personal Legends, the universe truly does "conspire to help them" in their endeavors.
I recently read another novel that seems to reinforce the uplifting theme of pursuing one's destiny where it lies. Sands of the Desert, by Stacy Chudwin, follows the journey of the princess Serepta as she escapes betrothal to her wicked cousin. She journeys through many mysterious lands, and this journey, as I interepreted it, is an intricate allegory as well. Each part of the book ("Up a Mountain," "Down a Stream," "To the Pyramid") all seem to represent the successive stages in a person's life. Like Coelho's fable, it also can be read on many levels, which proved to be true when my daughter in eighth grade enjoyed just it as much as I did. The quick paced story held her attention, as did the fact that the author, Chudwin, is only 16 years old! Both The Alchemist and Sands of the Desert seem to have the ability to take universal themes about destiny and truth and deliver them with a rich, imaginative plot. I would highly recommend them both.
Rating:
Summary: The Alchemist
Review: Reviewer: Maria Arellano from Montebbello Adult School,Montebello, C.A. This wonderful story wrote by Paulo Coelho show us the ways and many possitive messages to continue fight in our life, with faith, love, and courage.
Rating: 
Summary: Cliched, sexist fiddle-faddle
Review: I read this book to find out what all the fuss was about. What followed was sour disappointment. Storyline: No more sophisticated than those shortened bible stories for five-year olds.
Style: I have read microwave oven instructions with more literary flair.
Characterization: Flat, lifeless "characters", distinguishable only through phrases like "the boy", "the girl", or "the Englishman".
Tone: Preachy and patronizing to the point of being irritating.
Message: "Follow your dreams". How deep, and original.
Further Peeve: Coelho encourages men to follow their dreams, while a woman's destiny is to await her man ("She never asked you to stay because a woman of the desert knows that she must await her man" - p. 126). This is not taken out of context. Throughout the book, the whole "follow your dreams" motto is limited to male protagonists. Don't be duped by the 'warm fuzzy feeling' Coelho tries to leave you with. This book is as deep as a puddle.(...)
Rating:
Summary: A Top Bestseller
Review: This book is a bestseller.
But why? Nobody ever will comprehend.
There is young shepherd Santiago stumbling through a flimsy story, while in the background there is a constant droning about life, purpose, philosophy and mystery. Hardly can there be a famous book out there that's written worse. All characters are flat, all insights a plain. But this whole midget behemoth of fake literature is cloaked in pompous, ahem, "spiritual" attitude - and that's obviously what sells.
Rating:
Summary: An enchanting insight into life's philosophy
Review: The people trashing the book in there reviews need to go through the book and try and get the deeper meaning that Coelho is trying to bring out. I read it once, but didnt find it too great, went back and read it again, this time looking to understand the underlying philosophy. Following that the second read was enchanting, and each of the philosophies fitted in so well with what i had experienced and learnt in my own life. The writing is simple and the characters plain, but it is this simplicity that is endearing and the main emphasis is not on the story, but on the message that he is trying to give...Overall an excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: Turning dreams into reality.
Review: "When a person really desires something," Brazilian storyteller, Paulo Coelho writes, "all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream" (pp. 64; 116). His book, THE ALCHEMIST is a two-part fable about Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, who follows his dream from Spain to the Egyptian Pyramids in search of buried treasure. Inspired by "the joys of carefree wandering" (p. 8), and while in pursuit of his "Personal Legend," Santiago encounters Gypsies, a king, a merchant, an Englishman, and an alchemist along the way. When he meets Fatima, he also discovers love in the desert. Ultimately, however, Santiago learns that if we only listen to our heart, for "it knows all things" (p. 129), life may be really generous to us while in the pursuit of our dreams (p. 166). Page after page, Coehlo's ALCHEMIST is an adventure that inspires new meaning in the journey we call life. G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: simply wonderful
Review: As another reviewer put it, why didn't you read it yet? I found it to be one of those very special books... By 'special' I mean I finished it and a minute later I had to start re-reading it!
Rating:
Summary: Why haven't you read it yet?
Review: This is the type of book that should be required reading somewhere during one's life. I imagine it isn't because it's the type of book that finds you when you're ready to read it. It captivates you and has you pondering your own life with each page of the journey. It's so universal and appealing that it becomes irresistible. That it's so brief and easy to read is a bonus. You WILL read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational book which can't be put down
Review: I've probably read this book over a dozen times and know exactly what happens in the story. Yet each time I pick up this book, I can't bare to put it down until I have reached the end. This book is an inspirational read which never gets old and upon really reading it, you realize that it's a lot deeper than just the story in itself. After reading this book, I've become a huge fan of Paulo Coelho's books. I've now read over 6 of his books and this one is by far his best work.
|
