Rating: 
Summary: Don't let the snobs make you miss this wonderful book!
Review: If you are considering reading this book based on the comments of this page, you will find the following:
1) At this moment, 471 people have taken the time to write a review about it.
2) Out of those 471 readers, 308 gave it 5 stars, and 71 gave it 4 stars.
3) Many of those readers (including myself) identify this book as one of those which can actually change your life, or open your mind to a new way of thinking. Not every book in this world receives that type of comment.
However, there are 41 comments that give this book just one star. The sad part of this is that those bad comments are always marked as the "most useful". I feel sorrow for those who did not read this book based on the anger and bad judgement of the negative reviewers. They really missed something valuable.
Most of the negative reviews come from three kinds of people:
1) Arrogant snobs, who always care more about the form than about the content; people who adore what they don't understand and call "children reading" anything that their minds can really process. They like to consider themselves separated from what they call "the masses", or "the shallow people", but in reality their are the shallowest of all. They are looking for fancy words and constructions, not for interesting questions. When you tell to one of this persons "Run! Save your life!" they don't pay attention to you. They analyze if "Save your life" could be expressed in a more elegant manner. While they think of that, the avalanche comes over their heads.
2) Phsicologysts or other counselors, who want to save you from going crazy after you read the book. They think that you will throw away your whole life under the influence of this book. They don't realize that the book actually promotes serenity, wisdom, balance and moderation. "The Alchemist" does not talk about leaving everything to pursue your dreams. It just says that you should have dreams, and make moves towards them. To this type of reviewer I recommend to read again the part about the spoon with oil in the castle.
3) People without imagination, who take things literally. Persons who strongly believe that God made the world in six days and slept on Sunday. This type of person says that "The Alchemist" associates "meaning" with "wealth". Nothing could be more wrong! The "treasure" is just a metaphore, and actually what matters is the trip, not the result. These reviewers concentrate their attention in things like "the treasure is just some gold", "he falls in love with a woman the first time they meet" or "the story talks about elixirs of life and phylosophical stones". They don't realize that this book is about the meaning of life, about the complexity of things that look simple, about the way our universe is built and all its parts are connected. The key concepts of the book are:
a) Every life has meaning. Each of us is the star of a story that is worth living.
b) There are messages everywhere. There is a logic behing everything. If you open your eyes, you will see interesting things in simple events or objects that others would ignore.
c) The standards of our society fill our souls with fear. They make us believe that we have to follow known patterns. They make us feel small, isolated and meaningless, but each of us has a place in the universe, and a function to acomplish.
d) Balance is essential in life. If you leave everything behind, thinking that God or "the universe" is going to give you everything, life will prove you wrong; but if you stay where you are and don't pursue your dreams, you will not live at all.
Out of the negative reviews, there is one that I respect very much. It says something like "if you like this book, you deserve it". This book is what you want to make of it. If you are looking for the shape of the words or for an explicit confirmation of your beliefs, you will be disappointed. If you read this book with an open mind, you will enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: The Alchemist-reading between the lines
Review: Coelho's novel The Alchemist was very quick reading. Though this book only took an hour or so to read, the impact it made was far greater than that of the most detailed book. Coelho writes in such a way that it is easy to read between the lines. The book is simple, yet the message it sends to the reader is extremely complex and deep. A young boy begins by discussing his simple life as a shepard, and everything he learns from his sheep. As the novel progresses, and the boy meets many new people on the way, the boy becomes more spirital and gains new understanding of life and how people communicate. I have read this book time and time again and gain a new understanding of life each time.
Rating: 
Summary: follow ur dreams
Review: This is an adventure story about a shepherd named Santiago who was traveling from Spain to Africa looking for treasure. But what this story really about was philosophy; and the boy was really looking for his reason to live, his destiny or where he belongs to. This book taught me that we should pay more attention to things that we saw everyday, then we were discover the wonders and joy of life.
Rating:
Summary: Alchemist review
Review: "The Alchemist" in my opinion is probably one of the best mystery/science fiction books ever written. In the book Coelho(author) describes each scene to a single detail. He hooks you to the story in an uncanny way, you literaly feel the story grabing you and pulling you into the the pages. " The Alchemist" is the king
of all books. The story begins with a young boy contemplating his future in life. He had the mind of a dreaming Romeo and the heart and courage of a saint. All his life he has wanted to travel, see the world , explore. He was born and raised in the same old village he grew up in, he never left a foot outside it. Until the day came that Santiago (the boy) decided that he was a man and he had to forgo his dream. His father was outraged and insisted that he stayed and become a sheperd like him. Although his father begged him not to go, Santigo left with 10 sheep his father gave to him. The only reason Santiago wanted to leave so badly other than his dream to exlpore and the hatred of staying in one place for your whole life, was because he visted a Jypsy fortune teller and she told him that he would find a treasure after a long and rough journey to the piramids so he thats were he intended to go. From there Santiago end up in a small town where he meets an old man. Santiago and the old man talk for hours and hours and what the were talking about was the Alchemist. The Alchemist possesed such powers to which he could turn any metal into gold. He also knew many remidies to sicknessess. The Alchemist was also a very wise man able to persuade almost any man. At the old kings departure he gives the boy two rocks. One a white rock, and the other a black rock. He tells the boy to learn the language of the desert and until he did, he should never forget the following. The black rock means no, and the white rocks means yes, and also to never ever, deny nor ignore omens(sort of speacial signs warning you of things to come). After the old man leaves Santiago get in a series of mishaps and unfurtunate incidents. He gets robbed twice and almost killed. Although in the beggining of the story Santiago believes that he has lost his true love, in the end of the story he falls in love and marries a jypsy woman. After all the crazy things that happen in the story Santiago does indeed live his dream in traveling and returns home to a furtune. I highly recomend this book to readers of all ages. The text is not hard to understand is very addictive. By : Anthony Alfaro
Rating:
Summary: A simple tale with a complex message
Review: The negative reviews written here unfortunately surprise me. I found this book to be an excellent fable with symbolism that can be applied to real life. This book teaches you that hope is something to cling to and that when all seems lost, if you give every ounce of effort to one last try, you will make it. It teaches you that to be observant and to listen to words and omens and symbols, you can understand that the Divine speaks with you. He always does -- we just don't always listen. It also teaches that when we think we have lost one treasure, there is always a greater one on the horizon. It really is mostly about faith in oneself and God. This book seems simple in it's storytelling, but breaking down the conversations and lessons actually makes me pull out a legal pad and jot down information to ponder; this book made me think and is one that I'll be referencing for sometime. As for omens, well, let me just tell you that a friend had recommended this book to me awhile ago and I thought: "Well, I'll pick it up sometime later." Two weeks went by and I didn't. Well, one night I was walking up to my apartment and on the ground right in front of me was: "The Alchemist." Someone had dropped it on the street and didn't notice. So I picked it up, brought it home and read it. Was this an omen that I was to read this book and receive clarity in my life? I'd like to think so. But, that's what I've learned. You'll probably have to read the book yourself and come up with your own interpretation. All I know is I'm glad I acted on that "omen" and read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre... at best!
Review: Hearing positive things about "The Alchemist" and seeing it on sale at the campus bookstore, I decided to give it a try. Unfortuately, the book left me terribly unimpressed. "The Alchemist" is the story of a young Spanish shepherd boy who is told that he is destined to find a treasure near the pyramids in Egypt. The boy then runs into a man who claims to be a king and tells him that everyone has their own "Personal Legend" that they must fulfill. He is also told that the world is always conspiring to help everyone fulfill this dream. Very early on you can see this book is purely about destiny. It's a hard pill to swallow. Guided by signs that he sees, the boy makes his way towards Egypt in order to achieve his dream. Along the way he gets sidetracked several times, gets introduced to alchemy, falls in love and eventually runs into an Alchemist. I had a hard time keeping my attention while reading this book. The plot offers little to no excitement as you always know everything is going to turn out right because it's the boy's "destiny." The writing is littered with one liners that you would be better suited finding in a book dedicated solely to them. They make the book hard to read by fragmenting it into a bunch of paragraphs leading up to a new one-liner. They also tend to lean heavily towards some of the tennets of Christianity, making it feel almost like you are being preached to. I find it hard to believe that people enjoy this tale at all. It seems more suited for a child than an adult reader but I wouldn't trust filling my child's head with thoughts about them having a personal destiny that they have to fulfill. Do yourself a favor and avoid this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Commercial authorship...
Review: Having read what other people have to say I think I know why this insignificant book enjoys the distinction of having almost 500 reviews! Most are not descriptions of the book - they are descriptions of how readers felt after reading it! Well, let me tell you how it made me feel: *Angry*. Now let me tell you why: it is trite, paternalistic, sexist and repetitive. Unlike most of those who comment positively I will justify my opinion. This book tells the story of a young shepherd from Andalusia who decides to sell his flock and pursue his dream of finding a treasure hidden in the Pyramids. After many adventures through North Africa (he even faces death at some point!) he succeeds. What makes the book *Trite* is not just the fact that its narrative is an unoriginal amalgamation of other people's tales. It is its moral teachings. They are no more than rehashed words of 'wisdom' you have read a million times before. The basic teaching of 'follow your heart' in particular is to be found in countless other works - notwithstanding the Bible itself. While other authors at least try to validate their thesis this Coelho adopts a 'I'm into alchemy, I know best' attitude that smacks of sheer contempt to the reader's intelligence. Did I say paternalistic - make that *Condescending*! No one is spared, especially women. There are few in the story anyway, properly hidden from view attending to household chores while the men brandish their swords and ponder the secrets of the Universe. Somehow the hero manages to find one and fall in love with her (fittingly, a girl fetching water from a well...). He thinks about dropping his treasure hunt and staying with her but then decides to push on. And what does she do? She assures him she'll wait for him! How *Sexist* can you get? To add insult to injury the book bridles with constant repetitions of its shallow albeit fashionable New Agey messages. I am convinced the author must think we are all certified ... who can't comprehend unless told a dozen times. Too bad a zero rating is not allowed. Even one star is too much for this blatant piece of commercial authorship.
Rating:
Summary: Encouragement for those in quest of their personal dream...
Review: That said I can't say that the writing is stellar. But the story is certainly interesting if less so engaging. As I am currently lost in my own personal dessert, an image utilized in the story, as I search for my own treasure the fundamental truths resonated. Many of the feelings, doubts, and fears experienced by the main character are also my own and I would assume those of all the brave few who undertake the task. Accordingly I found the story to be very reassuring as it validated many of those previously mentioned feelings. Very few people will ever have the courage to truly embark in search of their own personal treasure. The price is too high I can assure you and filled with obstacles that I certainly didn't imagine as I began my journey. As such I feel that the story is a very important one. For those who may criticize the writing I can largely agree as the characters are less than fully developed. Therefore 'The Alchemist' fails to qualify as a great literary work. However, the main point of the story is to describe the process and I believe impart to the reader the essence of personal discovery, risk, and belief. And in that regard it most suredly succeeds.
Rating:
Summary: It really doesn`t worth it
Review: When you start the book the story of Santiago is cute, when he decide to go for his treasure is a good story, but when he start to speak with the dessert, the wind and the Sun among other things, it is really boring and boring, this book could be great if the writer kept writing real things, things that will really help other people.
Rating:
Summary: Simply magical!
Review: "The Alchemist" is a simply story of one shepherd journey to fulfill his dream of discovering treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. During the course of his journey, he encountered obstacles and successfully overcame each one of them. He soon discovered more about himself, and others around him. This motivational book encourages each and every one of us to pursue our dreams. Instead of standing by the sidelines, we should take action to achieve and discover our dreams. Others who stand by the sidelines will always be dreaming where else others who take action will be closer to achieving them. Paulo Coelho carefully combined the elements of dreams and magic to send this message to his readers and that is, we are in control of our actions and we are the only ones who can help ourselves discover our destinies. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about him/herself and life in general.
|
