Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Book
Review: This book changed my life for the better. All the people that I have recommended this book to have said the same thing. If you let this story take hold of you, you will know the meaning of life. You have to be emotionally prepared for this book so as to know the meaning of life from it. It does not expressly tell you, but through every twist and turn and story you will find it.
Rating:
Summary: Alchemist has all the right chemicals
Review: This is one of those books that is a very enjoyable and a quick read. As far as a page turner, I finished it in a few days and found myself eager to get to the next page. The story is wonderfully colorful and blends a nice travel story with moral lessons. It's a timeless read, 7 year old to a 70 year old will all find it enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing and Inspiring
Review: This book is definitely my favorite one. I have recommended it to all my friends and whoever took the time to read it, did not regret it. It is not a big book and it is so easy to read. It captured me from the very first pages. So, yes, it is a fable, but a pretty darn good one. I find it a very motivating and inspiring book for everyone. I promise that you won't regret reading it.
Rating:
Summary: best book ive read in a long time
Review: my friend recomended this book to me and i totally loved it. i read it in like 2 days, i couldnt put it down. i highly recomend it to anybody who like a good story with a positive message.
Rating: 
Summary: it's ok
Review: it's still not on par with the little prince! i mean, it's good and all... it quite amused me but i was surprised that people actually compare this to the LITTL PRINCE...it's a good book, but not really great... at least worth a read. but i don't really agree with what paulo coelho wants to imply.
Rating: 
Summary: The moral of the story.....
Review: A boy's journey from the fields of Spain to the sands of North Africa is the setting and protagonist of this pleasant fable by Coelho. Yet the author takes a simple fairy tale and turns it into an inspirational story that opens a reader's eyes and mind to journeys that await us all. This is the message predominant in Coelho's novel "The Alchemist", the sort of destiny waiting for us in his fable set in an ancient time along the shores of North Africa and the fields of old Spain. Though the novel is in third person, it feels as if written for you and I. It is riddled with morality, inspiration, and the hidden steps towards enlightenment. And all is confined in the parable of a boy set forth by destiny in search of his dreams. The storytelling can feel a bit generic at times, a sort of homogenous setting that detracts from the spirituality of the story. Yet Coelho still succeeds in presenting an enjoyable fable that reads like a historical novel (much like Gilan's "The Caravan"), but has a message for all who dream.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This story is another quest tale and a nice parable. It was hard to put down. But once I finished it, I was disappointed. The boy follows his dream and learns many lessons he didn't expect. The quest would seem to be more spiritual than monetary even though it is the "treasure" that spurs him on. When the treasure does turn out to be monetary, I was really let down. Where is the real lesson here? His reward was his lessons and the finding of a soulmate. It wasn't really necessary for him to get gold too. Also, his life was so easy. For the few times he was distracted or detered from his goal, there was a simple solution for him. And through it all, he could always go back to being a shepherd which he enjoyed doing anyway! I never felt his dream was challenged or in danger. He could have stopped anytime he wanted and still been happy. Most quests are things you can't live without, a much more driving force. The book never convinced me that he HAD to have that treasure. Is he just greedy? After all, what were his plans for it? Buy more sheep? He already had enough money for that. If he needed the treasure to provide for a big family, or use as a ransom for a loved one, or any noble reason, it would have been more suspenseful and understandable that he had to keep on. As a fable, the treasure should have remained a symbol of something else or he should have realized the money wasn't what was important. Having him continue on to find a chest full of gold, leaves us with nothing but a spiritually enlightened, yet still greedy boy.
A better quest tale that also is full of spiritual truths is "The Destiny of Miro" which has many more trials and obstacles. These obstacles include the hero's own self-doubt which is something that really isn't included in "The Alchemist".
Rating:
Summary: Reach for your stars!
Review: It is one of those "and they lived happily ever after" fairy tales! and it is just as rich as a real life story! It is like those magical books you read for your children, but along the way, you discover smart description and wise advice.
It is about the journey that each one of us lives, depending on our values and beliefs, and along the way you face difficulties, overcome hardships... discover yourself and your inner soul and learn new things about life and humanity. Santiago's journey through the desert to reach his gold is not merely a traveling process .. it is the maturity of the mind ... the purity of the soul... it is knowing true love ! The poetic narration and the simple explanation of what is going on make you even enjoy it more.. I guess this is what Paulo Coelho wants us to do .. never give up and make our dreams come true!
Rating:
Summary: a moment of clarity
Review: the alchemist is the second book that i have read by paulo coelho and i can only describe the book using a favorite phrase that i saw on the net - a moment of clarity in a world of grey. This book is the best so far. This book depicts a sense of awareness for individuals and the people around them. Its a story with an underlying theme that our actions, wether provoked or not can actually be consequential in other people's lives. A very good point that was mentioned in the book that we probably take for granted was the part when the crystal merchant said that there are some poeple who follow their dreams because it is their reason for living, its the destiny that they see for themselves and there are some poeple who are content with just dreaming because once they've accomplished a certain dream they have no more reason for living. The contents of this book especially on the part about following one's dreams can only be grasped figuratively and it is up to us whether we can believe that what happended to Santiago can happen to us. I described this book as a moment of clarity in a world of grey because in some ways it opened up for me a view on how to follow ones destiny and for all those who are planning to read this book, all i can say is that this book will help you dream a little more, hope a little more and appreciate a little more inspite of all the shortcomings that the world has shown.
Rating:
Summary: highly recommended
Review: short to keep you excited, profound to keep you thinking, revealing to bring you comfort ... especially if you have been just missing those omens!
| 
