Rating: 
Summary: Innocuous, Light, Vision Quest.
Review: I came to the Alchemist without any preconceived ideas about its purpose as an inspirational tome or its literary accolades. It was only after completing it on a flight back to WA from AZ and going to review it, that I saw the 306 polarized opinions. Read for simply entertainment value, it is a light, breezy tale of a shepherd who makes a personal vision quest to find a treasure ostensibly in him the whole time. Sprinkled throughout is a hodgepodge of philosophical / new age tidbits from more mature belief systems and religions. I read with mild amusement the author's take on the idea of Platonic Forms and absolute truths, harkening back to my classical philosophy readings. I could see where its continually hammered message of 'listen to your heart' might hit home with those yearning for direction, and to that I say, "To each, their own". People find inspiration in many things, and apparently this book provides that to some. For sheer elegance in a short form, I enjoyed Silk by Barrico much more but found the Alchemist innocuous enough, and not deserving of the vitriol of some of the reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: Omens here, omens there, omens everywhere.
Review: In this childish fable our young hero learns to speak with his heart (also with the wind, with the sand, and with the sun), and meets magicians and alchemists, who teach him that if he follows his dream (i.e. his personal legend) then all the world will conspire to help him. Most importantly he learns to read the universal language written in omens that guide him along his way. Books are not really helpful for him; at the beginning he is reading one (and using it as a pillow), but once the quest starts he stops reading altogether. A fellow traveler who reads a lot is subtly made fun of, and is left behind.Well, I see precious little wisdom in all of this. Of course you should follow your dreams, but to believe in omens as a guide, or that if you really want to realize your dream then the world will conspire to help you, is simply nonsense. This book is not about wisdom, it is about superstition...
Rating:
Summary: As deep as half an inch
Review: If you are looking for material that will make you think prepare to be deeply disappointed. This highly advertised spiritual book proved as deep as half an inch, or the sum thickness of its 170 silly pages. Each brings new lows of patronising teachings about as profound as fortune cookies wisdom. If that's what you're after you'll love it. And retreat further into mental hibernation.
Rating:
Summary: If you like it, you deserve it.
Review: Without meaning to sound philosophical, I have to start my review by saying I do not believe there is such a thing as absolute truth. Like beauty, it is in the eyes of the beholder. Case in point: is THE ALCHEMIST a good book, a bad book or an indifferent one? Rarely has a book generated such diverse opinions. Feelings range from one end of the love-hate spectrum to the other, so which is the truth? That, depends on you. Or rather, on who you are. To me, THE ALCHEMIST is absolute trash. The story revolves around the determined quest of a young boy to fulfil his dream. Not a bad subject in itself. What renders this book dismissable is a rare combination of borrowed axioms presented in the shallowest way. Irritating too. The basic message of 'you've got to follow your heart' is repeated over and over again. Duly complemented by the sub-dictum 'if you do, the universe will make sure you succeed'. Do not look for substantiation to those grandiose claims, none is given. Presumably the answers lie hidden in the sacred books of the Alchemists (among which Mr. Coelho must be a prominent figure) and not in this book that you are supposed to buy. But maybe Mr. Coelho meant his book for kids, where, given a kid's short attention span the incessant repetitions make sense. Aha, but what about the fact that the hero's motive for his journey was to find a hidden treasure? Do you really want you kids to grow up valuing material wealth above all? So there you have it. THE ALCHEMIST is addressed to adults who will not misinterpret the treasure hunt moral. On the other hand it is written like a children's story, complete with desert battles and elements that speak (the wind, the sand etc). If you like it, it is fine with me.
Rating: 
Summary: A quest for a treasure leads to wisdom
Review: Together with his sheep the Andalusian shepherd Santiago travels from place to place, he reads books and thinks of a beautiful merchant's daughter in the next village. But his life changes when he has the same dream two nights in a row. He meets the old king of Salem who tells him to trust the signs, live his own legend and that he will find his treasure at the pyramids of Egypt. Santiago sells his flock and takes the boat to Morocco. Whatever he does - and these are often humble things- helps him to gain a deeper insight into life. In an oasis he meets the girl of his life. He considers abandoning his quest, but she encourages him to keep going. Together with an alchemist he attains his goal after a number of adventures. The Alchemist is a short, well written and above all wise novel that stresses the importance of doing what your heart tells you to do because that is the only way to attain real happiness. It also shows that not only big events lead to wisdom and that sometimes one has to travel far to find the treasure that is nearby.
Rating:
Summary: Don't read it. If you have, THINK.
Review: Sure, life is tough, and we all welcome some advice on how to live it better. But ANY advice? Beware! This book will lull you in a false sense of revelation. It's a story so sweetly told you will tend to forgive its annoying repetitions and feel you have seen the light. Far from it. Yes, it's alright to 'follow your dream', as the book espouses. But that can't be the meaning of life?... What about 'love the ones close to you'?... In the book the hero, a boy shepherd from Spain, leaves the girl he has fallen in love with to pursue his quest of finding a treasure in Egypt... Some moral, especially from a book that purportedly extols spirituality! But this fixation on following one's dream to the end (Hitler had a dream too) is not the sole flaw of this shamefully acclaimed book. The author's blatant rip-off of Arabian Nights and The Little Prince is the base insult. Another is his attempt to treat us like fools by claiming in the most nonchalant terms that we should take alchemy seriously. A nonsensical prologue that has no connection whatsoever to the rest of the book is yet another. And so is a maddening notion of fatality prevailing throughout. This is by no means an exhaustive list. The people who made this required reading in a number of US educational Institutions ought to be dismissed. Dear reader, please, do yourself a favour and steer clear of this inconsequential book. But, if, like me, you have fallen prey to well-meaning folk and read it, THINK before succumbing to its lure. Surely, you deserve better.
Rating: 
Summary: Disguised Self-Help Hucksterism
Review: This cloying little fable (actually, isn't it too long to be a fable?) can perhaps best be summarized with those famous words from the immortal Casey Kasem: "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars!" Through the quest of the Andalusian shepherd boy Santiago, the author exhorts the reader to pursue their own "personal legend," the ultimate message being that failure to achieve that either means you're not devoting your heart to that goal, or you've misinterpreted what your personal legend is. If this sounds a lot like self-help guru hucksterism, a la Tony Robbins, et al, it's because that's more or less what it is, dressed up as charming literature. Of course, it doesn't address what happens if two people's personal legends happen to conflict-in the New Age world this fable inhabits, presumably some benevolent force is making sure this doesn't happen. In any event, Santiago's personal legend, as revealed in a dream, concerns buried treasure in Egypt. Along the way he meets all manner of folks who dollop out the wisdom as only is possible in fables. While it's kind of hard to trash stories that suggest one follow their heart, this doesn't offer any new or particularly skillful spin on the theme. Neither as hilariously dated as Jonathan Livingston Seagull, nor as charming as Le Petit Prince, it's slickly written eminently skipable.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing you don't know, all that cannot be done
Review: A poor copy of an Arabian Nights story, this book pretends to show how to follow your inner self in a quest of self discovery. However, the character described is so poorly and superficially constructed, that there can not be any self to be followed and his quest becomes a series of worn out phrases you have read a million times before. Should they be of any use, I doubt the world would still be like this.
Rating:
Summary: spiritual journey
Review: I read this book two years ago in Spanish. The friend who recommended it to me, said the Spanish translation was better than the English. The most important part, I read it when I was in the Sahara, so I could let my soul fly with the story. Feel the Wind, feel the Sun, feel the Sand. I guess you have to be in the right mood to fully appreciate the teachings.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not quite the modern classic it is made out to be
Review: "The Alchemist" is an international bestseller but media hype would have us believe it is a modern day fable classic. Encouraged by glowing reviews, I joined the ranks of its swelling readership only to have my raised expectations dashed. A little. Not that it isn't an enchanting little novel. It is. Only that I expected more. What it offers is old hat and lacks profoundness. The message of daring to dream and follow one's dream isn't new. The proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - here, the treasure the boy shepard seeks in the Pyramids - is, of course, an illusion and not so different from Fitzgerald's "green light across the bay" that lured Gatsby to his tragic end. The treasure we covet isn't external to us but lies within ourselves and like raw diamond, will reveal its lustre only when polished, ie it is the journey (not the arrival) that confers wisdom and maketh the man. Paul Coelho's simple unpretentious style makes "The Alchemist" a quick and entertaining read but it's no great shakes. I can't see what the fuss is all about.
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