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Summary: A moving and life altering parable, simple but charmed.
Review: I enjoyed this book immensly. Having spent ten years on an active spiritual quest, this book asks questions and presents charming answers well beyond the simplicity of it's text, not found in the far reaches of the physical earth.
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Summary: Poor thoughts, badly written.
Review: If you love Proust, Thomas Mann, Robert Musil, Virginia Woolf, Hermann Broch or Thomas Pynchon, you will not like "The Alchimist". This is not literature. The plot is entirely borrowed from Jorge Luis Borges. The writing is as bad in portuguese as mine is in english. Save your money and save the good literature in our language. Don't buy it.
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Summary: An "alternative" review for MBA students and entrepreneurs
Review: ...I argue, sadly, that such "success stories," widely covered and praised by this university, are in truth sad failures rather than fairy tales, and a deep reading of Coelho's "The Alchemist" will help explain why...Ceolho teaches that personal legends are powerful, beautiful goals that all people have: "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it."...According to Ceolho, the greatest lie is when we lose control of what's happening to us; when our lives become controlled by fate. An MBA student will quickly understand when an entrepreneurial idea is her personal legend, because everything is clear and everything is possible. But, as time passes (i.e., as the student begins working at a top bank instead of pursuing this personal legend,) a mysterious force will begin to convince her that it is impossible to realize her personal legend, and the window of opportunity will be closed...Coelho also teaches some powerful lessons about what do to once you've discovered your personal legend - when you taken a decision to hold off on the Mogan Stanley trader position and instead pursue your entrepreneurial dream. First, don't start out by promising what you don't ev! en have yet. Remember that if you are pursuing your personal legend, all the universe is conspiring to help you achieve it and the treasures you will find will be extraordinary. So, don't give away the equity! Also, don't be put off by setbacks. You're not a poor victim of a thief (perhaps a client that didn't pay), but rather an adventurer on a great quest for his treasure. Just starting the business and getting past the business plan is a learning experience that few others will have. There are yet more lessons to be learned in the book. Pursuing your personal legend will teach you the language of the world: enthusiasm. The book teaches that you should not think back on what you could be doing today if you did accept the Andersen Consulting job. Instead, you should be delighted and celebrate the fact that you are searching for treasure instead. Don't believe that "returning home" is only 2 hours away and that your treasure is thousands of miles across a vast desert. Rather, think that you are 2 hours closer to success. Still another lesson: as an entrepreneur, you will be doing a job RIGHT because you LOVE IT - you personal legend is achieved through LOVE and PURPOSE. Ask yourself if implementing computer systems for a Big 6 firm will achieve this goal. To conclude, my colleagues at leading business schools, I beseech you step back and evaluate your personal legend critically. Are you truly pursuing your personal legend, or are you missing a once-in-a-lifetime chance at entrepreneurial adventure? If you ARE pursuing your personal legend, are you doing it so like the Englishman? The Englishman was pursuing his personal legend but got it all wrong: trying to read all the books and study deeply will not get you there; you'll ignore the journey and ignore its omens. Rather, become one with the desert as you travel through it and don't lose site of the PRESENT. The only way to learn is through action - you will learn FROM the journey. So write your business plan and start o! n your quest. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
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Summary: Father and Son Read This Book Together
Review: In its own way, this was a good book for many reasons. It told of a tale about an Andalusian (Spain) boy (Santiago) whose father wanted him to be a Priest. After many years of study (age 2 to 16), the boy got up the courage to tell his father that he would rather travel than be a Priest. At this point, the boy becomes an unusually literate shepherd who has a dream about his destiny consisting of finding treasure far away across the Sahara Desert in Egypt near the Pyramids. Many times in our lives we don't learn directly about something but rather our hearing a story will teach us its message effortlessly. What is so meaningful about this book is what we learn from the perilous travels and events of Santiago told as a distant story and this in itself becomes a series of valuable lessons for us as readers. For example, seeking one's dreams or destiny, paying heed to omens and our intuitions, listening to one's heart or concentrating on the present are just a few mentioned here. It is not that we don't already know of these concepts nor would many of us find a dream about crossing the Sahara Desert (3000 miles) on a camel's back very appealing! The faraway nature of the tale itself makes the story's lessons about that which we already subconsciously know come alive and useful in our everyday life. In my business life, for example, I have become more aware and pay greater heed to signs and omens. Memories of Santiago's story have become everyday visions for me, which serve as vivid reminders to listen to my heart more attentively in times of making decisions about ways to go. This was a good book too for us, father and son to read together. The simple tale in itself facilitated the transcendence of wisdom about the world from father to son.
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Summary: IT is a good book but ...
Review: This book is good, if not a little simple. Unfortunatly I do not think that the content is that origianl. The whole "force" thing and following your destiny seems to be off of star wars. Then the book seems a bit cheesy at times. How come 90 percent of the characters the kid meets know about this destiny, meaning of the universe stuff. The kid also is too perfect. He soes not make a mistake throughout the book. It seems to me the characters are not the best I have seen. The book seems a bit weighed down in self help jargon. Many of the dialogues and thought traks make it seem like only a self help book. I do not mean to sound too negative, the book is not bad and it does bring a sense of magic and intrigue to some of its mystical characters that makes it worth reading. This book does not seem to be letting you figure out its meaning, it shoves it down your throat much of the time, still it is not a bad book.
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Summary: A REFRESHING CHANGE
Review: IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT EVERYONE ON THE FACE OF THIS PLANET IS DIFFERENT; AND AS UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS, WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT BELIEFS AND OPINIONS CONCERNING JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. IT IS UNFORTUNATE, HOWEVER, THAT NOT EVERYONE HAS THE TIME AND/OR PATIENCE TO ENJOY SOME OF THE MORE SIMPLE AND PURE THINGS IN LIFE - LIKE THE ALCHEMIST. WE ARE A NATION, AND IN FACT A WORLD, THAT IS INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT UPON THE RIDICULOUSLY SUPERFICIAL, OUTRAGEOUS, FANTASY WORLD THAT THE TELEVISION, MOVIES AND OTHER FORMS OF MASS MEDIA CONTINUE TO BOMBARD US WITH. AND THUS, IT ISN'T SURPRISING THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO DO NOT LIKE THE BOOK. IT OFFERS NO GUN FIGHTS, MINIMAL VIOLENCE, AND SEVERAL LESSONS TO BE LEARNED. WHAT WITH OUR SHORT ATTENTION SPANS, INCREASING APPETITES FOR A PLETHORA OF BLOOD SHED, SEX AND VIOLENCE, THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO DISLIKE THE BOOK CANNOT BE BLAMED....IT IS NOT THEIR FAULTS THAT THEY HAVE BOUGHT INTO YET ANOTHER ONE OF HOLLYWOOD'S PARADIGMS WHICH DICTATES THAT PURE AND SIMPLE IS DULL AND BORING. IN TODAY'S WORLD, EVERYTHING MUST BE SUGAR-COATED,GROSSLY EXAGGERATED, AND OF COURSE, IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION IS A MUST. PERHAPS ONE DAY THE SMOKE WILL DISSIPATE AND ALL WILL BE MADE CLEAR AGAIN!! UNTIL THEN, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE THE TIME AND PATIENCE TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THIS WORLD, YOURSELF, AND THE CREATOR JUST A LITTLE BETTER.....I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!! =)
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Summary: Absolutely phenomenal
Review: I had only read one book in my life that really changed my outlook on life until I read _The Alchemist_. It will make you a better person, and I recommend it without reservation
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Summary: Profound and compelling
Review: There are very few books which have had such a profound effect on my ideas and my motivations, At the time that I initially read this book, my life was in a slump, and it was this book that helped me to change the way i think, and remotivatemyself into change and self development. It is an awesome book, partly because or its simplicity but also because of the relevance of its content. I would recommend it to all
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Summary: Take time to smell the roses
Review: A wonderful and dream-like story, The Alchemist is a parable for anyone who has a dream but isn't certain what to do about it. Don't mistake simplicity for simple-mindedness. Yes, he gets the happy ending--but the real point is HOW his success happens and what transpires during his journey. As Dr. Wayne Dyer says, "There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way." Stop and enjoy this book with a brief pause in your headlong rush through life. You might start wondering where you were rushing to--and why.
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Summary: READING THE SIGNS CAN PAY OFF BIG
Review: This was written as an assignment for Business Policy at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business 4/98: Entrepreneurs begin with a dream, that may, or may not, come to a happy ending. Paulo Coehlo, one of Brazil's best known writers, begins his formulaic tale of a young man's quest for success with a dream of treasure that one is sure will send him on a prosperous journey, but that can still yield some valuable lessons for new venture strategy. Don't let the fact that this book can be found in the Religion and Spirituality section of your neighborhood bookstore dissuade you from picking it up for some valuable business lessons. Coehlo's newest literary effort is assigned reading for students studying strategy at the University of Chicago's renowned Graduate School of Business. Coehlo, whose later works have included The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom and The Valkyries: An Encounter With Angels, may not have intended it, but his parable about a Spanish shepherd is also a useful guidebook for would-be entrepreneurs. The fable follows a comfortable, and somewhat predictable format. A young man, the boy Santiago, wants to see the world and becomes a shepherd to travel around his native Andulusia. One day he has a dream of treasure in far-off Egypt. The dream recurs and he decides to consult with a gypsy about its significance. So starts his journey down a path of adventure. Santiago faces a series of choices along the way. He seeks and accepts guidance, but reminds himself to take responsibility for his decisions. He takes risks, but always weighs the consequences. In the end, you may not be surprised by his results, but you will have enjoyed seeing him make his choices and learned something about how to consider the opportunities the world offers. Coehlo has structured the tale as a long parable. Every encounter is laced with a deeper meaning - a camel driver who teaches Santiago how to co-exist with, and learn from, the desert; a crystal merchant who demonstrates why postponing your dreams leads to mediocrity - and it can get a bit overdone. However, the lessons Santiago masters as he moves closer to his goal turn out to be valuable reminders for start-ups and under-capitalized firms, too. For example, Santiago's regrouping after a robbery that bankrupts him shows not only the importance of cash flow and financing, but also innovation and meeting customer needs. His new marketing approaches yield higher returns for the merchant he assists and speed his financial recovery. The book eerily parallels many of the issues facing a new company. Santiago's adventures include the engagement of a consultant, finding a mentor, selling off assets to invest in new product development, entering new markets, obtaining additional financing and weathering hard times when the external business environment becomes hostile. His spiritual quest is filled with practical considerations and quotable aphorisms that you can use to help guide your decisions about risk and reward. There are a number of things one can draw from the book, and Coehlo certainly emphasizes the need to follow your dream in spite of adversity and the powerful comfort of the known. However, perhaps the most valuable insight about how to run your business is trusting the importance of omens. Santiago learns to learn continuously throughout the book. He uses many sources of knowledge, and eventually comes to recognize and trust the omens that cross his path as a valuable source of wisdom and direction. At one point he bets his life, the future of the firm, on the validity of an omen without even realizing the gamble will be so large. As Santiago pays more attention to the world around him, he notices more signs and portents of things to come. He is ready with advance knowledge and knows where to go for the pay-off, a treasure surely, but even more, a new approach to strategy that will serve him well on future ventures. All too often in business we miss the signs and portents that could help us the most. A shift in consumer tastes, a competitor's move to grab share, may be small at first and hard to see or so obvious that we disbelieve their implications. Coehlo's message is that having a goal is not enough. You must pay close attention to the environment. You must adapt to and try to comprehend the messages that the world provides in abundance, but which can be hard to appreciate when you are enmeshed in daily struggles. Managers and entrepreneurs who want to find a way to step outside of the daily grind and build a more creative approach to business strategy will find some value in Coehlo's charming fable.
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