Rating: 
Summary: The book addict encounters the ultimate book
Review: "It got good reviews in both Israeli and arab press, it must be good" says my husband. Usually arab and Israeli press are the mirror opposites of each other. If one side praises something then the other side thinks it is the true embodiment of evil. The source of this unique harmony in the middle east is a book called the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. My husband runs out of the coffee shop we are sitting in, to go to the book store next door. "I just got to buy this book he mutters as he runs out. He then runs back into the coffee shop and plunks this little book into my hand. "You got to read this" he tells me. "You got to read it" he repeats several times.I am still struggling with my vow of reading deprivation. As an avid reader, I had just realized that I am very knowledgeable about world affairs, the human condition, politics, history, philosophy, you name it I know about it. However I am not putting any of this knowledge into good use. I have read enough, I declared a mere two months earlier, I will stop being an observer and become a doer. I will do something about all this knowledge inside my head and make a difference in the world. Reading about it and then having interesting discussions at dinner parties is for idiots. For two months I have watched my husband finish one juicy novel after the next; while I held steadfast to my vow of abstaining from reading. Now the ultimate temptation, a book so highly recommended, plus it is so small, it won't take long to read. I have been so good for two months. Could it really hurt if I deviate just a little and made an exception just this once. Oh yeah! Addictions are hard to break and mine is the hard core kind. My name is Elen and I am a book addict. I start reading the first page. Santiago, a young man has a happy and content life. Then he meets a mysterious figure who tells him that he must follow his dreams. Santiago must give up everything that he has in his current life in order to take a long and risky journey towards his dream. Two weeks later, I quit my highly paid job although I don't have an alternative job offer, I take flamenco dancing classes and I start my own project. My family thinks I am crazy. My husband thinks that I am experiencing mid life crisis in my early thirties. Such rash behavior from a mostly reasonable person. Midway through the journey, Santiago meets a second mysterious figure, the Alchemist. This encounter transforms everything, Santiago's very essence in on the line. Who dares to meet the Alchemist, who dares to face him? Read this book at your own risk. I no longer have a desire to read any more books, they all seem to be saying the same thing.
Rating:
Summary: A must for all ages
Review: Go on a journey where you will find adventure and discover yourself. It is clearly written with beautiful allegory.
Rating: 
Summary: failed interest and intellectual valor
Review: I flew through The Alchemist and was disappointed by the end because it was thoroughly boring and the resolution was horrible, albeit I understand that it was supposed to be symbolic. The grand message of "following your dreams" is 'nice', but it's been done before, and BETTER. I compare this story to one of my favorites, "Atlas Shrugged", and I can see Ayn Rand turning over in her grave if she knew how big a hit this one was. Following your dreams is one thing. Learning to turn into the wind and have telepathy with sheep and incurring the wrath of the sun is just plain silly. I wish he (Coelho) had emphasized more of his fable around "work hard to earn that which you desire", rather than "float through life keeping in mind what you want and somehow the universe will magically make it happen for you." It does not hurt Coelho's cover that the story started out with OTHERS (the soothsayer and the "king") actually TELLING the protagonist what his dream in life is, rather than him figuring out what he wants consciously, which is what Coelho is pushing in the first place. Maybe the United Fortune Tellers Union had a hand in making this story the hit it is today...hmmmm. It's all mumbo-jumbo and it needs serious criticism before too many people actually start believing in it.
Rating:
Summary: A very bad book: both literarily and philosophically
Review: I'm not going to say much about the literary aspect of this opus, it's middling-to-inferior, Coelho is no Balzac. What I really dislike about it is the philosophy that Coelho puts forward. All these Aquarian phantasms are nothing but saccharine tripe for the stupid and the cowardly, for those who not only refuse to deal with life as it is, but who can't even stomach the very view of it; who prefer a state of beatific stupor to courage in facing reality; who, out of fear of doing something -- or even thinking honestly -- resort to intellectual fraud, to persuading themselves that nothing can be done in the here and now and, instead, sink in a psychotic denial that temporarily taketh away anxiety. They want to live! -- but can do it only in a vegetative state. Cool. An ancient prophet said: "The life of man upon this earth is a warfare" -- that's it, sorry guys, not much has changed since then, not fundamentally. If you can't deal with it, here's a hint from Seneca: let's, he said, be grateful to gods who keep no one in this life by force. But what am I saying? -- to put a bullet through one's head, before anything else requires courage -- and that, as we've just discovered, is precisely what the new-age constituency lacks in the first place; instead of solving problems they get narcotized, do nothing -- and thus perpetuate the very same problems they're suffering from. Schizophrenic fantasies about "oneness", Zen blah-blah, mystical powers of "benevolent universe", etc. are not going to provide one with any solutions to the actual problems plaguing him (and humanity.) All this Oriental/Indian nonsense is junk. One only has to look at India -- fraudulent, pauperized, miserable -- to see the real value of this philosophy. It is in the very source of this supposed philosophical treasure that we can observe blatant caste inequality, a venal, corrupt political system, unimaginable poverty and backwardness: forced marriages, burning of widows, dowry harrassment, use of cow dung as a panacea, and so on. In the much more openly machiavellian, worldly West the situation is much, much better. In all tangible aspects of human life it is the West that invades the East, and not the opposite. Perhaps you can't blame the philosophy only: any philosophy is only a part of the overall culture and civilization, but it is an important, highly functional part, both as a reflection of a culture's traditions, and as an active influence on them. With that in mind, it seems that the Greek tradition and everything that we've constructed on this basis since serves the Humanity better than oriental magic bulls**t. But why then do so many people seem addicted to the mystifying dribble oozing from the East or even locally manufactured after this fashion? The answer is easy though unsettling: stupidity, weakness, and fraud. The reality of metaphysical needs of the human race is not to be denied: we all search for the meaning of life, and the ways to live in accordance with such a meaning should we find it; of course there's demand for anything treating on these themes; we all want to be shown The Truth. Where there's demand, there promptly follows offer -- of varying quality. And while some of us do not accept facile answers, it is obvious that very many people will eagerly stuff themselves with absolutely anything. As P.T. Barnum famously quipped, there's a sucker born every minute. Guys like Coelho (Bach, Hesse, and all the good-for-nothing parasitical charlatans of their ilk) make a good living of off the huge mob of wretched dullards. Wage slavery being in most cases a curse, it stands to reason that these self-proclaimed gurus prefer to get a living at hawking magic abracadabra; even though I tend to disapprove, I can't condemn them very strongly -- after all, let the buyer, not the vendor, beware. They're definitely not the first to peddle opiates to the masses, nor are they historically the worst; they are about the same: what they do is unseemly but understandable: it beats driving a truck for a living, and while it may not beat selling real dope, it's much less risky. Their real (as compared to professed) life philosophy is beautifully summarized in the words of another philosopher -- I'm too lazy to work and too nervous to steal. To some this is an acceptable option indeed, one can sympathize. But I wish I could understand the eager devourers of this kind of primitive, fraudulent twaddle. Are they to be pitied or reviled? Beats me.
Rating: 
Summary: A student's favourite
Review: Last year, a student of mine declared this to be a favourite book. I asked to borrow it... someday. You see, I always have so many books sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read. And this one is such a slim volume; I figured, 'How long could it possibly take me to read it? Best to save it for sometime when I can whip through it quickly, and have no other books to worry about.' Fast forward to this year. I still hadn't read it! So finally, we both got our acts together, and I borrowed _The Alchemist_, which I read, as I predicted, very quickly. It's both simple and thoughtful at the same time, a quality it shares with another fable, _The Little Prince_. As in St Exupery's book, the innocence of the protagonist is both endearing and bewildering. His quest to live out his dreams and his potential takes on mythical and metaphysical overtones - sometimes overly amorphous for my tastes. Yet the ending recalls the homely simplicity of the lesson Dorothy learns at the end of _The Wizard of Oz_. It didn't thrill or thoroughly absorb me, but I can easily understand why the student who lent me this novel returns to it again and again whenever she wants to reassert her sense of wonder and optimism.
Rating:
Summary: Speechless
Review: I found this book in a bookstore. I walked through the fiction section as I always do looking and reading different covers of novels. Never have I heard of an alchemist when I stopped in front of this novel, and the art on the jacket was beautiful. I wondered what kind of book was this, and I bought it. I am so glad that I did. I've learned an important lesson from reading this book. Dreams can be attained. Personal goals are within our reach, but we have to be willing to be brave, to be patient, and to love.
The boy in this book did amazing things to achieve what he wanted. He was just as I wrote before: brave, patient, and loving in his quest to reach his goal. The entire journey was breathtaking and unbelieveable, and if it was real and if it was me, I would have said forget it. Who needs to go through all that? But he kept on, the boy kept going, and at the end, it wasn't easy then either. But he did it. This novel is amazing! I absolutely loved it. Paulo Coelho has gained another fan. Brilliant work. Enjoy. Joy
Rating:
Summary: Simple yet profound!
Review: I loved this book! I am one who likes an easy read. Reading through the other reviews I realized that many of the people found it too simple. I like to get my lessons in an easy way through an entertaining story. I would highly recommend this book. Everyone needs to dream for something better than they have right now and believe in dreams that can come true!
Rating: 
Summary: reason *not* to read this book
Review: if u are 40+, have a secure job with fixed paycheck every month, used to have dreams but now too late to act and too lazy to make a change, this book is *not* for u. If you only understand the meaning of responsibilities and does not dare to take risks/adventures, flee when u see this title. As with any fable, the aroma of this book does require personal interpretation or maybe a little bit of self reflection. My interpretation of this book is this: two men both dreamt of treasures. One man takes no action and remain in egypt. maybe this guy is too lazy to act. The other man is a believer. he takes on a journey to seek out his *dream*. Every cities that the man (shepard boy) visited and every decisions that he made attributed a little towards his final goal. It is always my believe that reaching the final destination of every journey is *meaningless* becos its during journey towards a goal that defines who you are. The aurthor managed to twist the story to bring that out in a way that I find quite amusing. In a sense, this book does reflect some of my own believe and findings in life. perhaps this is the reason i gave it a 4-star. I chew on it for a while.
Rating:
Summary: Syrupy Fable
Review: While the adventure part of this book is excellent, the rest of it was nothing more then common syrupy blandness. Fairytale at best, cultistic "good things happen from above" at worst. It was nothing compared to so many other books out there - I'm still amazing at the good reviews!? I cant say its anything but mildly religious all life is good - purpose driven life - sort of style with a very luke warm story behind it. Shannon
Rating:
Summary: A book that lies to people about the nature of life
Review: This book is immoral, for it gives false comfort to those who are sad and unhappy. These unhappy people should be told that existence is the expression of an insatiable, pervasive will generating a terrible world of conflict and suffering, senselessness, and futility. There is no hope of things becoming better. The will to live perpetuates this cosmic spectacle. The goal of one, who sees through the illusions of life, is denial of this powerful will to live. Man must understand that all willing is in vain.
Life itself is painful, manifested in the aimlessness and dissatisfaction. This book should have pointed out that the sincere life revolves around denying the meaning in everything. We must become a parasite to value. And when every act and every course of action is considered, and all potential meaning has thus been killed, there is only one great fact. Death itself. When you dream, you are simply telling yourself a lie that makes you feel less sad. Your dreams will probably never come true, and if they due it is a complete accident. If we make any actions that could affect others such as having children, then eventually they also die. Eventually this planet's existence will end, and all of humanity will cease to be. An epic proportian of time will pass, and the universe will die. The book should have mentioned this.
| 
