Classic tale of a hero's journey through heroism ( )

What a beautiful and apt story. The point of the story is to know what your dream is, to try to achieve it, and not get derailed by obstacles and/or temptations in your path. A short book with a powerful impact. ( )

This is like The Little Prince for adults, a lesson of life and about seeking what's really important. Religious people would appreciate this more, and I suspect they are the audience that have raised this to the status of a classic. The text is very "biblical": it's full of metaphores and the dialogue is all deep thoughts on the meaning of life and such. God is all, and the whole Universe follows God's plan. It just made me wonder, why Coelho emphasizes the role of individual human fates in this context...

First I thought that alchemy would be a great metaphore of a futile, endless quest, so I was a bit disappointed when it turned out that it actually works in this book.

It's a good book, very coherent and easy to read. There is a sense of grandeur, somewhat similar to the old testament. But, for me personally, it wasn't a life changer. It's perhaps too easy to take as "bullshit". ( )

Paulo Coelho certainly wrote a thought provoking book. The story of Santiago and is search of his Personal Legend. I think that I understand the significance of much of the story but then there is so much that has escaped me. Maybe I need to read it again and again...... ( )

Wow... this book completely blew me away.

Although a very quick read, do not judge 'The Alchemist' by its volume. This is a book that will inevitably touch your soul, in that it takes you on a spiritual adventure, encouraging you to think about the many journeys you have been on, and the journeys you are taking and where they might go.

It's a beautifully written story which takes us on a journey of one small boy, and his self-belief in finding a treasure and fulfilling his destiny that causes him to leave everything he had behind, and become enriched in ways that he never would have expected. Although he encounters difficulties along the way, the reader is encouraged to think about the ideologies of love, culture, religion and spirituality, in all their vibrance and different forms. We are taught as a reader to think about the opportunities available to us in our own lives, that we might enrich ourselves by embracing the colourful world in which we live, by not being afraid to step outside of our comfort zones and try new things.

Everybody I know who has read this book has said that it has touched them in ways that they wouldn't have imagined, and I similarly adhere. A fantastic piece of literature, which I would highly recommend, particularly as a travel read. ( )