Bei über 600 gelesenen Büchern immer noch das Beste !!!: Ich habe das Buch mit 15 Jahren zu Weihnachten geschenkt bekommen und es gelesen. Damals fand ich das Buch nicht so toll, weil ich das meiste noch nicht verstehen konnte.
Jetzt bin ich 20 Jahre alt und habe es vor einem halben Jahr nochmals gelesen und es hat mir eine Menge gebracht. Das Buch ist gerade für junge Menschen zu empfehlen. Es hat mich viel über das Leben gelehrt, was ich bereits erfahren konnte.

Daher sehr empfehlenswert und gut geschrieben.

1998

i really liked this book. it's told in a really charming way, almost like a fairy tale. ( )

I read this back in 1997 and I remember that it sucked. ( )

I read the book during a transitionary period of my life and I can't fully describe how the book helped me along the way. A story about self-discovery and the journey that is life, I fully recommend this book to those that may feel a little "lost." ( )

I would recommend the book, though I don't think I would read it a second time. ( )

Maybe I just didn't get it. ( )

Fue el segundo libro que leí de este señor, y la realidad se ha convertido en uno de mis favoritos pues es de los libros que te hacen ver que si tienes sueños debes ir tras ellos, que todo esta a tu alcance para lograrlo solo tienes que tener el valor necesario para ir tras ellos, una autoayuda muy buena, muy bien redactado y enriquecedor en palabras y frases. ( )

This is an easy-to-read book about a boy on a quest. He is a shepherd, happy in his work until he has a dream about finding treasure. He speaks with a king, interviews a gypsy fortune-teller, and meets a wise and respected alchemist, all who point the young boy forward to the pyramids of Egypt, where it's told that he will find his treasure. The author entertwines Biblical teachings with the visions and storytelling of persons the boy meets while on his quest. ( )

I was told a long time ago by someone that once meant a lot to me that I absolutely had to read this book because it would speak to me and change my life. Four years later, I finally picked it up. My life was not changed and it didn't really have much to say that I hadn't already heard. While the tale was decent, and the message was pleasing, nothing about this book jumped out at me as anything incredible. Sometimes I find that deeper meaning piled upon deeper meaning just becomes a little too contrived for my taste. ( )

I can't write a fair review of an "inspirational" book, because I'm not a fan of the genre. I suppose theses tales are *supposed* to be filled with cardboard characters that represent Ideas.

To the extent that I pondered the ideas herein, I didn't agree with them. I detest the notion that all people are in complete control of their own destiny, as if any failure is their personal responsibility. And I'm infuriated by the notion that only men need to purse their Personal Legend; that woman's role is to love, and wait for, their men. ( )

Ok, so this book has been probably one of the most recommended books of the past few years, even residing on the New York Times best seller list for quite some time.

What did I think about it?

Well, I think sometimes one must finish a book and let it stew, to digest it, to mull it over, to think about it for a little while before forming their own educated opinions on it.

My first reaction was that this was a very readable, reading pretty much like a children's book, enjoyable read. The story was enjoyable and the message was a good one. That everyone has a "personal legend" or dreams and that not too many actually follow them, but that we should, and that when we do, we will find that the majority of the time, our personal legends reside right in our own back yards,within ourselves, not somewhere else, that's it not over the rainbow, but right here.

Very good and well meaning message. I'm just not so sure how profound it is. I mean, I read somewhere that this is one of Madonna's favorite books of all time. Makes me wonder how many books she has ever read. I'm willing to bet she has never read The Brother's Karamazov.

Don't get me wrong. I liked this book. I thought it was very simple and quite enjoyable. I just think it was marketed to the wrong audience, that it should have been marketed as a children's book, and not adult fare. That's not to say that adults can't get anything out of the book. There's just nothing truly profound or eye opening here.

I also think sometimes it is a good idea to read other reviews, before writing your own, not so much to form your own opinions, but to put your opinions in perspective, to temper them.

One particular review did that for me. Being a white male, I never even noticed the blatant sexism of the book. I don't think this was intentional on the author's part though, I just think, as other's have said, that the book was not fleshed out, that it did not tread in deep waters. Like the children's part of the pool, it never ventured out to the deep end, it stayed in the shallow end, never going more than 3 feet deep.

Allso mentioned are the millions of equally heroic people who stay home to raise a family, giving up on their dreams in the process and how they are equally heroic. I think though that this was part of the message of the book. That one can search the entire world for their "personal legend" only to find that it truly resides at home and that's where it has been all along. It's true that dreams change and morph over time, so if someone decides to change one dream in order to raise a family, well that IS their personal legend now right?

I just think fault is being layed on the book for not being deep enough when it was never intended to be profound. I think it was meant to be a light hearted and whimsical story with a good message. And the message is that we should all follow our dreams, no matter where it leads, even if it leads us right back home.

This book also showed me though that it is not always the most profound or the most verbose authors who are best remembered, but instead it's usually the ones who are the greatest story tellers. I love a good story and this was a good story. I think many authors could learn something from that. You can be as verbose and profound and intelligent as anyone out there, but if you are not telling a good story, then you might as well not even write. The trick is to learn how to do both, to both tell a good story and be profound at the same time. This book only succeeds at the former. ( )

Well I wonder if there would be a fantasy fan who hasn't read 'the Alchemist'. Entertains you and on the same side, teaches you some important lessons of life. ( )

First Paulo Coelho book I've read but didn't do so while everyone was reading it. I was intrigued so I borrowed it from a friend. It was a light read, although the events and words were simple, there is always a significant meaning to those lines. The story was very fluent, Coelho is a really good storyteller. He uses a lot of symbols and aphorisms which remind me of "The Little Prince": what's essential is invisible to the eye. This is a relaxing read, perfect when you want to unwind but don't think too much of the morals for they're quite philosophical. That's the book's aim but it's better to savor it as it is. It has a re-read value and is highly recommendable. ( )

The story is a fable about following your dreams. It reminds us in simple language that life does not have to be as complicated as we make it. At some point, it almost seems to be describing a religious experience. Nice and easy read. ( )

A parable about a shepherd following his dream. Not my cup of tea. ( )

It is a fable, predictable but clever. Coehlo throws everything in it -- several religions, a beautiful woman, Gypsies, sorcery, love, and treasure. It was enjoyable. ( )

I read this book at least five times and every time I learned something knew. Basically, the teaching is that no matter what you do or where you go to look for happiness you will not find it because it is within you. ( )

The message of this tale is not difficult to understand - follow your dreams no matter what (and make whatever mistakes you need along the way). And, I'll buy that. What really attracted me to it, though, was it's format - I love fairy tales and magic realism and I really enjoyed all the adventures and forays into the supernatural that this tale took me on. I love the mythical characters and only wish the book would have been longer. I'm not going to rush to read more Coelho, but next time I come across one of his books, I'll definitely pick it up. ( )

I had to read this book in Grade 10 English and I found it a really easy read. I loved it because it's different than anything I have read before. It's a nice feel-good book that goes along real smoothly, there isn't a lot of thinking involved for the reader though. In the end you are left with a nice story that may inspire you a little :) . ( )

Paulo Coelho's personal story is as interesting as his book.

Translated from Brazilian Portuguese, this illustrated adventure story is much like a fable. It is very easy to read, and only 174 pages. It is a book of hope for people who have dreams and goals. It is particularly good for people who want to travel.

Quotes:
"...The secret is here in the present.If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And if you improve upon it, what comes later will also be better..."

"...When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too..." ( )

I must say that I was disappointed with this book. I began it intending to like it but the more I read the more it confirmed that the spiritual path to enlightenment leaves me in the dark. ( )

I love this book. One of my favorite quotes is from this book.

This is assigned text for Humanities. I purchased it, began reading ahead of class commencement. At line 20 in my copy I noticed something familiar; by page six I had stopped, hauled out a notepad with the intention of diagramming the reader's "I notice . . . I wonder."

At page seven I abandoned noticing and wondering, hauled out an old, trusty reference text and started annotating threads and themes. I finished the book in one day; however I would have finished sooner if I had not stopped to annotate and cross-reference.

Paulo Coelho tells a simple but profound tale of a young man's coming of age journey. Like a Master Weaver, Paulo Coelho lays out his weft threads composed of characters and their circumstances. He weaves warp threads of ancient wisdom, subtle morality and ethical challenge through out. The finished creation is as lovely, complex and richly detailed as a tapestry.

This tale speaks an universal human language. It is understood by adolescent and grandparent alike. The rich symbolism will paint different pictures in the minds of each individual who reads it. Well Done. ( )

Perhaps I am missing something, but I really found this book immature and shallow. I don't know what the fusses are all about. The allegories mentioned seemed more like out of a fairy tale..true it has Biblical connotations... all I can say is, it makes for a light easy read, perhaps when you're traveling. Enjoyable but not exactly thought provoking.

Tess Davis
August 24, 2009

The Alchemist
The story of the Alchemist was an amazing story that I would read over and over again. It’s a story filled with quotes on almost every page about hope and dreams. It talks about omens and signs and fulfilling your personal legend. It begins with the tale of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, who has a dream one night about buried treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. Always looking for adventure, he starts his journey off to Egypt and along the way he meets a puzzling character who calls himself a King. I think that the King is a very wise character and symbolizes God because he tells him to pursue his destiny. One of my favorite quotes that the King says to the boy is “To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.” I feel that the King is an omen that gives Santiago hope to follow his dreams and keep going until he achieves his goals.
The main character Santiago continues on his journey meeting different people along the way who impact his travel. Some of these characters he meets inspire him to carry on and continue his journey, others only bring him trouble and cause doubts in his mind. Even though he goes through different struggles, I think the struggles only help him to become a stronger character and he learns from the mistakes. One character that makes his journey difficult is a thief that stole all of his money right after he sold his sheep. I think this symbolizes the difficulties people go through in life and whether you chose to give up or not. I was happy that Santiago refused to give up on his dream even though faced with challenges.
I thought that throughout the novel love was definitely a major theme. Santiago falls in love with a young girl of the desert named Fatima. She loved him very much, but she knew that he had to fulfill his personal legend. I thought of Fatima as a very loving character who loved Santiago enough to let him go and she would always wait for him. Santiago doesn’t take the easy way out and give up on his personal legend just to be with Fatima even though his love for her was very strong.
Along with Fatima, Santiago also meets the Alchemist who shows him about love and helps him to fulfill the final part of his journey his personal legend. I think of the Alchemist as a very unique character who knows that there is more to alchemy then just the elements and gold. He is wise and knows much about life’s difficulties.
At the end of Santiago’s story he reaches the pyramids and finds that he must go all the way back to Spain to find his buried treasure. I think this symbolizes the journey of life and going through different challenges we are faced with every day, but still having hoped to continue on in achieving what we want in life. The quote that I think is the most inspiring in this book is “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” I learned from this book about always moving towards your goal but not forgetting to live in the moment and enjoy the journey, not waste it. I thought it was ironic how Santiago had to go all the way back from where he started from just to find the treasure, when all along the treasure was his strength inside of him and learning about love.