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. ( )

The Alchemist is a simple fable that alludes to the fact that all of us have a purpose and a dream in life. It is a simple book, but nonetheless inspiring. It is a story about a young boy named Santiago who has reoccurring dreams about a treasure, when he goes to see a gypsy about the meaning of his dream she tells him to follow his dream and not to pay her now for her services but to pay her one tenth of his treasure once he finds it. Santiago left home to become a shepherd to follow his dreams of travel. He is hesitant to leave his flock, but begins to follow omens. Through his travels he overcomes many obstacles and meets many people who guide him in his journey. He meets to love of his life Fatima. Santiago tells her that he will need to continue on his journey but rest assured that he will come back to her. Through the story Santiago is led by many spiritual guides, and leaves the readers inspired. All of us have a purpose in life, and we need to listen to the omens around us. Our heart will lead us, where it will need to go.

I did enjoy the novel. However, near the end I did want it to end. This book was given to me from a coworker and I’m glad I read it. I do recommend the novel, especially for someone who is struggling to make life decisions. It’s a spiritual and inspiring book that I’m happy to add to my “read in 2009 list.” ( )

Young sheppard's travel to discover the meaing of life. ( )

This book was awesome! I loved it!! I am going to read it again (not now but one day) and take it all in again!! It's a book you can actually learn something from! ( )

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 pursue 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. ( )