The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

"Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever." That's a pretty impressive claim, and one that is echoed by the rest of the gushing praise on the back cover of The Alchemist. Coehlo's work is much-adored, and such was the level of esteem directed its way, I felt it would be tantamount to criminal neglect not to give it a go. After all, it's only a slim little fellow, so wasn't going to be heavy going, and anything that can condense such apparent quality to such an extent had to be something special. The tale acquaints us with Santiago, an Andalusian ... more

I was loaned a copy of this book by a friend of mine recently. I recognised the title instantly - it’s one of those books that everyone seems to talk about, but not that many have read. He was given a copy by a friend of his, recommended it to his girlfriend, who went out and bought a copy, loaned a copy to another friend, who loved it, and then passed the copy on to me. Despite all those recommendations, I still wasn’t that attracted to it. I'm a heavy SciFi, fantasy and horror reader. Mainstream \ contemporary rubbish is exactly that to me - rubbish. Still, I trusted the word of a fellow ... more

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is billed as a modern classic, yet I find it difficult to discern why. It has the feel of a fable; from a time as hazy as the desert in which it is set, and carries the lessons on life one would expect from such a parable. The feelings of distant memory that it creates, however, fashion a gap between the book and the reader. It begins with Santiago, a shepherd boy, who gives up his customs to follow a dream he has, a vision of treasure found at the Egyptian pyramids. Along the way he meets a king, a crystal merchant, an Englishman, and an alchemist; all of whom ... more

I'll soon wrap this one up, here goes ... Once upon a time there was a shepherd boy who followed his dreams and was guided by omens along the way. He eventually found what he was looking for and lived happily ever after. OK, so that's the plot of the book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, taken care of. All I have to do now is give my opinion on whether I liked it or not. Easy peasy! Well did I? No, not really. The End. Wish everything in life was as simple as this. Must say the book has a nice orange cover, hmmm, what's this blurb on the back? 'Every few decades a book is published that changes ... more

Not so much a novel as a manual for life, The Alchemist has become a modern classic since it was first published in 1988. The genius of the story is in its simplicity and its relevance to everybody – it is so reminiscent of a legend that it’s easy to lose track of the fact that it was actually written just 2 decades or so ago. The tale follows the adventures of Santiago, a Spanish shepherd boy who is content with his life but intrigued when a gypsy woman tells him that he will discover a great treasure. Santiago’s curiosity is deepened when a man tells him that he will discover his destiny at ... more