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THE ALCHEMIST
by Paulo Coelho & translated by Margaret Jull Costa ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 1993
Coelho's placebo has racked up impressive sales in Brazil and Europe. Americans should flock to it like gulls.
Coelho is a Brazilian writer with four books to his credit. Following Diary of a Magus (1992—not reviewed) came this book, published in Brazil in 1988: it's an interdenominational, transcendental, inspirational fable—in other words, a bag of wind.
The story is about a youth empowered to follow his dream. Santiago is an Andalusian shepherd boy who learns through a dream of a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. An old man, the king of Salem, the first of various spiritual guides, tells the boy that he has discovered his destiny: "to realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation." So Santiago sells his sheep, sails to Tangier, is tricked out of his money, regains it through hard work, crosses the desert with a caravan, stops at an oasis long enough to fall in love, escapes from warring tribesmen by performing a miracle, reaches the pyramids, and eventually gets both the gold and the girl. Along the way he meets an Englishman who describes the Soul of the World; the desert woman Fatima, who teaches him the Language of the World; and an alchemist who says, "Listen to your heart" A message clings like ivy to every encounter; everyone, but everyone, has to put in their two cents' worth, from the crystal merchant to the camel driver ("concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man"). The absence of characterization and overall blandness suggest authorship by a committee of self-improvement pundits—a far cry from Saint- Exupery's The Little Prince : that flagship of the genre was a genuine charmer because it clearly derived from a quirky, individual sensibility.
Pub Date: July 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-06-250217-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1993
GENERAL FICTION
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by Paulo Coelho ; illustrated by Christoph Niemann ; translated by Margaret Jull Costa
by Paulo Coelho ; translated by Eric M.B. Becker
by Paulo Coelho ; translated by Zoë Perry
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BOOK TO SCREEN
THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE
by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2004
Heartfelt, yes, but pretty routine.
Life lessons.
Angie Malone, the youngest of a big, warm Italian-American family, returns to her Pacific Northwest hometown to wrestle with various midlife disappointments: her divorce, Papa’s death, a downturn in business at the family restaurant, and, above all, her childlessness. After several miscarriages, she, a successful ad exec, and husband Conlan, a reporter, befriended a pregnant young girl and planned to adopt her baby—and then the birth mother changed her mind. Angie and Conlan drifted apart and soon found they just didn’t love each other anymore. Metaphorically speaking, “her need for a child had been a high tide, an overwhelming force that drowned them. A year ago, she could have kicked to the surface but not now.” Sadder but wiser, Angie goes to work in the struggling family restaurant, bickering with Mama over updating the menu and replacing the ancient waitress. Soon, Angie befriends another young girl, Lauren Ribido, who’s eager to learn and desperately needs a job. Lauren’s family lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and her mother is a promiscuous alcoholic, but Angie knows nothing of this sad story and welcomes Lauren into the DeSaria family circle. The girl listens in, wide-eyed, as the sisters argue and make wisecracks and—gee-whiz—are actually nice to each other. Nothing at all like her relationship with her sluttish mother, who throws Lauren out when boyfriend David, en route to Stanford, gets her pregnant. Will Lauren, who’s just been accepted to USC, let Angie adopt her baby? Well, a bit of a twist at the end keeps things from becoming too predictable.
Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-345-46750-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2004
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by Kristin Hannah
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Kirkus Prize winner
National Book Award Finalist
A LITTLE LIFE
by Hanya Yanagihara ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015
The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.
Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.
Yanagihara ( The People in the Trees , 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.
Pub Date: March 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
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by Hanya Yanagihara
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Booklover Book Reviews
The Alchemist, Book Review: Paulo Coelho’s beguiling novel
Paulo Coelho’s novel The Alchemist has beguiling depth and universal themes that will entrance readers of all ages and faiths. This book is a modern classic. Read our full review.
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The Alchemist Book Review
The Alchemist ( O Alquimista ) is a novel by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho which was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it has become an international bestseller (30 million + copies sold) and translated into some 70 languages.
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”
This novel is a perfect example of the saying ‘good things come in small packages’. The simple little tale conveys a very powerful and inspirational message, and so it is unsurprising it is considered a modern classic.
Alchemy , derived from the Arabic word al-kimia, is both a philosophy and an ancient practice focused on the attempt to change base metals into gold, investigating the preparation of the “elixir of longevity”, and achieving ultimate wisdom, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties. ( Wikipedia )
Characters and story outline
The protagonist in this magical fable is a young shepherd of simple means named Santiago. He crosses paths with a King who teaches the young boy the value of reading the signs the world presents us, even in our dreams.
The boy’s subsequent search for hidden treasure takes him across country borders and brings him into contact with both the deceitful and most noble of humanity. He learns the value of persistence and hard work, the value of humility and the value of honour and bravery. Particularly touching is Santiago’s interaction with a crystal merchant who was hesitant to follow his dreams for fear of succeeding. The young boy’s courage in seizing opportunities and overcoming adversity inspired all those he came into contact with.
Literary themes
Santiago’s search for hidden treasure in The Alchemist is a metaphor for life .
Coelho introduces the concept of one’s Personal Legend, or destiny. Appealingly though, this destiny is not presented as something that will simply fall into one’s lap, but something one needs to strive for.
Too often in this inspirational genre readers are given the impression that if we simply wish for something long enough with the purest of intentions, then that wish will come into being. This novel reminds us that
- Anything worth having must be worked for and that one does not gain in life without first risking loss, and
- Treasures can come in the form of experiences, rather than material objects.
Through this allegorical fable, Coelho asserts that life is a journey with an infinite series of decision points . And that the world, if one observes it carefully enough, provides all the information needed to choose the right paths in order to fulfil our dreams.
Although a simple and almost childlike story on one level, The Alchemist has a disarming and beguiling depth to it that will entrance readers of all ages. Its themes are universal and can and should be embraced by people of all races, creeds and religions.
At its core, this is a story about doing what is right and noble, and being rewarded for it. The Alchemist is a must-read.
BOOK RATING: The Story 5 / 5 ; The Writing 5 / 5
Get your copy of The Alchemist from:
Bookshop US Amazon Booktopia AU OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audible’s Trial (check eligibility)
Genre: Literature, Classic, Mystery, Fantasy, Translation
Related Reading: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery / A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle / Lamberto, Lamberto, Lamberto by Gianni Rodari / The Amber Amulet by Craig Silvey / Tales by Trees Series – The Carpenter
The Alchemist Plot Summary
Source: CourseHero .
About the Author, Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho de Souza (1947 – ) is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist and the recipient of numerous international awards. He is best known for his widely translated novel The Alchemist . He has been a prolific author with more than 24 books published . Check out Paul Coelho ‘s website and connect with him on Twitter and Facebook .
In this interview, Paulo Coelho discusses his thoughts on Luck, Coincidence, and Faith:
Source: HarperOne
More Memorable Quotes from The Alchemist
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”
On persistence and commitment:
“The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”
On the value of every of every life:
“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.”
On appreciating the simple things:
“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.”
A booklover with diverse reading interests, who has been reviewing books and sharing her views and opinions on this website and others since 2009.
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Book Review: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
published by Bren
Last updated: May 9, 2020
“My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams.”
Opening thoughts
I don’t read a lot of novels. In fact, I NEVER read novels. I think the last novel I read was “Z for Zachariah” when I was 13 years old. It was pretty good too, from what I remember.
So why did I read The Alchemist? To be honest, I was just looking for something different. I’ve been making an effort to read more this year, and I just didn’t have the energy to read another business or lifestyle design book. I’ve always been a huge fan of Will Smith, and when I found out that The Alchemist was his favourite book, I just knew I had to read it.
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It was incredible. The storytelling was beautiful, but more importantly, there were so many lessons that the author shared that would be relevant to anyone’s life. I’m now actively hunting for more books like this – if you know of any, please tell me!
As for this particular book review of The Alchemist, I’m not going to delve deeply into all the lessons he portrays for us. Rather I will tell you what I liked about the book, what I didn’t, and whether it’s a worthy piece to pick up and read yourself.
Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian author, and after reading up on him, it seems his life shares some parallels with the story in his book. He had always wanted to be a writer, but his parents didn’t allow it. He was put in a mental institution, escaped, became a hippie and travelled the world, and eventually returned and fulfilled his dream of being being an author. He is an advocate of not giving up on your dream, and this message seems to come through in this novel in particular. The Alchemist has now sold over 65 million copies – one of the best selling books in history. How have I not heard of it before?!
The Alchemist Review: What’s it about?
The story is about a young shepherd from the south of Spain who has a recurring dream about a finding a treasure. Believing that finding this treasure is his ‘destiny’ he leaves the comfort of home and travels into the African desert to find it.
There’s not too much I can tell you without spoiling the story, so let me leave you with a few extracts that will hopefully show you the kind of message the author hopes to share:
“I’m the King of Salem,” the old man said.
“Why would a king be talking with a shepherd?” the boy asked, awed and embarrassed.
“For several reasons. But let’s say that the most important is that you have succeeded in discovering your Personal Legend.”
The boy didn’t know what a person’s “Personal Legend” was.
“It’s what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend.”
The old man related that, the week before, he had been forced to appear before a miner, and had taken the form of a stone. The miner had abandoned everything to go mining for emeralds. For five years he had been working a certain river, and had examined hundreds of thousands of stones looking for an emerald. The miner was about to give it all up, right at the point when, if he were to examine just one more stone – just one more – he would find his emerald. Since the miner had sacrificed everything to his Personal Legend, the old man decided to become involved. He transformed himself into a stone that rolled up to the miner’s foot. The miner, with all the anger and frustration of his five fruitless years, picked up the stone and threw it aside. But he had thrown it with such force that it broke the stone it fell upon, and there, embedded in the broken stone, was the most beautiful emerald in the world.
“People learn, early in their lives, what is their reason for being,” said the old man, with a certain bitterness. “Maybe that’s why they give up on it so early, too. But that’s the way it is.”
The boy reminded the old man that he had said something about hidden treasure.
“Treasure is uncovered by the force of flowing water, and it is buried by the same currents,” said the old man. “If you want to learn about your own treasure, you will have to give me one-tenth of your flock.”
“What about one-tenth of my treasure?”
The old man looked disappointed. “If you start out by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work toward getting it.”
The boy told him that he had already promised to give one-tenth of his treasure to the Gypsy.
“Gypsies are experts at getting people to do that,” sighed the old man. “In any case, it’s good that you’ve learned that everything in life has its price.”
The old man returned the book to the boy.
“Tomorrow, at this same time, bring me a tenth of your flock. And I will tell you how to find the hidden treasure. Good afternoon.”
And he vanished around the corner of the plaza.
What I liked
This book left a big impression on me. While reading through the book you can tell that the author is wise, that he has lived a long time, because of the messages he shares through the characters in his story. It’s almost as if, while you’re reading it, you can imagine your grandfather telling it to you as if it’s a tale from his childhood. I always thought that novels were a waste of time because you never learn any “real life” lessons from them, but this book finally proved me wrong.
The story itself is special. Even when I was 8 I never had an imagination quite like the author’s. There were a few times where I seriously couldn’t sleep, reading impatiently in the middle of the night to find out what happened next.
Now you might ask, what is an alchemist? From what I understood, an alchemist is like a magician chemist who can turn any metal into gold. But throughout the story and the search for the alchemist, I felt like this was more a metaphor for life in general. If we follow our own “Personal Legends” we can perform the same magic – turn our ordinary lives into gold, as long as we believe in the journey and don’t give up on what we believe is our destiny. If you’re looking for inspiration, this story brings it in droves.
What I didn’t like
To be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing about the book. It can move into religious territory at times, talking quite in depth about God and heaven etc, so depending on your own beliefs this could be a downside. However I think all people will be able to relate to the message of the story regardless of their religion.
Also, it’s worth noting that the book is originally written in Portugese, meaning that what we’re reading is an English translation. I have no doubt this takes away from the book in some regard, as the author’s exact message could be hard to mimic in translation. In fact, there were times when I would think, “I’m sure this part sounds way cooler in Portugese.” But, I probably have no idea what I’m talking about.
You should read this if…
- You’re looking for travel inspiration (or inspiration for life in general)
- You like feel-good stories
- You don’t mind novels that involve mystical, magical things that could never happen in real life. e.g. a shepherd having a conversation with the soul of the universe
- You respond well to stories that teach you what you already know in a different way
- You enjoy a short read (167 pages)
Bren rates it: 8.5/10
Really hope you guys enjoyed this review of The Alchemist! You can find more reviews and read more about the book here.
Happy reading!
P.S. Did you know you can read unlimited books with a subscription to Kindle Unlimited ? You can also try it completely free for a whole month! Check it out here .
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Glad to hear you found that book very interesting. Same with me, I immediately loved the books entirety many years back and collected some others author by Paulo as well. Presently, I enjoyed listening again and again before going to sleep the audio version read by Jeremy Irons. His way of narration adds up spice to the already sizzling story. you can download it at youtube. Maybe once your at YT, you can get to browse some related topics as well. Enjoy them as you like.
Here’s to us who keep fanning the internal flames that burn within. All our greatest dreams… may it be fulfilled!
I’ll definitely have to read more of his. Yes, how easy it is for us to give up on our dream – books like this inspire us to keep moving 🙂
Same here Bren, I’m not a big fan of Novels, rather prefer self help or inspirational books, indeed The Alchemist is the first Novel that I have red in my entire life, Yeah I was fascinated by its lesson, follow your dreams for it will determine the course of your life.Check Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl almost same concept but in different setting, try check The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari too by Robin Sharma worth reading. Book is one of the bests travel buddy. All the best, Chad
Hi Chad, thanks for the suggestions, I’ll check em out!
This is my FAVORITE book of all time. You said you’re looking for more books like this and really are his books are similar in a way. They are “fables” and I’ve read about 20 of them! I love 11 Minutes so much, but the Pilgrimage isn’t as good in my opinion. The Warrior of light is a bunch of small quotes and I really like them!
Thank you, I will check them out 🙂
Hey Bren, I havent read the alchemist yet (shame on me bad Brazilian girl) but its definitely on my list. If you are looking for a good novel Shantaram is a must! Australian author, a mix of an autobiography and fiction. Its a bit big, but worth every page, the most touching book I have ever read. All the best, Fernanda
Hi Fernanda, you’re not the first person who’s mentioned that book to me. I suppose I better check it out 🙂
Hi Bren! Glad you enjoyed the book! It’s one of my favorites! I make it s point to read it once a year. My first time reading it, I was on a plane to Lima, Peru. I finished it from cover to cover on the flight! You’re right that it is an English translation, but Coelho speaks excellent English! I have no doubt that he tried to get the message across as accurately as possible.
A similar themed book I’d recommend is “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman. It lacks the theme of travel, but Millman writes about taking all the advantages life is offering you. There’s no mention of religion and he avoids writing in a way that comes across as “preachy”. His style of writing is not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. Maybe you will too!
Sounds like a great book. I have been doing a lot of reading of late so I will check it out!
That was a kids story, not a novel !
If you please try reading Tuesdays with Morrie. If you did enjoy reading The Alchemist I know that you’ll love this one 🙂
Since you like The Alchemist, I think you will also like The Little Prince. It’s a short book so it’s not a pain to read. You will also learn a lot from that book. Enjoy!
Thanks, I’ll check it out for sure 🙂
Lol , I 100% agree with you Ann , The Alchemist it’s a kids story !! Can believe I read it , so boring!
Following your destiny is quiet difficult but it is the basic purpose of your life. The book was really awesome as the protagonist achieves his destiny, though he loses hope many times and also his luck is not on his side. The old king said to him, ‘When you want to achieve something, whole of the universe conspires with you’, but all he said was not that simple. You have to find out your own meaning from the sentence and follow your destiny, which nature has already set for you. You should not complain for anything because our Allah has created us and knows much better than we do. This is also evident in the story, as every difficulty coming in Santiago’s life, leads him to the right way. You asked for a recommendation I will recommend you ‘A Tale Of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens.
Yep! Totally agree on “A tale of two cities” . It’s really amazing!!!!!!!But also emotional , really a lot of it… Anyways , a must read for EVERYONE!!!
The Alchemist ! if i try explaining the content, i will surely distort the message the writter wants to convey……must read book.
Hi , I can can see that a lot of people here haven’t read a novel before . Because The Alchemist in my opinion it’s not a good book , it gets so boring after a while, I thought many times to quit it . The author repeats the same thing over and over , there isn’t much plot , it feels like it’s written by a 10 year old for a 10 year old . Very boring, kids story , don’t wast money and time !!!
Plot of this book is taken from Masnawi of Maulana Jalal Ud Deen Rumi.
Yes dear I like the BOOK. The Al CHEMIST tells us about never stop dreaming and Personal Legend. Its loving and having good things to read. After studying, I hope everyone will start liking this beautiful NOVEL.
Hi Bren if you want to read the books then I can give you some recommendations you can read the books of Paulo Coelho I am just13 years old but have read more than5 books of Paulo Coelho because his book is very fascinating and inspiring by those books only I am able to change my life
hi I wanna know what you think about the universal language…… no one mentioned it as I was checking out
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