The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho- Book Review

Title: The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publish Date: 1988

Rating: 4/5

Summary(blurb): Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom, and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations. 

 Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, following our dreams.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

After first reading this book in sixth grade and finding it an utterly boring Journey To My Destiny book, I wasn't expecting to read this again until three of my friends recently read it. But after rereading the book and devouring it in a single sitting, I realized there was more to the story than I remembered seeing.

The Alchemist follows a tale of self-discovery by our main character, the Andalusian shepherd Santiago. Right before giving up on his dream of traveling, he meets an old man, who encourages him to follow his dream of travel. He is told that there is treasure in the pyramids of Egypt, and so Santiago decides to leave his herd and set out for the pyramids. While on his way, he meets a crystal merchant who is too comfortable in his own life to follow his dreams and forsake his material possessions, is robbed of his life savings three times, and discovers his true love only to find out they must be separated again. However, throughout all this Santiago holds fast to his dream of reaching the pyramids, and focuses on recognizing the signs and omens that the universe is sending his way. The story is one of love and loss, signs and omens, and above all the transformative journey of following one's Personal Legend.    

Before this reread, this book had seemed to be one of the most underwhelming books I've read. The story just seemed to be a dull, endless expanse of desert with the main character searching for a treasure that he won't find. However, reading it again made me see a lot of the things I'd missed before-- there were lots of biblical references throughout that were a pleasant surprise, the story contained many philosophical and spiritual symbols, and it wasn't such a boring journey as I had initially perceived it to be. 

The biblical references especially took me by surprise, since I had just finished reading A Tale Of Three Kings by Gene Edwards (which is about Saul, David, and Absalom, all Bible characters). All the references, from Methusela to Urim and Thummim to Joseph's dreams to the faithful Roman centurion, were a pleasant surprise that helped me connect better to the story. There were also indirect biblical symbolisms-- I don't think that Santiago's initial job as a shepherd was a coincidence, as David from the Bible starts out as a shepherd but later goes on to gain a kingdom. 

However, not all the things I noticed on the second read were positive-- I especially disliked the ending, where Santiago finds actual treasure back in Spain where he first started his journey. The fact that Santiago's Personal Legend of treasure was a literal treasure chest, complete with gold coins and crowns and gold masks, seemed to go against the general message of the story. Having forgotten it from my previous read, I read through the book thinking that the friends, experience, knowledge, and understanding he gained in the journey would be the 'treasure'. The overarching messages of the book are to follow your hopes and dreams, the journey and the lessons learned along the way are what's important, and that the universe helps you achieve your goal; however, the ending doesn't seem to agree with this stance, as demonstrated by the material rewards Santiago gets. I was expecting something more like Santiago finding the Pyramids beautiful, stumbling on some money, and finding out that he only had enough to just get back to the oasis and no further. 

 

All in all, The Alchemist is a nice read detailing a boy's pursuit after his destiny. It holds many important lessons, namely to follow your heart and give it all you've got, but not the most inspiring book. I would recommend this book for grade 6 and up.

Rating: I would give this a 4/5 - A quick read about the journey of a boy searching for his Personal Legend, and how the universe conspires to help the boy achieve his goal. An important message, but a bit too obvious.