Book Review: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

“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.”

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

The 1988 release of Paulo Coelho's novel The Alchemist marked the author's debut in Brazil. Written in Portuguese at first, it quickly became a worldwide success through several translations. The Alchemist is an allegorical story that chronicles the adventure of a young Andalusian shepherd who, after experiencing a reoccurring dream of discovering a treasure there, sets out to visit the pyramids of Egypt.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Paulo Coelho’s enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago, who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried near the Pyramids.

Along the way he meets a Romany woman, a man who calls himself a king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the right direction for his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or whether Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles in his path; but what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of treasure within.

Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

My reaction to this novel...

There are an excessive number of things one can gain from “The Alchemist”. Actually, it’s my second time reading this book. And for me, the story is tied in with following our dreams and about facing the challenges when it comes to following our dreams, which is quite hard to do and there are not many individuals in this world who really do. I mean, there are few who will gamble everything, just to rely on their instincts and dreams. The magnificent thing is, the creator is so right in saying that when we choose to follow our dreams, the whole universe schemes in support of us which he called as the “luck” and we as a whole have been observer to this at one or other point in our lives. Also, he discussed a phase in our life towards understanding our dreams, where everything simply goes haywire and there is everything neutralizing us and it nearly takes us really close to leaving everything and returning to what exactly was so natural and agreeable.

This book isn’t just way of thinking yet it is an appearance of life. It enlightens us that life isn’t concerning the results and the objective yet it’s about the journey we are willing to take just to get our dreams. It can likewise cause us to put stock in force of considerations. It can make one understands the genuine importance of energy and dreams. Not many of us are sufficiently fortunate to do what we really love. I felt that this book is an update for us to seek after our dreams and live our lives to the fullest.

Paulo Coelho likewise puts a light on the prospect that tough time doesn’t last forever. Difficulty is just a test from the universe to see our capacities. So for me, I and will definitely recommend it to those who love to read books about dreams and life-changing stories.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)