Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist

[direstraits]

Firstly: Damn! I was reading this thread when I came across a spoiler for Lord of the Flies. I had been meaning to finish reading it, but I haven't, so I knew exactly what was being said. Damn again!

You have been warned.

Okay, The Alchemist. I've finished it and it tells of a fundamental rule of life, according to Coelho - seek out your destiny. Go forth and do whatever it is your heart really desires. Any excuses one has about uprooting your life to do what you want is exactly that - just excuses, and unless you've achieved your destiny, you'll never truly be happy.

It made me think of those who are stuck in the rat race (read: me) and what they are willing to sacrifice to do what they really want. It made me think of my own situation, and what I really want in life. And most importantly, if I'm actually gutsy enough to do it. I think this is the essense of the book - knowing you've got to realize your destiny is one thing, but it's really about whether you'll actually get up and do it.

I found the story simple but full of symbolism. What is the Master Work supposed to signify - one's destiny?

It's a little short to be *that* life-changing, which is basically what others here have mentioned. But it did really make me think about my own life. Isn't that worth the price of admission?

Did anyone sit up and did what the book prompted you to do?

ds

 

[RIKKIS]

huh?

I'm surprised anyone liked this book tried to read it, but you know if somethings not interesting I fall asleep

 

[Jill6]

I read The Alchemist in a book club. Very much got me to sit down and think about life....but the part when he has to talk to the wind...a bit much I thought....

 

[direstraits]

What did your book club say about the wind?

Welcome, Jill!

ds

 

[byelush]

If I may put a word in your Alchemist discussion - don't you think that Coehlo doesn't know himself what he wants to say? Think of the main plot:

Spoiler

the hero gets into a long journey to look for a hidden treasure, travels for a whole book only to find out that the treasure was all the time just where he lived...

So what is the conclusion? Should we be able to develop ourselves in given circumstances and notice the real treasures that can be acquired just where we live, or, on the contrary, should we leave our homeland to be able to understand ourselves and find happiness?

Unclear for me.

I just started through the thread, i don't know if anything has been resolved for anyone but I finished the book a few weeks ago and I found it slightly frustrating simply because the main character was so CALM about everything that happened to him. Anyway, what I got out of it was that it's the journey, not the destination.

 

[sanyuja]

Anyway, what I got out of it was that it's the journey, not the destination.

I share your thoughts. I read this book some 2 years back. In my opinion, this is what the book is trying to say- Its the means that matters, not the end.

 

[RitalinKid]

I read this book over the weekend, and I couldn't put it down. It was basically a book of proverbs bound together with a mixture of Western and Eastern religious ideas.

 

[direstraits]

Hey hey, RitalinKid, welcome back! Enjoyed the fable book, did you? Did it speak to you at any level?

ds

 

[RitalinKid]

Dire, you should stop holding your breath. You've turned blue since I was here last.

I can't say I had what some would call a "spiritual" experience. On top of that, I was stressed all weekend, and I can't say it even relieved that. I liked the fact that the book was a melting pot of ideas. Coelho took the Christian and Muslim ideas of God and stirred them together. Then, he also threw in the Eastern idea of oneness, the idea that we all share the same soul.

As I haven't been a spiritual person for that last year of my life, I don't really agree with those ideas, but my hope is that a book such as that, a fable, will bring people of different backgrounds closer together by showing them that different ideas can coexist and actually complement each other.

I do agree that the book could be viewed as a self help book. One of the recurring themes is that your perspective on life matters more than the circumstances. From someone who has been to stress management, those are words to live by. If people need to add words like maktub or amen to the statement to make it mean something more to them, so be it, but I hate hearing people argue over whose God is better or true.

 

[kmanevil]

king of salem

i got the book just last week, from Virgin Stores in beirut as i was visiting there for a week. when i got back home, i started reading the alchemist right away that night i got back because i have developed this habit of never sleeping before reading; i finsihed the book over a total of 3 nights. ( i only read before sleeping )

my thoughts on the book:

i think that the book was well written and paulo's story telling capabilities are unquestionable. it was packed with symbolism and i think that helped it become more relative to readers' own lives and experiences. to pin point what i squeezed out of the book after finishing it is hard to do, although it is easy to point out the general feel you get when you finish it. to say that the book simply wanted a person to chase his destiny and listen to his / her heart would do the book no justice. there are many little things you learn by reading this book. each character in the book had some sort of lesson to teach and everyone was in search for their destiny and each went about it in his own way. to realize your dreams is simply not the only thing that the book was trying to say. others have said also interpreted it that the book was tryin to inspire people to accept where they live and what they have for they already have the treasure. to me, i think the journey that the boy had undertaken was what made his discovering the treasure back home all the more worth while. had he found it before taking off on the journey, it wouldnt have been the same.

the boy was not chasing a dream and he wasn't even listening to his heart at first. was it not for the king of salem, it would never have happened- the whole journey. so its not simply listening to your heart, its also being able to see goodness in bad, and taking notice of omens. the thruim and ummim little rocks were not used at all during the entire journey and all that to say is that you truly need no one or anything to carry out your destiny, all you need to do is listen to your heart; but sometimes, you need someone like the king of salem, or simply the belief in the existence of someone out there tryin to pull strings your way; optimisim and a strong belief that things eventually work out. patience is also here mentioned. many characters exhibit patience in their aims to achieve their goals, and although i finished the book in 3 night's reading, the actual journey santiago had undergone took more than a year. persistance, patience, and arms wide open for new experiences and all with a strong belief and hope can help you achieve your goals.

 

[Stewart]

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, with their passing involvement, provide him with a piece of the spiritual jigsaw that is his life. Finally, when he arrives at the Egyptian pyramids, he learns a lesson in life that brings him happiness.

The novel is short, and, while it gets its message across, a number of other things suffer. The characterisation is lean; everyone is faceless, ageless, and speaks with the same voice, a voice of implied wisdom. Most characters are also nameless; even Santiago, the protagonist, is simply referred to as ‘the boy’ throughout. Setting, also, is a casualty of the book; while we follow Santiago through the desert, we never truly get the feeling of being there. We don’t feel the heat, thirst for water, or shiver when night falls.

The prose in the book is extremely simple, giving The Alchemist the feel of a children’s book. Adjectives, especially when necessary, are rare, so that most things are described as ‘the desert’, ‘a horse’, or ‘some wine’. The desert has no texture, the horse no character, and the wine no flavour. Repetition, also, lengthens the book so that, once wisdom has been spoken, it echoes through the narrative so that each action can be credited.

The Alchemist is a quick read, but it’s not a good read. It has the feeling of a bonding session in the workplace where you discuss the implications of pseudo-situations, only moved from the office to the desert. It’s a self-help book disguised as a novel, the “secrets” of life, though hardly life-changing, are listed as stages in one boy’s discovery. I hope you discover this review before the novel.

 

[jenn]

i wish i had. my mom was frantic that i should read this book and when i did, she was like,"let's discuss it!" and i had nothing to say. i didn't find it earth shattering or enlightening. like you said, i felt like i had read an extended aesop's fable. i don't think i missed the point i just thought the book was lacking.

 

[Peder]

Hmmm,
I thought I had a recent post in here sounding very much like the posts I see. But it must be that my recent post was in The Most-Overhyped Book I Have Ever Read. So my reactions are quite similar to those in here, only much moreso! Enuf said.
Peder

 

[asif.ashiqali]

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Hie All,

I have just completed The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, it’s an exceptional read with lots of mystical insight and inspiration to stir ahead for ultimate destination. Santiago is the perfect spirit; sketches from medieval era and buoyant behavior of Santiago through out the story provided me another angle to observe. It’s worth a read and I am scheduling to read it again, very soon.

 

[venusunfolding]

I read this as part of my book club at work. It was a really quick read. I enjoyed it for what it was, a short little story. I didn't get why people were always so, "OMG this book changed my life, I have to buy a copy for everyone I know"

 

[jaybe]

I feel a bit the same. I enjoyed it enough to read a couple more of his, but it certainly isn't one of my all time greats.

 

[CattiGuen]

hmmm...sounds crappy. just a thought...

 

[Billy]

The novel is short, and, while it gets its message across, a number of other things suffer. The characterisation is lean; everyone is faceless, ageless, and speaks with the same voice, a voice of implied wisdom. Most characters are also nameless; even Santiago, the protagonist, is simply referred to as ‘the boy’ throughout. Setting, also, is a casualty of the book; while we follow Santiago through the desert, we never truly get the feeling of being there. We don’t feel the heat, thirst for water, or shiver when night falls.

While I'm not disagreeing with your points, Stewart, I wonder if the 'leanness' of the book in general was to signify that this is a universal story rather than an individual one. The boy isn't named and we don't really get to feel close to him as he has few qualities we can all relate to. He is too good and has next to no faults. But that being said, it sort of allows the reader to see the story in a much more general way. The simplicity with which the whole story is written seems to be very much like a parable, as you stated. This makes certain that there will be no misunderstandings of the books message or moral. It seems the author doesn't want us to get carried away with our empathy for Santiago or the beauties/horrors of the desert. These things are not what is important. This book is one of the few books I have read that seems to be totally preoccupied with it's theme at the expense of the other aspects one expects to find in a good story.

The Alchemist is a quick read, but it’s not a good read. It has the feeling of a bonding session in the workplace where you discuss the implications of pseudo-situations, only moved from the office to the desert. It’s a self-help book disguised as a novel, the “secrets” of life, though hardly life-changing, are listed as stages in one boy’s discovery. I hope you discover this review before the novel.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel. I wouldn't say it was life changing or that it was the best book I have ever read because it was neither of these. It was a nice, simple story about destiny, but so simple that I sort of regretted paying the $24 I paid for it. I would not deter anyone from reading it because I think it is a good read, but borrow it from the library. I just can't justify spending such money on such a short, simple book.

 

[Stewart]

While I'm not disagreeing with your points, Stewart, I wonder if the 'leanness' of the book in general was to signify that this is a universal story rather than an individual one.

But surely by writing something more detailed and involving you take the role of the reader from being a mere observer to the feeling of almost being a participant. With details we can get the sense that we are actually there where Coelho doesn't make it possible to be there. To you, or Coelho, it may be a lack of detail that makes a story universal but I think that what makes a story universal is one where we can empathise with the characters, regardless of their situation.

The boy isn't named...

Are you talking about Santiago?

This book is one of the few books I have read that seems to be totally preoccupied with it's theme at the expense of the other aspects one expects to find in a good story.

And by preoccupying itself with none of the things one expects to find in a good story The Alchemist becomes, by default, a bad story.

 

[Billy]

But surely by writing something more detailed and involving you take the role of the reader from being a mere observer to the feeling of almost being a participant. With details we can get the sense that we are actually there where Coelho doesn't make it possible to be there. To you, or Coelho, it may be a lack of detail that makes a story universal but I think that what makes a story universal is one where we can empathise with the characters, regardless of their situation.

By story, I meant more the message or moral of the story. So, what I was saying was that it was the moral of the story that was universal. And by not being more detailed we are prevented, as you said, from actually being directly involved in the story and therefore are forced into the position of onlooker, which in turn makes us focus on the theme rather than the characters or the setting.

And by preoccupying itself with none of the things one expects to find in a good story The Alchemist becomes, by default, a bad story.

I thought it was a nice story, not a good story, but a nice one. I felt no empathy with the character and was not taken away to experience another place, so in these areas, yes it is lacking indeed, but I still don't think it makes it a bad story. As someone else said it is very like a fable or parable and in these stories it is the moral that is all important, not the characters or settings of the story.