About this title: Paulo Coehlo's enchanting story of a boy who goes on a quest after a tantalizing dream will warm the heart of every type of seeker. Told in a simple, engaging style, this tale of an Andalusian shepherd begins as a search for a treasure which, according to his dream, lies hidden beneath the Egyptian pyramids. As young Santiago pursues his goal, he ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Thorsons, London
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780722532935ISBN:0722532938
Description: Good. Text in English, Portuguese. 177p. ; 20 cm. Original English translation published: San Francisco : HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Thorsons, London
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780722532935ISBN:0722532938
Description: Good. Text in English, Portuguese. 177p. ; 20 cm. Original English translation published: San Francisco : HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. read more
Description: Good. 2006-Paperback-Cover shows some minor shelf-wear. ---Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Very Good. 0061122416 **Softcover**--Exact ISBN Match--Very mild shelf wear. No personalizations, writing or marks in the text. Absolutely no spine creasing. Ships Quickly-IN STOCK-Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Description: Very Good. 0061122416 Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: HarperOne
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780061122415ISBN:0061122416
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Cover shows minor wear at corners and edges, spine is uncreased; pages unmarked. Translated by Alan R. Clarke. read more
Binding: Audio Cassette
Publisher: HarperAudio
Date Published: 2001-04-01
ISBN-13:9780694524471ISBN:0694524476
Description: Like New. A great audio cassette book in like new condition! FREE TRACKING in US and email to you when shipped. Inquires welcomed and we want your complete satisfaction! read more
Description: Good. 2007 HarperOne Reprint Softcover(Trade PB) Edition. Some wear/dampening to cover/pages, text clean with strong binding. Ships Fast! read more
Description: Fine. 0060834838 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black ink mark on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
"This was an overall okay book...the ideas aren't new, and the writing style isn't brilliant, but it was still a nice read. The best word I can think of to describe "The Alchemist" is "cute"."
"An awesome read.....Paulo is truly a gifted writer and the Alchemist proves this. A fun read for all ages. It is inspiring and opened my eyes to a brighter light."
"A young man goes on a journey of discovery. At first he thinks he is out to find treasure. Then he gets sidetracked by life in the various places to which he travels. Finally, at the end of the story, he winds up at the place where he began, a much wiser person.
This is a book to be read, then re-read. There are many lessons to be learned. My lesson learned is that we need to be happy now, while living life. If we keep waiting for that magical moment when we finally find the "treasure" we will miss out on the REAL treasure; the whole process of existence. Our treasure is right where we are."
"Timing is everything. If I'd read 'The Alchemist' four years ago, I'm sure I would have loved it. It deals in big, bold pronouncements of 'follow your dreams' et cetera et cetera, and it certainly makes you think about your own life and the pursuit of your own "Personal Legend" if you will. But maybe I'm older and more cynical now, or maybe it's not cynicism so much as just seeing a reality that isn't so mystical and black and white as Paulo Coelho's, but in any event, I just wasn't buying what 'The Alchemist' was selling.
It's a good, quick read, I'll give it that. I enjoyed myself, and I definitely thought a little bit about my own life in the process, which I appreciate from my literature. And while I was more or less with it for a while, I just couldn't stay on board with an ending that left me saying, "that's it? Really?" Be forewarned, there will be spoilers after this point. The whole book Santiago is in pursuit of his "Personal Legend", which he is told is a great treasure found in the pyramids of Egypt. Along the way he befriends many people and makes a great sum of money, while also meeting a beautiful young woman who agrees to more or less be his life-partner, Romeo and Juliet-style (which is stupid in and of itself, but more on that later). It is at this point that he determines he has achieved a greater treasure than any he had ever dreamed of, and would go no further. Beautiful. Cue the music and themes of recognizing treasure in all its forms. Santiago has a wonderful, fulfilling life laid out before him, and would most likely die a happy man by the side of his lovely wife and adoring children, all while living comfortably as village counselor of a beautiful desert oasis. Sounds pretty nice, no?
Well, that's where the book lost it's footing. Santiago is urged, coerced even, into continuing to follow his "Personal Legend", leaving behind his "love" (who, it should be mentioned is a "woman of the desert" and so is completely fine being abandoned by her "love" and will simply wait and wait and wait for him, whether he ever returns or not) traversing the desert and (bizarrely) evading a hostile army along the way by turning himself into the wind (it makes about as much sense as it sounds). In the end though, Coelho reveals to us that Santiago does, indeed, reach his "Personal Legend" in a two and a half page epilogue, where it is shoddily revealed that Santiago's long-sought after treasure is...treasure. Literally. Buried treasure. A box in the sand filled with gold coins and diamonds and jewelry and crowns, and all the other cliche treasure images you can think up. What the hell?
So what message are we supposed to take from this book then? Money is the most important thing in the world? Women are objects meant to be seen and valued for their beauty, there to serve you and wait around forever while you go on wild goose chases across continents in search of money?
Obviously I'm being facetious, and Coelho intended to say that one should follow their dreams no matter what, even if it transcends a nice, content life, so long as you are in pursuit of a life that would be even greater than you can ever imagine, sacrificing what is good now for what can be great later. But he did so in an extremely simplistic way, and the revelation of the Santiago's treasure being literally treasure was a major disappointment.
The thing was, despite his simplicity, the book had a nice message going for a while. If Fatima was Santiago's treasure, that I could have gotten behind, even if it shows a good deal of contempt for the role of women in relationships (beauty being the most important factor in deciding on a mate, as Santiago is struck by her beauty and immediately professes his love; Fatima more or less acquiesces immediately and pledges herself to Santiago no matter what, even if he must travel the desert forever in selfish pursuit of his own dreams, with no regard for her), because that is something intangible that is meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of financial standing. But then Coelho basically goes on to say that that is just a roadblock in the way of real achievement, and that one should selfishly pursue their own dreams with no regard for those closest to them.
How a book can go on and on talking about seeing the everyday symbols and omens in life and taking heed of them, presumably leaving metaphors for life all along the way, and then have what was presumably the biggest metaphor of them all, Santiago's treasure, turn out not to be a metaphor at all, but just money? To me, that summed up everything. I suppose Coelho realizes this, as he begins the book with a brief fable about Narcissus falling into the river because he loved staring at his reflection, and the river's disappointment in this, as the river loved gazing into Narcissus's eyes and seeing the reflection of itself. This is a horrible little story implying that everyone is obsessed only with themselves, a sad, empty little thought that Coelho spends 167 pages endorsing wholeheartedly, under the guise of following your dreams.
I understand that other people love this book and find it inspiring, and I think I would have felt the same way years ago, when I was just out of college and it appeared I had my whole life ahead of me and a lifetime to live it. I'm older now, and I've found someone who I consider to be a real treasure, and while I still have dreams, I'm not willing to sacrifice the happiness that this life brings me every day in a single-minded pursuit of something that I want for selfish reasons (fame, fortune, etc.). If I was Santiago, I would have never left Fatima in the first place if she truly made me happy, as Santiago claimed she did. Perhaps that makes me a coward in Coelho's eyes, not unlike the Crystal merchant from the story. But it'd also make me not the sad Englishman, whose single-minded pursuit of his "personal legend" had cost him all his money, friends, and family and left him alone in an oasis burning lead in a tent in the vain hopes it will turn to gold.
I guess what I'm trying to say in this long-winded review, is that this book is all about being selfish and doing what you think will make you happy, regardless of everything else. I can see why that appeals to people, especially those who want to show the doubters and find their own treasure beneath a sycamore tree, but it's sad, in a way. We live in a culture where everyone wants selfish things like fame or money or power, just to satisfy some gaping hole in their own souls, ignoring the real problems that lead to these compulsions in the first place. To me, this book feeds and even encourages that misplaced ideal, and that's a shame."
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