Book Club: The Alchemist

The Alchemist

By: Paulo Coelho

Pages: 197
Read: 1/4/12

"Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring 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 in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found 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."

 {GoodReads}

I find that people either love or hate this book, I loved it.  I thought it was easy to read, as the paragraphs were broken up, and I thought it was a very inspiring story.  The book is also very short and to the point which I really like, I didn't feel like there was a lot of BS filler which is so common today.   While there are some parts which were a little too philosophical for my tastes, the underlying message, follow your dreams and listen to your heart, is a great message.  It was just a really nice and inspiring story.  The only problem that I had with this book was that the ending was very rushed and I felt like there should have maybe been an extra 10-20 pages. 

I gave The Alchemist a 4/5 on my GoodReads.