The Alchemist by Alan Clarke (2006, Paperback, Reissue)

The Alchemist

The Entertainment Critic Book Review, By James Myers
THE ALCHEMIST
By Paulo Coelho
Published by Harper Collins Publishers
197 Pages
ISBN 0-06-112241-6
THIS BOOK HAS SOLD MORE THAN 2 MILLION COPIES
HAS BEEN TRANSLATED INTO FIFTY-SIX LANGUAGES
AN INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER
Five Star Rating *****

“…we all need to be aware of our personal calling. What is a personal calling? It is God’s blessing, it is the path that God chose for you here on earth. Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend… To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”


If you have ever read The Little Prince or The Prophet, then this simple, thin, easy to read, compelling story is for you. Dreams, signs, symbolism, medieval mysticism and the desert all play key roles in this tale. In this symbolic masterpiece, Mr. Coelho has established himself as a master fable teller of the first order. We learn that we should follow our dreams and to embrace our destinies. Finding our personal calling, our “Personal Myth” is the reason why we are here, our reason to be. Our mission is to follow our personal calling, to find God, and to achieve the happiness, fulfillment, and the ultimate purpose of all of creation. Now in paperback, this classic has become a top seller again and is available everywhere. First published in Brazil in 1988, The Alchemist has been translated into 56 languages, sold more than 40 million copies, and has been read in over 150 countries. It is one of the best selling books in history.

This is a fable about a shepherd boy, Santiago. He has grown up with poor parents, who struggle to send him to seminary. Santiago has a strong desire to travel the world, so his father allows him to use his inheritance to buy a flock of sheep. He has a recurring dream about treasure under the pyramids in Egypt. A gypsy woman and a mysterious king advise him to pursue his destiny. “When you want something, all of the universe conspires to helping you achieve it.” He listens to the signs, and courageously follows them in a journey of space, time and self-discovery. Santiago sells his sheep and travels to Tangiers in Africa. After a thief steals all of his money, he works for a crystal merchant. He crosses the desert with an Englishman. At a desert oasis he meets and falls in love with Fatima, who encourages him to reach his goals. He earns more money by correctly reading the signs and predicting an attack on the oasis. On the last leg of the journey, he meets the Alchemist, who completes his training in reading the signs of the desert. At the end of the journey he learns that the “treasure lies where your heart belongs” and that the treasure was the journey itself, the discoveries he made, and the wisdom he acquired. Coelho is the ultimate optimist; all things are possible as long as you really want it to happen. We are not pawns of fate. We do not loose our ability to control our lives. On the contrary, if we follow our personal journey, we cannot go wrong; if we do not have the courage to follow it; our life is doomed to emptiness, misery and unfulfillment.

The Alchemist has a universal appeal. We can all identify with Santiago, we all have dreams and we all want them to come true. Coelho’s writing style is short, and pointed, much like Hemingway’s. The combination of wisdom, philosophy, the simplicity of language and symbolism, makes the book lyrically rea

This book was had depth and simplicity that I haven't seen in a long time. It made me rethink my priorities in life. Told some awesome life lessons in easy to understand stories. Was encouraging as far as finding our lives goals and fulfilling our desires. Told how to get back to the basics of being happy and true to ourselves... I'd recommend this book to everyone. It should never be allowed to go away! You will not regret reading it!

I've been listening to comments about The Alchemist for a while, from cab drivers to Will Smith, but haven't found the opportunity to purchase and reading it.

As with everything, the right moment came, and believe me I am a happier person now than I was before reading The Alchemist.

The plot reflects the traveling stories of the main character, Santiago, from Andalusia, Spain, who is in search of his "call" in life or as Coelho names it, his "Personal Legend".

I don't want to ruin the tale for you; The Alchemist is enchanting and full of symbolism. The key issue in the book is to make the reader aware of his or her God-given potential. That's all, a sincere reminder of what we can become if we follow our heart and hunches. There is no political correctness in it and this book "lesson" applies to any person from Sydney, Australia to Vancouver, British Columbia.

You'll be wrong if you think this is a classic self-help type of book. Quite the contrary, without any pretenses Coelho walks you through a simple yet magical adventure that will remain in your memories and heart for a long, long time.

I sincerely recommend this book to anyone in search of betterment; from the eager teenager to the great grandmother. We can, at any age, realize our potential or our call in life by awakening our dormant soul, and that’s precisely what Coelho does: pokes our hearts hard enough to wake them up.

God Bless Paulo Coelho and let he keep writing this way for the next hundred years!

Tinita721

The Alchemist was a wonderful book to read. I particularly likes the unique plot and great writing techniques. The book is simply about a boy who is on an adventure, or mission, of sorts to fulfill his Personal Legend and find his treasure. In the novel, the main character faces challenges, learns some of life's most valuable lessons, and experiences the journey of a lifetime. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading. It should only take about 2-3 days to read. My ONLY complaint was that, at one part of the book, the plot seemed very unrealistic. But it's a great story if you are looking for a new book to read.

I needed to buy this book for my son to read before High School started this year. I looked at Amazon.com and directly at a bookstore. It was cheaper and easier for me to purchase this book from Ebay. I paid through Paypal and it was mailed within a few days. My son read the book within two weeks. It worked out great.

Thanks,

Deb

This book is AWESOME!!!! This is one book I didn't want to end!!
Paulo Coelho wrote a profound story that applies to everyone's life
and it gave me MUCH to contemplate....and it still does when the lessons in the book come back to my mind. I feel blest because a college student in my class shared it with me. Now, I have bought ALL of his books and am reading them!! Enjoy, Angelady

this book emphasizes the pursue of dreams and what they may lead you in the way to accomplish them. the book has many good stories and advice for young readers.
i recommend it.

I bought Paulo Coelho's books The Alchemist and The Witch of Portobello. Both books were in perfect condition! I am SUPER satisfied!

I bought a book from this seller. It was the cheapest price i found for this book. Brand new book cheaper than used!! This seller is amazing! Btw the shipping was fast! Thanks

I decided to buy this book after one of my favorite bands had said that it was their bible and they loved it. The book tells a story about a boy on a journey to find his way in life. It was interesting and I ended up finishing the book in one sitting and found myself not wanting to set the book down. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to follow their dreams or feels like they are stuck in the same rut they have been in for awhile.

Easy to do business with and quick delivery! I like how the seller emailed me right away to let me know the status of the purchase.

I thought the book was in great condition except for the random sentences that were underlined. But other wise it was a great purchase, and would buy another book from this person again. :)

Sweet parable about a young man following his purpose. It tells well, is enticing to read. Takes place in Spain and northern Africa. Not very long.

I really enjoyed this book. The story follows a young man who seeks his purpose, his life journey. I would definitely recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this book, it has much room for philosophical thoughts. It is a very easy read, as it is a very simple story with simple ideas that most people know in their core but don't take time to consider due to all the noise of everydayness interfering with inner thought processes. I will definitely be reading it a couple more times within the month, and perhaps once a year here on out.
It is something both a child and an adult can enjoy, I also think it may be a great book for someone graduating high school.

This is an amazing book! I highly recommend buying it!! It is an excellent read--very motivating. Good for teens and adults.

I read this book for the first time in high school and absolutely loved it. It is an easy read, about the life of a sheperd boy and fulfilling his dreams in finding a treasure which he actually dreamed he would find. Well I dont want to give away too much but there are alot of twists and turns and along the way he finds much more than what he had set out for.

This book is highly reccomended for anyone and everyone my other copy is pretty beat up so I just bought a new one to hold on to.

i bought the book for a school class. it is and excellent book with good ideals in it. i would recommend reading the book to all. thanks

This was a great book! A friend insisted I read it. I read her copy, then decided I needed it on hand to remind me of a different way of looking at life. It was clean, mostly to the point, a quick read, easy to understand and follow. It was a little hard to remember. That's the reason for the purchase. I will read it, again and highly recommend it to everyone of all ages.

Great delivery service, fast and in good shape! The book was a gift so I was very happy to see the book in great condition. If I need any more books I will return to this seller. Thank You Very Much!!!!!!!!

The book was predictable most of the time, and was boring after the first 30 pages. That is my main dislikes of the book, for I predicted each thing correctly (most of the time) which caused it to be boring. It relates things to religions and alchemy (obviously). This personally wasn't my cup of tea, but if you like books relating mostly to alchemy and religion based things, this may be for you.

I loved it because it wa so full of inspiration and hope...It talks about finding ones own destiny and fulfilling it. I think as long as we all keep searching for what we were meant to be and following our dreams,we will be more in touch with our spiritual side..
I bought it because I had borrowed ot from a friend of mine and loved it ,so I had to have it! I read it a total of 3 times so far,it was that good..It really touched a place deep inside my soul.

I bought "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho because it is one bestseller of all the time. It provides a deep reflection about anyone's journey into life.

the delivery was super fast and the item was recieved exactly as described. great service. I was also kept upto dated of the delivery.