The Alchemist

208 pages

English language

Published April 25, 2006 by HarperOne.

ISBN:
978-0-06-112241-5
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3 stars (25 reviews)

The Alchemist details the journey of a young Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, decides to travel to the pyramids of Egypt to find treasure. On the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity and disaster. One of the significant characters that he meets is an old king named Melchizedek who tells him that "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." This is the core philosophy and motif of the book.

45 editions

Read this at just the right time

5 stars

I have read many critical reviews of this book and I can absolutely see the reasons why so many people dislike the book. For me, however, this book came at just the right time of my life, and it had a huge impact on me.

You see, the book is about following your dream. In my case, I felt stuck in a life that didn't suit me at all, unable to move. This book comes with a certain naivety that is freeing. The kind that says, it doesn't matter, just go for it. Yes that sounds like a recipe for disaster for some people, especially since some events in the books might seem to have a rather dubious meaning. But for me it was a lifesaver. And most of the more rational books that I read as well did no remotely have the same effect. The book might suggest to …

Review of 'The Alchemist' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I feel like I should go back and bump basically everything down to at least 4 stars except this book. Because it doesn't feel right it should share the same rating...

This book is... life changing. I'm finished, but I am going to go back and start it again right away. It is INCREDIBLE.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Lora for telling me to read it!