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The Alchemist- Book Review

 


It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

                                     The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

 

 

I preface my review by saying I am amazed how wildly passionate people are in their feelings toward this novel of whether they love or hate The Alchemist. I’m one of those people who love it. But, I understand why people are so passionate in their dislike of this work. Paul Coelho looks to inspire passion in people with The Alchemist. And he succeeds in doing so especially in those who are so passionate in their dislike of this book.

 

The Alchemist is a novel that combines an atmosphere of medieval mysticism with the voice of the desert -- dreams, symbols, signs, and adventure follow Santiago and the reader like echoes of ancient wise voices. With this symbolic novel Coelho states that we should not avoid our destinies, and urges people to follow their dreams, because to find our "Personal Myth" and our mission on Earth is the way to find God, meaning happiness, fulfilment, and the ultimate purpose of creation.

 

The novel tells the tale of Santiago, a boy who has a dream and the courage to follow it. After listening to "the signs" the boy ventures in his personal, journey of exploration and self-discovery, searching for a hidden treasure located near the pyramids in Egypt. In his journey, Santiago sees the greatness of the world, and meets all kinds of exciting people like kings and alchemists. However, by the end of the novel, he discovers that "treasure lies where your heart belongs", and that the treasure was the journey itself, the discoveries he made, and the wisdom he acquired.

 

As the alchemist himself says when he appears to Santiago in the form of an old king "when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true". This is the core of the novel's theme. Isn't it true that all of us want to believe the old king when he says that the greatest lie in the world is that at some point we lose the ability to control our lives, and become the pawns of fate.

Coelho also suggests that those who do not have the courage to follow their “Personal Myth", are doomed to a life of emptiness, misery, and unfulfillment. Fear, fear of failure seems to be the greatest obstacle to happiness. The old crystal-seller tragically confesses: “I am afraid that great disappointment awaits me, and so I prefer to dream". This is where Coelho really captures the drama of man, who sacrifices fulfilment to conformity, who knows he can achieve greatness but denies doing so, and ends up living an empty shell of a life.

 

The Alchemist is a novel that will not appeal to everybody. Not everyone will identify with Santiago. We all have dreams, and are praying for somebody to tell us they can come true. The novel skilfully combines words of wisdom, philosophy, and simplicity of meaning and language, and this is what makes it so enchanting.

 

The Alchemist is a fantastic book and the storytelling is beautiful. The choices of words are impeccable, full of wisdom and philosophy. I totally loved it. The story is very enchanting and bursts with optimism which I think is very important in our lives these days. The book shows that the journey to your destiny is as important as the destiny itself. I love how the book emphasizes on the importance of faith, hope and spirituality through the story of an ordinary boy. I think this book appeals to everyone because we all have dreams and sometimes we just want someone to tell us that they may come true. Overall, "The Alchemist” is a very exciting fiction novel and it deserves a space at everyone’s bookshelf. I think every person should read this book at least once in his/her life

Authored by:- Sudeep Deshpande           




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