Overall Rating and Opinion of "The Alchemist"

[whero]

I would recommend this book because it's definitely thought provoking and has some great messages. I don't necessarily agree with all of them, but finding and following your "personal legend" is definitely one of the ones I agree with (regardless of belief in a god), having purpose and a goal is part of what makes life worth doing, otherwise you're just treading water. I also like the idea that each person has their own meaning and purpose in life because that meshes well with my experience that everybody is different in small but important ways, I find it odd when people expect there to be one answer to the meaning of life because it assumes we all have the same experiences and feelings and circumstances. We are far more likely to have our own individual meanings.

[Radhika_17]

I've completed this book just 2 days back and my reaction is nothing less than a WOW! It's a must read. The best thing about this book?
If you dream something then you must live that dream and not just live in the knowledge of the dream. You shouldn't just give up on your destiny and make every possible attempt to achieve it. It's one of my most favorite book and will become yours too when you will read it.
Happy reading!!

[RebekaV]

I am just starting to read this book, very excited, especially with all the good reviews!

[raindropwriter]

I had read the book around 2 years ago.. still one thing I can never forget - Good omens are all around you.. All you have to do is recognize them.. pick the clue and your life will be a success.. Just love this book..
Will re read and participate more in the discussion..

I had left this website but came back for my love for The Alchemist.. ha ha..

[ipekbunsal]

I haven't read it but lots of people have recommended it to me, so it must be good

[stoppoppingtheP]

I gave this book a three out of four stars.

I loved the whole mystical and adventurous feel of it not to mention the fact that I love books that feature exotic countries.

The fact that Santiago goes on the whole adventure, just to return home and find the treasure where he was initially goes to show that sometimes we have to leave our comfort zones, or in some cases the ones we love, and go out into the world to find ourselves before we can come home and truly appreciate our treasure.

[SparklingOne]

I really liked this book. I never got hung up reading it like some others who posted. It was sort of inspirational and thought provoking for me. In fact I've found myself still thinking about parts of it since completing it. Will have to look up the author and see if I can find out if his other work has the same tone to it.

[Lilapo9]

I really enjoyed this book. I was captured by the biblical references in the beginning then swiftly taken on a journey within my own identity. Some questions and lessons I myself had to learn as I was growing and becoming who I am now. I would like to read this again someday under different circumstances.

[amybo82]

Well, once again, I'm in the minority. I just finished reading The Alchemist, and I was sorely disappointed! I know it was a translation that I read, but the writing was very poor. There were so many errors that just made me frustrated to read the book. I also found the story to be underwhelming. If someone was looking for inspiration, I'd recommend The Little Prince or The Secret instead.

[PashaRu]

Not really the genre I typically read, but I may check it out.

[amybo82]

I read yesterday that this is one of the ten most widely read books in the world. Amazing! Among the others are The DaVinci Code, The Bible, Harry Potter, and Twilight!

[TrishaAnn92]

I haven't finished reading it yet but I do believe I have found a new favorite book and am now planning on reading more by Paulo Coelho. This book truly does spark happy feelings.

[lizj97]

I enjoyed the book but I agree that one reading is not enough. As soon as I have some spare time I will go back and reread the book. I found the book interesting and a worthwhile read.

[TrishaAnn92]

I had yet to discover a book or author that I could truly say was my favorite but this book has earned the title and I am excited to read more works of Paulo Coelho. Would definitely recommend it to others and will most definitely be rereading.

[Briebird]

I'm a little bit torn on this book. I loved the writing style - it was poetic, flowing and reminded me of Rumi poetry. At the same time, I found it to be almost a little bit too "fluffy" and semi-ridiculous at points.

However, it is one of those books that aims to be a positive Thing in the world, and I respect it and Coelho for that. There's definitely a lot of feel-good stuff and passages that will make you think. Maybe it's just the sort of thing I have to be in the mood for, which doesn't make it bad.

Overall I'd give it 3 stars.