Overall Rating and Opinion of "The Alchemist"

[akanshagupta569]

I give 4 stars to this books Recently complete it and interesting books and with some outstanding twist.

[acwood]

The Alchemist is a fantastic book, one that is certain to become a classic novel. It is beautifully written (though I can only assume from the translation), and it seems to me that he took a lot of time to carefully craft the novel. There is so much in the novel that everyone can take away something different, which I think really speaks to my previous comments. I would read this novel again and again.

[sabakazi]

The Alchemist is one of my most favorite books. I have lost count on how many time I have read it. This book is a very simple story, nothing very fancy. But the moral is great. Simple language but it never fails to inspire me.

[tinegunner]

I loved this book when I read it in college. I was traveling in Europe for the first time and I happened to pick this up in a train station in I don't remember what country, but it was like, my theme song for my travels at the time. I highly recommend this to anyone needing some inspiration or even some reassurance. Coelho is a one of a kind writer, his books have deep meaning for him, and they can find themselves deep within you.

[PashaRu]

Such good reviews! I still haven't read it yet, but it's on my TBR list.

[Sweet_Lullaby]

Read it in school when I was 15, and it was pretty good, even though I didn't expect much of it at first.

[kitkathorse]

Such a classic. Picked it up at a used bookstore to give for a Christmas present this year!

[Dando]

This book has been recommended to me many times by many people. It finally found its way to me at a perfect time (just before I joined this community!). I have recently made some very drastic life changes in pursuit of a lifelong dream. It has been a very challenging experience and I often wonder if I made the right decision. This book really helped me remember how I ended up where I am and why the challenges are well worth my struggles.
This book is has wonderful messages of purpose and passion that can reach any audience. Personally this was one of those books that I liked much more when it was over and I could reflect back on it than when I was actually reading it. Honestly, I just found it a bit repetitive. Great book, but the style isn't necessarily my favorite.

[KNewton]

I really enjoyed The Alchemist! I had no expectations, just found it at a store and couldn’t put it down. I like how blunt the characters are, the lessons taught, and how thought provoking it is. I might not agree with all the lessons but I appreciate the time and effort the author put into the book. I will definitely read it again.

[L_Therese]

I know I'm a couple of months late for this discussion, but I really want to register how much I loved this book. I just read it this week, and it was amazing. It reminded me of Arabian Nights in style, especially because the boy never had a name. I admired Coelho's ability to reach deeply into the profound without over-philosophizing and explore the more spiritual aspects of alchemy without turning up his nose at the Englishman.

[zoedecicco]

I have this lined up and ready to read next!

[Himmelslicht]

Jesus I hated this book. If I bought the paperback version I'd set fire to it.

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.

YES!
This book is a huge Bible with all the New-Age-y crap combined in one volume.
If you wanna read the Alchemist and read a bunch of stuff that is totally void of any significance, just a bunch of words that combines sound pretty, then just read The Secret, The Power of Now, or some other self-help book that TRUYL names what you're in for.
I was completely disappointed.

[PashaRu]

I didn't vote for this book, but I think I might get around to reading it.

[NanoWasabi]

I thought it was a little short, but maybe that's just my personal reading speed. The book had a great way of making me feel like I was in the middle of everything that was going on, and yet it also felt like I was watching from a distance, overall making a very profound reading experience. I rated this book four out of four, because it was the kind of book and writing style I expected, but it was also so much more.

[3chicnP]

I saw this at Barnes and Noble and had to buy it right away. I've read The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel so I thought that they were going to be simliar. I was wrong because this book was so much more intriguing and "advanced." I'll give it a 3/5.