The Alchemist

I don’t want to sell this book short. It is a very well written and potentially quick read. The thick metaphor throughout is also extremely compelling. For me, however, I was never getting enough. The book is a constant journey full of short stories and I would have liked to have been able to savor the resolution at the end of every minor climax and that was not the writing style. I am confident the author had a purpose behind this and I can appreciate their art but its effect on me was to kind of give up on the book. Not that the journey wasn’t interesting, but if I’m going to read through it I want my pay off.

I enjoyed the religious themes and the call to a personal legend. The concept of the book, I believe, is universal and the lessons offered can apply to anyone. I was especially intrigued by the many different statements about love, falling in love, and love’s effect on your personal journey.

I think one of the biggest moments in the book for me was on page 120 (The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho) “You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it’s because it wasn’t true love…”

Appearance, 4/5: The cover has some mystique to it! If I was passing through a store I would pick it up to investigate. Perhaps it's a little misleading since the book is about a shepherd but and a lot of desert action. But compelling nonetheless!

Readability, 3/5: Even though the book is short and there is a constant struggle and journey, it took effort to stay invested since stories were not always deeply developed or resolved.

My Points, 8/10: Because of the message throughout the book I don’t want to knock it too much simply because I didn’t love the writing style. I wouldn’t want someone to not experience this read because I wasn’t as rapt as I could have been.

Total: 15/20