Name: Vojtech's review of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Item: The Alchemist
Rating: 3
Author: Vojtech

Paulo Coelho

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho. Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations. Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

The Alchemist

Kyler Phillips

Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.

And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them. We, their hearts, become fearful just thinking of loved ones who go away forever, or of moments that could have been good but weren’t, or of treasures that might have been found but were forever hidden in the sands. Because, when these things happen, we suffer terribly

Listen to your heart. It knows all things because it came from the Soul of the World and it will one day return there.

There is one way to learn, it's through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.

Don't think about what you've left behind" The alchemist said to the boy as they began to ride across the sands of the desert. "If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.

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 a true love. The love that speaks the language of the world.

The dunes are changed by the wind, but the desert never changes. That's the way it will be with our love for each other

Angelica Garcia 

It said that all people who are happy have God within them.

ramen

And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

morgan

“I’m alive,” he said to the boy, as they ate a bunch of dates one night, with no fires and no moon. “When I’m eating, that’s all I think about. If I’m on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to fight, it will be just as good a day to die as any other.

“Because I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. You’ll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living right now.”

The lake was silent for some time. Finally, it said:

“I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected.”

“What a lovely story,” the alchemist thought.

When someone sees the same people every day, as had happened with him at the seminary, they wind up becoming a part of that person’s life. And then they want the person to change. If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.

I couldn’t have found God in the seminary, he thought, as he looked at the sunrise.

Sairaaa

The tribesman preferred the taste of battles and the thrill of not knowing what the outcome would be; the future was already written by Allah and what he had written was always for the good of man. So the tribesmen lived only for the present, because the present was full of surprises.

"Well, maybe I just want to know the future so I can prepare myself for what's coming." "If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise," said the seer. "If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur" 

El Alquimista

apcot

Cuando todos los días parecen iguales es porque las personas han dejado de percibir las cosas buenas que aparecen en sus vidas siempre que el sol cruza el cielo.

And when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.

And then they want the person to change. If someone isn't what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but non about his or her own.

toesy beans

The old man looked disappointed. "If you start out by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work toward getting it." 

About how people choose to make decisions according to how other people would react instead of following their own aspirations 

The old man continued, "In the long run, what people think about shepherds and bakers becomes more im- portant for them than their own Personal Legends." 

"At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysteriouS force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend."


Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognising opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

Srijita Sarkar 

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Vojtech

anne caroline

absolument incroyable ! Un véritable bijou de poésie et de philosophie.

E J Doble

A sweet book about finding purpose in life and pursuing your goals, it tells an interesting story a lot of people can relate to, whether you're religious or not - I would knock off a star only because it is a bit excessive at times with the character's various"revelations", and the ending was sweet but a bit unimpressive considering the journey undergone. Worth a read!

Amanda Autumn Berrey

roman

Simyacı

Khumar Musayeva

İlk dəfə 4 il qabaq oxumuşdum və heç nə başa düşməmişdim. Yaxşı ki, bir də oxumuşam. :)

"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky." Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams." Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. The Alchemist is such a book. With over a million and a half copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has already established itself as a modern classic, universally admired. Paulo Coelho's charming fable, now available in English for the first time, will enchant and inspire an even wider audience of readers for generations to come. The Alchemist is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us, as only a few stories have done, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, above all, following our dreams.

Venkatareddy Joharapuram

Victoria

0.5 stars

It's a fucking sad excuse for a book. 

It's tedious. It's a drag. It's annoying. It's full of an incredulous amount of statements that just made me roll my eyes and say "ugh, duh??". It's taken (I would use the term stolen but I'm trying to be a little polite here) several stories from everywhere else that it lacks originality. It's basically another version of the Bible, with less blabs and a more modernized tone to it. 

This book is just so goddamn awful that I don't understand why several people (peers included) liked it a lot. This isn't a self-help book. If anything, it's preachy and leads people into thinking that if they want something hard enough, the universe will fucking conspire for them to get it. And all that without lifting a finger. 

Also, what is up with this only think about and focus on your present shit?? Why are you telling me to forget about my past or not worry about my future?? What the hell is the fucking matter with you??

I don't understand. I just cannot. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. With all the hype around it, I'm seriously disappointed.

I turned into the wind, flew into the sun, and died.

Philosophy is too complicated and lacks wisdom, but also lets use philosophy and wisdom that this book certainly contains.

Okay maybe I am too mean, but there's this spiritual person who dismissed me as a human being who recommended me this, so it's hard to not take it personally. The messages in this are very simple and the goals get achieved in the most convienient of ways. It's still a book tho.

Nota

I turned into the wind, flew into the sun, and died.

Philosophy is too complicated and lacks wisdom, but also lets use philosophy and wisdom that this book certainly contains.

Okay maybe I am too mean, but there's this spiritual person who dismissed me as a human being who recommended me this, so it's hard to not take it personally. The messages in this are very simple and the goals get achieved in the most convienient of ways. It's still a book tho.

I honestlyyyy hated this book. I can see why some people may like it, but it’s not for me! Felt too fake and forced tbh. Well-written, though! Hence the two stars. Maybe I could re-read this in the future and like it but I highly doubt that

(Bre)anne✨

TW to be added later

I honestlyyyy hated this book. I can see why some people may like it, but it’s not for me! Felt too fake and forced tbh. Well-written, though! Hence the two stars. Maybe I could re-read this in the future and like it but I highly doubt that

haifa

I read this when I was young (in early teen), and always thought this book launched me into the path of seeking different literature. Not that this was the first book I read, but this one told me to leave the world of kids books or was it regional comic books? I don't remember liking it very much then, I sure do not like it now. But I was very much excited at the possibility of exploring new ideas in the medium of literature. And if you go by the notion that every work of word you read has a function in your life, 'Alchemist' is quite relevant to me. So as much as I want to dismiss it and flaunt how a grown-up, matured reader I am, I recognize its bearing.

Daniel Carril

Impresentable es poco. Una pérdida de tiempo y de dinero. Recibe una estrella porque no le puedo poner menos.

This book is a classic and for good reason. Not only does Coelho perfectly set up and introduce each character perfectly to us, he does so with good intentions and reasons each time, each person that enters the boys quest does so to teach an important lesson about love, passion, desire, purpose, belonging to name a few.

It’s about a boys quest to follow his personal legend, or what others might describe as their calling. We can think of these not just as wishes or desires but rather that deep sense of purpose that we all seek in our lives, and that if we choose to listen, it will help guide and direct us to places we never thought possible.

Coelho talks about the importance of listening to this calling, and you see through the connections in this book that the world creates a space for you to achieve that calling of you believe in your heart enough. When we stop listening to our heart, we no longer listen to our calling and our omens no longer appear.

The author creates a deep connection with god and spirituality, which regardless of your choice to believe in creates a sense of connectedness with the world and nature around us, he does this through the omens and speaking to nature. 

This book is a classic and for good reason. Not only does Coelho perfectly set up and introduce each character perfectly to us, he does so with good intentions and reasons each time, each person that enters the boys quest does so to teach an important lesson about love, passion, desire, purpose, belonging to name a few.

It’s about a boys quest to follow his personal legend, or what others might describe as their calling. We can think of these not just as wishes or desires but rather that deep sense of purpose that we all seek in our lives, and that if we choose to listen, it will help guide and direct us to places we never thought possible.

Coelho talks about the importance of listening to this calling, and you see through the connections in this book that the world creates a space for you to achieve that calling of you believe in your heart enough. When we stop listening to our heart, we no longer listen to our calling and our omens no longer appear.

The author creates a deep connection with god and spirituality, which regardless of your choice to believe in creates a sense of connectedness with the world and nature around us, he does this through the omens and speaking to nature. 



I hate philosophy and the nonsense talk about the meaning of the universe and this book had both in spares 🙃

Souhaila

Audrey Lord

This book made me cry. Not because it's sad but because it is so happy and joyful. And it made me think about legends and omens. And my heart.

Wonderful book, a story full of life lessons. Worth reading multiple times.

Henri Bredt

** spoiler alert **
           A book full of gems.

My highlights from the book: 

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

"Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

"What's the world's greatest lie?" "That at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate."

"The most important is that you have succeeded in discovering your Personal Legend."

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

"If you start out by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work toward getting it."

"When each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognise the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises."

"In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you."

"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."
(Context: A wise man told the boy to, look around the palace, wander around and carry a spoon of oil without allowing it to spill. The boy descended the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. When the boy returned and the wise man asked if he had noticed all the beautiful parchments, the garden, the tapestries etc. the boy confessed he had observed nothing, his only concern had been not to spill the oil. The wiseman told him to go back and observe the marvels of the world. The boy went back exploring the palace and observing all art, gardens, mountains etc. Upon returning, he related in detail everything he had seen. But the drops of oil the wise man had entrusted him with was gone.)

"I'm like everyone else - I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does."

"Every blessing ignored becomes a curse." 

"You are forcing me to look at...horizons I have never known. Now that I have seen them...I see how immense my possibilities are."

"When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision"

"Intuition is a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected, and we are able to know everything, because it's all written there."

"When you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World."

"The closer he got to the realisation of his dream, the more difficult things became. It seemed as if what...had been called "beginner's luck" were no longer functioning. In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage. So he could not be hasty nor impatient. If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God along his path." 

"When two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only."

"He knew that his love for her would enable him to discover every treasure in the world."

"When you are in love, everything begins to make sense."

"The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances. How do I guess at the future? Based on the omens of the present. The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings."

"Why would the desert reveal such things to a stranger, when it knows that we have been here fro generations?" "Because my eyes are not yet accustomed to the dessert... I can see things that eyes habituated to the desert might not see."

"To die tomorrow was no worse than dying on any other day. Every day was there to be lived or to mark one's departure from this world."

"Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World" (love)

"I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the same hand, and we have the same soul. I want to be like you, able to reach every corner of the world, cross the seas, blow away the sans that cover my treasure..."

"When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because everything happens within you"

"Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World"

"It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse, depending on whether we become better or worse. And that's where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are"

"Thank you" said the boy [to the alchemist]. "You taught me the Language of the World." 
"I only invoked what you already knew"

"No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it."

"Love would never keep a man from his Personal Legend... on the way toward realising his own Personal Legend, he had learned all he needed to know, and had experienced everything he might have dreamed of."

"No project is completed until it's objective has been achieved"

"What good is money to you if you're going to die? It's not often that money can save someone's life"

Might be my new favourite, interesting to think about how something universal can be so personal 

Nawel

This is definitely in my top five favourites. The perfect mix of interesting story line and deep meaning. A light read but filled with so many good lines. 

Natalia 

Esther Lumanauw

I can’t imagine why I didn’t read this book sooner. People will urge you to read it and you’ll put it off because life… but don’t. Once you’ve finished.. you’ll wish you had read it the moment you learned to sound out and understand words.

Easy quick read, sweet story of following dreams and taking chances

Raquel Tomaz

Meghan Navoy

a nice and quick read, enjoyed it well enough but wasn't amazed or anything

I DIDNT UNDERSTAND SHIT BUT THAT IS OK BECAUSE NOW I CAN SAY I HAVE READ THIS BOOK

Julie Stark 

Rohan Uddin

A very beautiful tale of following your dream. I loved the vivid descriptions and the quest for finding the treasure. No doubt, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

quite short so nothing lost but i didn't agree with it at some parts and didn't quite learn much. i wouldn't want to live a life with that sorta philosophy. i liked the glass-seller and the caravan driver. personally preferred the prophet. and also the bible. 

saw a reddit comment say it was all right sometimes but mostly nauseating, and i agree with that.

quite short so nothing lost but i didn't agree with it at some parts and didn't quite learn much. i wouldn't want to live a life with that sorta philosophy. i liked the glass-seller and the caravan driver. personally preferred the prophet. and also the bible. 

saw a reddit comment say it was all right sometimes but mostly nauseating, and i agree with that.

It's not that life changing as everybody was saying. It's book for people that don't read and their other favorite book is 

It's not that life changing as everybody was saying. It's book for people that don't read and their other favorite book is The Little Prince.

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The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

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