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The Alchemist: A Fable about Following Your Dream
 
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The Alchemist: A Fable about Following Your Dream (School & Library Binding)

by Paulo Coelho (Author), Alan R. Clarke (Translator), Clifford E. Landers (Translator)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (681 customer reviews)

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From Amazon.com

Like the one-time bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sniff a bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream.

Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." --Gail Hudson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Chronique amazon.fr

Amazon.co.uk Review Like the one-time bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sense a bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalucian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream. Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night. "Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

681 Reviews
5 star:
 (430)
4 star:
 (105)
3 star:
 (44)
2 star:
 (38)
1 star:
 (64)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (681 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Truth is beauty, beauty truth, Aug 29 2006
By Asia (N.S. Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
After you're through reading the recommended list of books that the New York Times and everyone else says you're supposed to read (Brown's "Da Vinci," McCrae's "Katzenjammer" and Martel's "Life of Pi," might I suggest you tackle this book---"The Alchemist." It is simply superb. Easy to read, it is nevertheless somewhat complex in meaning. The content of this novel is remarkable in its telling. I kept me up at night, but not in that thriller kind of way. Rather by its deep meaning and insight into human nature. I highly recommend it.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Herman Hesse Wannabe, July 2 2004
By Ioana Stoica "rosepetal" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Alchemist (Paperback)
If nothing else, The Alchemist provided stimulation for me to search out more authentic sources on the topics it endeavored to attack (Buddhist philosophy, Arabian desert lifestyle, etc). And because it WAS a source of stimulation, and because I could not allow myself to group it with the 1-starred Stephen King or Danielle Steele 'novels', I give Coelho 2 stars for his effort.

Basically, this is a simple story of a man on a journey through Arabian deserts; on his way he meets mystics, women, takes up odd jobs in glass blowing, caring for sheep, and such soul searching enterprises. Suppossedly by the end of his adventurous journey (which leads him to a "treasure") he 'learns'/attains the meaning of life.

I do believe Coelho was a little theologically confused at the time he wrote this story. His main messages are:
"Follow your heart", and "Learn the Language of The World"; but see, Coehlo and his main character are Christians; the boy travels through a (mainly) Muslim land, and though he ends up at the Egyptian pyramids, the preachings seem to be quite "eastern" in take (buddha comes to mind). But of course, the whole POINT of Eastern philosophies is that they cannot be described in words (Coelho constantly preaches about how things cannot be told, they must be experienced).

For all that, Coelho does a lotta telling.

The language is quite simple, which can be beautiful (read: Herman Hesse); however it comes off as quite redundant and sermonic. Every other sentence contains at least one reference to either "The Soul of the World", or "The Personal Legend", or "Follow Your Heart" with a big fat capital H. By the end of the novel I am skimming most passages.

The characters are flat (I didn't really "feel" them, what they were going through, and there was no character development), and the storyline resembled that of a children's folktale (I like folktales).

Overall, it was a worthwhile read given that it only took a couple hours, presented some interesting ideas (albeit, without illustrating any of them satisfactorily), and removed me to the Spanish countryside/Arabian desert for a bit (I am a sucker for folktales, and if this book is nothing else, it would make a BEAUTIFUL illustrated children's book-- I like that).

NOTE TO ALL Reviewer-Reviewers: Please consider rating the reviews as helpful if they contain pertinent information on the item under discussion, not if you agree with what the reviewer has to say. I've noticed unhelpful one-liners get "helpful" votes (when the reviews were positive), and other, more full/explained (but more negative) reviews get NO helpful votes -- this IS NOT A VOTE on how much you agree with the other reader! Be FAIR :o)

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Not a book for thinkers, Oct 7 2003
By Shaun Lee (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Alchemist (Paperback)
The premise of this book is that if you believe in something hard enough the whole universe will conspire to help to attain your goals. Quaint. Perfect for anyone who is naive enough to believe all that is separating one from one's dreams is the degree to which to really want something. I guess the starving children in Africa, or India, or in your inner-city, just don't believe hard enough, or else the whole universe would have conspired to help them out of their situation. Perfect for children born into admirable situations who have more than just their beliefs to help them succeed in this world. The book's writing is above par, but the fable is poor. Praise for this book is undeserving, and it is a shame books like this are perennial best sellers and given to people starting new phases of their lives. Give them "The Stranger" or "Naive.Super" or "You Shall Know our Velocity." Anything but this, this is not writing, this is typing.
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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Motivational Book
This book is good at accomplishing one goal: motivating its reader. Specifically, it motivates you to follow your heart and endeavor to fulfill goals that you've set for yourself... Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. Ghavami

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Great story with many jewels of wisdom put in throughout. There are lessons
here for all of us to learn from and great advice on how to live life.
Published 3 months ago by Nothern Rider

4.0 out of 5 stars Mrs. Q: Book Addict : Visit my blog for newest reviews.
The Alchemist is a simple fable that alludes to the fact that all of us have a purpose and a dream in life. It is a simple book, but nonetheless inspiring. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. Q: Book Addict

1.0 out of 5 stars Profoundly insipid
Profoundly vapid, insipid, merit-less, pseudo-spiritual tripe. If Cinderella is your idea of a good read, this will appeal to you. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lawrence E. Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars The Alchemist
This is a great book to help the world-weary soul. I helps open your heart again and see beyond the everyday problems that crust your heart with worry and toxic sludge. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Fish Farmer's Wife

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming Fable and Adventure
In a way this book mirrors Paulo Coelho's own life. Early in his life he left a career as a lawyer in Brazil to travel throughout South America, North Africa and Europe and... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Douglas P. Murphy

1.0 out of 5 stars Hype: very misleading
I admit its unfair to write this review when I haven't even finished the book yet (I have about 20 pages left to go, and I'm not even sure if I will finish those), but every time... Read more
Published 20 months ago by J. Witt

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
I loved this book. So simple, a really quick read, and yet great philosophy to live your life by.
Published 22 months ago by Michelle Lehmann

3.0 out of 5 stars It sounds better than it reads.
I just finished reading this book and to my surprise, the book isn't as good as I thought. A very simple, but beautiful story. Read more
Published on Dec 10 2007 by HSBC

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating!
One of very few books that kept my interest till the end. Be ready, as you'll be compelled to ask yourself questions you should've asked long ago. Read more
Published on July 29 2007 by Kashif Javaid

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