Product Description: A New York Times Bestselling Author
This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. What starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.
Available only in Dist. 5 & deluxe.
Amazon.com 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 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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Actually life-changing
I know a million other people have already talked about how great this book is, but I had to add my own review too. (I just started reviewing things on Amazon and now I can't stop!) Read this book. It's ... Read More
Rating: - Overall, a good read
Paulo Coelho weaves a masterpiece confronting the very basis of the way we live in society today. He tries to show that if you follow your, "Personal legend" which is what your deepest dream is, and what ... Read More
Rating: - And the moral of the story is...
'The Alchemist' is essentially a fable that crystallises an age-old theme - that of stepping beyond one's comfort zone in the pursuit of one's dreams. The moral of the story is illustrated by Coelho with ... Read More
Rating: - Inspiring
Anyone unsure of what they want to do after high school should read this book.
Rating: - Everyman Parable? More like Glorified Cliches
There is not a single original idea in this book. That's true of even a lot of great literature, but other books make up for repackaging old ideas by adding new wrinkles. The Alchemist is written like a bible ... Read More
- Actually life-changing
- And the moral of the story is...
- Everyman Parable? More like Glorified Cliches