The blogging from A to Z April Challenge is for bloggers who wish to participate by publishing a blog post every day in April except for Sundays. Each blog post will focus on a letter of the alphabet. For example April 1 will be A, April 2 will be B and on it goes. By the end of April, a blog post for every letter of the alphabet will have been posted.
Summary
This book has had a huge impact on my life, but I find it really difficult to write a review without spoiling it for future readers. Because of this, the following is from the blurb. Rarely do I simply copy the blurb for a summary but nothing I could write about this book could describe it any better.
Paulo Coelho’s enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in it’s 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.
Along the way, he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself King, and an alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods, turns into a discovery of the treasure 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.
My Thoughts
“Every few decades a book comes along that changes the lives of it’s readers forever”.
The above quote was written at the top of the back cover and it really does ring true for me. After I read the book, I couldn’t help but read that sentence over and over. At the risk of sounding ‘hippy dippy’, I knew that this book would have a huge impact on my life.
Three of my favourite quotes from The Alchemist
- “When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to realise his dream”
- “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve – the fear of failure“
- “The secret of life though, is to fall seven times, and to get up eight times”.
The edition of The Alchemist that I have contains an Introduction from Paulo Coelho. At the end of the book there is a readers guide and an interview with the author which I found really interesting.
Recommendation
Since that first reading, about eight years ago, I have read the Alchemist every year, in early January. This is when I set my goals for the coming year, and particularly for the first three months of the year.
As with the first time I read it, with every subsequent reading, I feel very inspired. The Alchemist empowers me to be able to set goals that are outside my comfort zone, and to quiet those voices in my head that tell me that there is no way I could reach those goals. With every reading I get something new out of it. Whether it’s a quote that I hadn’t noticed in previous readings or a thought that comes to me while reading.
There are many readers and reviewers who really dislike The Alchemist and I can understand why that could be. Some see it as a self-help book, but I see it as much more than that. For me The Alchemist is the book that I hold dearest.
My Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
About The Author
Paulo Coelho was born in 1947 in Rio de Janeiro.
Published by Harper Collins in 1993. Softcover 167 pages. Mystical fiction. Originally published in Brazil in 1988 in Portugese.
Later translated into English and many other languages.
Have you read this book. If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I promise to always reply to comments made in the section below.
It begins! Your post is my first to read for this year’s A to Z Challenge. This sounds like a book for me! I’ve been searching out resources that proclaim positive thinking and fulfilling dreams and this sounds like a book in that vein. Thanks for sharing!
Have a great A to Z April!
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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I feel so proud that mine is your first A to Z read for 2019. Do try The Alchemist It may be exactly what you’re looking for.
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I remember really liking this book as well. Although I have only read it once, I wish I could visit Morocco for couscous. Someday I will read it again.
Jackie’s Bookbytes Letter A
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Your review has convinced me. I will add The Alchemist to my “must read” list. Happy A to Z! Asking for Help to Avoid Burnout
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Good choice to start this month’s challenge on a positive note! I have read this book too. Loved it! Its is definitely one of those books that you can (and should) read again and again.
Happy AtoZing.
Find my post for today @ Acceptance Is the Key to Happiness
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Thanks for visiting. Good to hear that you enjoyed the book. Enjoy AtoZ
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Hope you enjoy a The Alchemist when you get to it
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Couscous in Morocco sounds great Jackie. Thanks for visiting
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Sounds like a great book – I recently read a book with a similar title – The Chemist, by Stephenie Meyer. Thoroughly enjoyed that one.
Sorry, I don’t have a handy link as I’m on my ipad tonight doing some visits. But you can copy and paste this into your browser:
https://seal-of-melchizedek.blogspot.com/2019/04/atlanta-georgia-temple.html
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One of my favorite books!
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I haven’t read the Alchemist. When Coelho became popular in Poland, I came across another book of his – Veronika Decides to Die. It was a pleasant read, but it didn’t turn me into a fan, so it’s interesting for me to see how you come back to the book and what impact it had (has 🙂 ) on you.
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can you believe i have never read this book? :O Good set of quotes though that make me want to read it even more now. Thanks!
Joy at http://www.thejoyousliving.com
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This sounds like a great read. I’ve just ordered it through my library. I have a feeling my TBR list is going to be much longer by the end of April 🙂
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Have read this book. And loved it. Great review. – Regards Rubina
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Thanks Rubinstein. Pleased you enjoyed the review
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I’m sure you will enjoy it Elise. Thanks for visiting
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Like you I didn’t enjoy Veronica Decides to Die. But have read other Coelho books that I also enjoyed. Thanks for reading my review
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So happy to hear from another fan. Thanks for visiting
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Thanks for visiting. I will check out your blog soon
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This was a great book too Jennifer and I like that you went with the blurb, it’s not an easy one to explain without giving it away!
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I’m pleased you understand why I decided to approach it this way Deb.
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Best of luck for your challenge, I have started reading books few months back and I can’t tell you how excited I’m to hold my new books. The Alchemist is my favorite book and has inspired me a lot.
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So happy to hear from another lover of The Alchemist. Thanks for visiting
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I read it a loooong time ago, but still one of my favorite book!
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It will stay with me forever
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