Along on Santiago´s journey - reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

 

 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo, a review

I know, this book is old and has been talked about a lot, but it still is important to me and has had some impact on my life. That´s why it needs to be on this list. Plus, for travelling, this is one of the best reading options to take along. Why? Because it´s about a young man who sets out on a big journey …

Santiago is the main character in The Alchemist. He is a shepherd in Spain and has a dream about a treasure at the pyramids – and he actually decides to go look for it. And so, his adventure begins. The book, however, is not only about what happens along his journey, but the things he learns, the mistakes he makes, the challenges he faces, the choices he is forced to make. It is a spiritual journey, too.

The reason I, and I guess a lot of other people, like this story so much is because it is so universal and relatable. Everybody has to face difficult times in their lives, has to make up their mind and choose a path to follow. Of course, it helps that Santiago is a very sympathetic character.

The book, and all of Coelho´s writings, have been criticized a lot for being too simple and plain. I understand that from the viewpoint of a literary critique and as a reason why Coelho isn´t nominated for the Nobel Prize. As for The Alchemist – and some of his other books – I enjoy it the way it is. The simple style is part of it and makes Santiago´s story accessible to everybody.

So I can strongly recommend that, if you´re going on a trip and want to take a good book along, take The Alchemist with you. Besides being an enthralling story, it has the advantage of being thin and lightweight. Although this means that it´ll only be enough for a week or so, depending on your reading speed. So, if you´re going on a longer travel, take another one of Coelho´s novels along, such as Eleven Minutes and The Devil and Miss Prym.

If you like this novel, you might also enjoy the works of Carlos Castaneda, such as Journey to Ixtlan, Tales of Power and The Art of Dreaming.

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