I read The Alchemist to learn this.
A review/ summary of the book "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
Author: Paulo Coelho
Genre: Fiction
The Alchemist
Introduction
At this point, who does not know of Paulo Coelho? I have read a couple of his books before, and from the faint recollections that I have of them, they were an interesting bunch.
Summary
Spoiler-free area
The book tells the story of a Shepard boy named Santiago. Santiago has a recurring dream which bothers him in his sleep. He then goes and gets the dream interpreted, and is told of a treasure. The story tackles the journey he undergoes after this.
Spoiler area
The story starts in Andalusia and goes through the Sahara desert. Santiago is told that the dream he has is of a hidden treasure. The treasure exists near the pyramid, and the "omens" tell him to go and fetch the treasure. The boy is convinced that the treasure is his calling when a king comes to him and tells him to get it.
Santiago sells his sheep and sets out to Africa. He gets robbed and begins working at a crystal shop. At the crystal shop, thanks to his ability to read the omens and understand the language of the world, he gathers enough resources to get on the journey once again.
He joins a caravan crossing the desert. He meets an Englishman who is in search of an Alchemist. The boy and the Englishman strike a conversation, and the boy is told about alchemy. The Englishman is told about the language of the world.
One fine afternoon in the desert, the boy gets a vision of a bunch of people attacking the Oasis they take refuge in.
As it happens, the tribes are at war, and some of them were about to attack the Oasis.
Santiago helped minimize the damage and was offered stability in the Oasis in the form of a job and riches.
Santiago also fell in love with a girl in the Oasis. She was named Fatima.
The Alchemist shows up once and convinces the boy to give up the stability for now and complete his calling. He joins the boy in the journey across the desert. They are stopped by the tribes at war and find themselves stuck. But with the help of some magic and a lot of the soul of the world, they get free and the boy continues.
At the site of the treasure, he finds nothing except for a bunch of men who bully him. From them, he realizes the true location of the treasure.
Santiago acquires the treasure in the end.
The book in three sentences
"Maktub" - Everything is written.
The soul of the universe speaks to everyone.
If you want something truly, the universe will make sure you get it.
Highlights and notes
I have highlighted only one quote from the entire book. Nothing else popped out as being overly insightful.
"The closer one gets to realizing his destiny, the more that destiny becomes his true reason for being."
Thoughts, Concepts, and Takeaways
I guess I missed the point of the book. The book pitches oneness with the universe and other spiritual concepts. And to be honest, I didn't find myself vibing with most of the things of this sort.
Other than that, I felt the plot to be too convenient. I'll elaborate more on this in the next section.
Apart from the spiritual undertones, the book catered a lot to "The calling". It points to the one singular purpose of one's life. I understand what it is and where it comes from, but it felt a bit too fantasized in the book. It felt unreal.
Analysis of the style of the author
The writing was pretty simple and to the point. The plot felt like it was being pushed forward a bit too smoothly. The protagonist never found himself stuck in a problem that was not immediately solvable. It diminished the effect of the story for me.
As the book was not initially written in the language I read it in, I understand there are aspects of the story that I am missing.
In a few places, the story seemed to emphasize trivial details that went nowhere. I kept searching for meaning, but I could not reach one. But I feel that this could be due to me more than the book.
Conclusion and rating
I feel like I am not the book's target audience, or I just missed the point. Either way, I do not see the hype and I believe that the book is severely overrated. I would recommend it as reading to anyone who's into spirituality and is beginning to read. As far as the book itself goes, I would give it a 3 out of 5
Beautiful review. Though i love the book, maybe because i read it first when i was 16. Had a different, and a really powerful impact.