Is it that good?. Review on The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

I’m referring to the fictional book “The alchemist” written by Paulo C, first published in the year 1988. It is an international best seller, originally written in Portuguese, this novel is translated in more than 60 languages worldwide. It has indeed achieved a status of modern classic.

I’m not elaborating much about the plot because there is not much to discuss about it either. The story is about a young shepherd, his dreams, his journey, his struggles, his convictions, and his subsequent triumph in life.

If you have read other books of Paulo C, you might be familiar with his writing style and therefore, will be able to be in sync with this book. But if this is the first time you are reading a Paulo C book, have patience. After reading four novels written by Paulo, I felt his writing is too slow, too redundant and too spiritual at times. I have a keen interest in spiritual books and I have read authors like Deepak Chopra but trust me, even they do not sound as spiritual and preachy in their nonfiction books as Paulo sounds in his fictional books! However, Paulo has done much better in his books “Eleven minutes” and “Veronica Decides to die”. Both are women oriented books and the editing is much better than “The Alchemist”.

Coming back to “The Alchemist”; the reason why it was able to become such a bestseller classic lies in its motivational and simple tone of the story. The story has a strong dreamy feel about it and during your read; you’d feel you are reading a fairy tale. This may or may not appeal to you, depending on your taste. I am not fond of unrealistic tales and the characters I cannot identify with. I surely admire motivational stories and articles; I feel they genuinely help people in a positive way. But this particular book seemed more magical, rather than motivational. I don’t think a realist like me will be able to connect with such an abstract musing. I found the novel rather, unremarkable.

People have branded this book as “deeply inspiring” mainly because of the tale of a poor shepherd being able to achieve his dreams and get his coveted treasure despite the oppositions and challenges. Basically, a classic “Triumph of Spirit” legend. But the characters and set up of the story were too alien for me to be able to find it inspirational. Because of the slow pace, I stopped reading it many times, finally completing after 2 months, which is quite a lot, considering I generally finish reading a book in couple of days. The fact that the book is not originally written in English and we are reading a mere translation can also have a huge impact on the entire book reading experience. Editing plays huge role in the books that have been translated.

Rather than the shepherd of this book, I find the millions of poor Indian women more inspiring who take care of their children and feed their family despite their abusive, unsupportive husbands and the oppressive society. For many such women, their children are their sole “treasure” and they still manage to find comfort in just one innocent smile of their little child!

Do read it if you wish but also read Paulo’s other books to be more in tune with his ideas.

Vaibhavi